Suggestions needed!

Hello, I'm new to having chickens and I just purchased a new coop. The size of the coop is 6' x 8' and we cure only have 4 hens but would like to get maybe up to a total of 10. I've included pictures so it will hopefully make it easier to understand what I'm looking for.



1) inside the coop I was thinking of putting down some linoleum on the floor and then cover with pine shavings and straw/hay to make a litter. I'm worried about the litter eventually breaking down the floor which is why I was considering the linoleum.


2) I was thinking of doing sand in the area under the coop.

3) what could I do to minimize the mess from water and feed in the coop?

Thanks in advance, Teri

For under the coop. Don't put anything. Leave them to scratch. You can toss weeds and grass in there also.

For the deep litter, put 2 by 4s around the edge of that opening in the floor to keep it from falling down.

For the food and water mess. Have them eat out of a hanging feeder that is chest level (chicken chest level) and water, put a 2-3 inch pan down, that grate over it than the water on top, it will keep the wood shavings out of the water. You could do the same for food.

I'm not sure what that floor is made of, but you might want to think about a couple coats of paint on it before you put down linoleum, just for added protection from rot.

Welcome to BYC!

Probably not linoleum, but vinyl.
Single sheet of heavy duty foam backed vinyl, with dry pine shavings over it, has worked well for me.
Bending it up the walls a few inches can help contain any spills from getting underneath(except at the corners).
It can be a bit slippery for the birds at first.
I use a poop board too, so only change out the shavings once a year.

Agrees a coat or two of paint would probably be a good first step for that.

Your'e going to need to put some boards up around the pop door in the floor(6-8" high) to keep the coop bedding in the coop.
That looks like a pretty nice coop, surprised they didn't do that for you.
Tho those roosts look a bit close together....best about ' from wall and 12-18" apart.


Sand doesn't work great(at least for very long) unless you are in a very dry climate.
(Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions)
A mix of dry plant matter can work very well in the run.
Here's a great description of contents and how to manage organic 'bedding' in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992


I like horizontal nipples for low spillage, easy heating in my frigid winters, and no addition of humidity to coop environment.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples
And a no waste feeder.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-almost-waste-free-funnel-bucket-feeder

Blackjack #57 from Lowes for the floor. It is a rubberized roof coat product. Unlike linoleum, or vinyl, this stuff becomes a permanent part of the floor. It totally seals all floor joints, along with the seam/gap, where the walls meet the floor. I've had this stuff down in my coop for over 6yrs now. I just did my fall cleanout, and the Blackjack looks as good as the day I put it in there. If it can handle being exposed to what mother nature can throw at it, on a roof, being under some shavings in a chicken coop is nothing to it.