POO!

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Beekissed said:
You can still do DL on that kind of floor if you do it properly. I did it on an old oak floor and it did just fine. You may have to clean out the composted litter once a year or maybe even every other year with that kind of floor, but it can be done successfully.
Click to expand...

I have a 40+ year old cedar floor.

I keep about 12 inches of pine shavings on the floor and fluff perhaps once per week.

A dozen birds, ~64 square feet.

I'll change out the shavings about every 18 months.

My coop is very well ventilated.

A lot of dust, but no odors or issues.

When I do clean out the shavings, I dump it in their outside run.

With moisture (rain), it decomposes into black gardeners gold within 4 months.
 
I recently moved my flock of 16 into a new coop 10 x 12 with a 2 x 4 closet which cuts the coop foot print a bit. A week or so ago, I noticed that there was a "sour" smell in the coop. Definitely not ammonia smell, but sour. I've been opening the door up mid-day every day there's opportunity, and noticed that over the past week or so, with all of the foot traffic in and out that people door (Pop door currently not in use due to metal roof and snow loads falling off putting gals at risk with pop door location) that the shaving litter is more moist. Odor has totally disappeared. I think the odor was caused by some dry pellets which have broken down and soured in the litter. So, I'm hopeful that even with a plywood floor covered by laminate that the coop will support a DL. (my biggest concern is that it will retain moisture and rot out the OSB walls, even though they are well painted.)
 
I think very well. The windows are closed now, and I haven't yet put hdw cloth over them, so could open them during the day, but not at night. that will be rectified as time and health and weather allow. They have a fair amount of air leakage around them, which will be covered when I put up the hdw. cloth. But, there are (3) 24 x 32" windows, a full sized people door, a pop door which is currently kept closed up. Then there are 2 soffit vents 8' x 2", and a vent at either gable end 7" x 14". Inside, there is a 18 x 24" vent to draw air from the coop space into the "attic" space. With all the glass on the south and east sides the coop heats up nicely during the day. If it's 20* outside, it will get up to 50* or better inside if the door is closed. And with the door wide opened, it will be at least 30 - 35* during a 20* day. Metal roof helps with heating up in the cold weather, and I have a thermax ceiling (again, not totally finished b/c winter weather hit before coop was 100% completed) which will help to keep the coop cooler in the summer months. Hoping that all of the windows and venting will draw the breezes in and exhaust out through the roof venting.
 
I believe it is very close to that. If the windows are cracked open. Just curious, what is your climate, and how does your ventilation work out to match the gold standard? What kind of ventilation have you found to be the most functional?
 
My coop is only sweet pdz and my run is a mix of sweet pdz and coarse sand. I simply scoop daily like a cat litter box.

Yes, I know it's pricey, but I am allergic, really allergic to the shavings, mulches, composts, straw/hay.
 
lazy gardener said:
I think very well. The windows are closed now, and I haven't yet put hdw cloth over them, so could open them during the day, but not at night. that will be rectified as time and health and weather allow. They have a fair amount of air leakage around them, which will be covered when I put up the hdw. cloth. But, there are (3) 24 x 32" windows, a full sized people door, a pop door which is currently kept closed up. Then there are 2 soffit vents 8' x 2", and a vent at either gable end 7" x 14". Inside, there is a 18 x 24" vent to draw air from the coop space into the "attic" space. With all the glass on the south and east sides the coop heats up nicely during the day. If it's 20* outside, it will get up to 50* or better inside if the door is closed. And with the door wide opened, it will be at least 30 - 35* during a 20* day. Metal roof helps with heating up in the cold weather, and I have a thermax ceiling (again, not totally finished b/c winter weather hit before coop was 100% completed) which will help to keep the coop cooler in the summer months. Hoping that all of the windows and venting will draw the breezes in and exhaust out through the roof venting.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking you'll need more venting at the floor level. It's hard to explain, but not all ventilation is the same. It depends on the shape of the building, where the vents are positioned, how air flows through the space, etc., if the flow will actually capture the ammonia at the litter level and raise it up and out of the coop. Not all ventilation is created equal. A person just needs to have ventilation at all levels, on all sides and then just play with it until you get the right draw of air for your space....and that may change seasonally, so being able to adapt the ventilation to suit these changes will ultimately make for a better air environment in the coop.

I err on too much, rather than too little...you can always close up what you do have, but you can't open what you don't have.
wink.png
 
lazy gardener said:
I believe it is very close to that. If the windows are cracked open. Just curious, what is your climate, and how does your ventilation work out to match the gold standard? What kind of ventilation have you found to be the most functional?
Click to expand...

My coop is an A frame converted 40+ year old cedar shed, L16'xW8'xH10'.

Half 8'x8' for flock, half for storage, separated by a 6' solid wall, then open on top secured with hardware cloth to stop birds from flying over or roosting on.

I have 1 vent on either side, up high near top of roof 12"x12"x2.

I have 4" vents front and back where roof meets walls, 16'x4"x2. This is at 6' height.

The storage area has a 2'x2' hardware cloth secured open window.

The birds have access to their run 24/7 as the run is as secure as the coop. Their open door is 12"x14".

This allows draft free ventilation at all levels, low (door), medium above roosting bars (roof meets walls), high vents near roof peak for odorless ammonia venting.

2568 square inches, or 17.833 square feet of draft free ventilation, distributed at all levels.

I only have about a dozen birds, my coop is very well ventilated.

My climate is coastal central NJ.
 

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