Concrete floor for chicken coop

[AinaWGSD]

We have a 2.5 car garage and are planning to section part of it off for our chicken coop (cut a hole in the wall for a door, maybe add a window as currently the only window is on the back wall). Are there any special considerations we need to take into account due to the concrete floor?

In the past we've used deep litter and have been pretty happy with it. We are also considering a poop tray/poop board under the roost.

 

[NatJ]

Are there any special considerations we need to take into account due to the concrete floor?

Concrete can be hard and cold (solution: plenty of litter on top)

Concrete does not let water through (solution: keep it dry, probably not a big deal inside a garage)

Concrete can get stained and/or absorb odors (no really good solution, options include covering the concrete with something non-porous, or using lots of litter, or deciding it doesn't really matter.) A poop tray under the roosts may help here, especially if you clean that out each day, because then there is much less manure that can smell and/or make stains.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Concrete can get stained and/or absorb odors (no really good solution, options include covering the concrete with something non-porous, or using lots of litter, or deciding it doesn't really matter.)

I mean, the garage is at least 25 years old, probably 40, so I'm not really concerned about stains. I am a little worried about it absorbing odors though as it buts up to the property line of two of our neighbors. I wasn't sure if we should be looking into idk, painting it with floor sealer or something. All our previous coops have had linoleum over plywood floors.

 

[nuthatched]

I'd get some cheap vinyl sheet floor to put on top, concrete tends to retain moisture.

 

[aart]

I mean, the garage is at least 25 years old, probably 40, so I'm not really concerned about stains.

I might be more worried about oil and gas stains being toxic to birds.
Do you still park cars in this garage?
Do you plan on a solid wall(s) and ceiling to keep chicken dust from coating everything else in the garage?

 

[AinaWGSD]

I might be more worried about oil and gas stains being toxic to birds.
Do you still park cars in this garage?
Do you plan on a solid wall(s) and ceiling to keep chicken dust from coating everything else in the garage?

I'm not particularly worried about oil/gas stains because where we're putting the coop is not somewhere cars would likely have been parked (its kind of th 1/2 can part, directly in front of the walk-in door not the large garage doors). There's currently shelves there.

It is currently so full of crap there isn't room for cars! There is currently one car in there right now, doesn't run (husband is supposedly fixing it up for when the kids learn to drive), our camping trailer, the large broader, a whole lot of oak planking, and assorted things like a tiller and snowblower. When it's not quite so full of crap we put the riding mower in there.

 

[Penpal]

I would take everything out and seal the entire floor. This is more to keep spills of oil and gasoline in the concrete rather than keeping moisture out, but it would do both.

Also, cover the chicken coop part with vinyl flooring. You will have to let the vinyl flooring outgas before putting chickens inside.

 

[Debbie292d]

I mean, the garage is at least 25 years old, probably 40, so I'm not really concerned about stains. I am a little worried about it absorbing odors though as it buts up to the property line of two of our neighbors. I wasn't sure if we should be looking into idk, painting it with floor sealer or something. All our previous coops have had linoleum over plywood floors.

What if you tried horse bedding pellets, as in lay down a couple of inches of those. We've used them for several years in our coop and only change them in the spring when they become sawdust and dehydrated chicken poo. They would dry out the poo and there is no smell and no maintenance, albeit using a stick to stir them now and then but we have enough chickens to do that.

 

[Sally PB]

Do you plan on a solid wall(s) and ceiling to keep chicken dust from coating everything else in the garage?

This. The dust from chickens gets Every. Where. And some of it is teeny bits of broken down, dried out poop.

 

[Mouthpear]

I'm not particularly worried about oil/gas stains because where we're putting the coop is not somewhere cars would likely have been parked

I am pretty sure that arrt meant that the oils/gas and solvents and anything else that might have been in that garage could be a problem. You may not smell it but the birds might and they are very susceptible to lung infection and irritation.

If you do decide to go ahead with this , definitely paint the floor and maybe the walls to. Use killtz, of latex paint made for garage floors. Make sure you give it PLENTY OF TIME to fully dry and air out.