Coop floor?

[Meg09]

What do you have, and what type of floor do you reccomend?

 

[PapaChaz]

I put some cheap vinyl on mine, will make it easier to clean being a smooth surface. Check your local 'building salvage' places or floor installation dealers and see if they have any remnants. I paid less than $.50 a foot for mine

 

[Katalina]

We live in the sticks and have a coop that can be moved around our grounds which we do frequently in in the summer. But we live in the Northeast so it is stationary over the winter and they lived on the dirt from November til Spring. We haven't had any problems with animals digging to get in. However, we bring in the chicken feed at night so there is less temptation for nocturnal animals to want to get in. It is easy enough to take them their food in the morning when we let them out. I have seen squirrels, possums, and other animals near the coop but nobody seems to be interested in getting inside when there isn't food available. We have a tiny flock of four so I can only speak for our situation.

We have thought about getting a more permanent run with gravel or other bedding on the ground but they love the fresh grass so we are going to continue to move them about the yard when we can without the protective foot of underground hardware cloth. We feel that so long as they are safe in the roost at night we are comfortable without added protection.

HTH,
Katalina

 

[Neuport]

A lot of the well made pre-built backyard coops you see have a fiberglass panel on top of plywood or OSB floor sheathing to ease cleaning. They are like the wall panels you see on the walls of commercial bathrooms. If you go to Home Depot ask for FRP panels. Much faster, more durable, and probably cheaper than paint.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What type of coop are you constructing? Are you looking at a tractor style, a walk-in large coop, a small coop that is only accessible to the birds and you access things from outside?
Our coop is a large, walk-in coop and has a solid wood floor which is bedded over with pine shavings.

 

[Meg09]

We are in construction ( FINALLY) it's a walk in 10 by 12 coop, (walk in) it will eventually have a fenced run, but the birds will also be allowed outside/free range. I was thinking about sealing the wood floor then using straw or pine shavings.

 

[ConPollos]

I want to use linoleum on my floor, but I'm also wondering if floor paint would work just as well and be cheaper. I'm also wondering if predators can dig up through the plywood floor, and if so I will put hardware cloth on it, and line the walls with it. I'm sure my dogs can chew right through the walls if they want to.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I painted mine with porch floor paint. It takes a long time to dry but holds up really well to the cleaning and scraping.

 

[ConPollos]

Thank you. I'm glad I can just paint it. If I cover it with hardware cloth, will that make it too hard to clean and scrape it?

 

[21hens-incharge]

It would do two things.
1. It would be a danger to the feet of the hens. Think of hopping down off the roost and landing on the wire. (even with shavings the wire would get exposed at times)

2. It would have way to many placed for poo to get stuck and be near impossible to clean properly.