Coop Run flooring suggestions

[blackdog043]

PVC clear roof panels (About $14 THD 4 X 8 sheet)

Are you able to get 4 x 8 panels in NH? I can only get 26" x 8' in NC and they're $14. I did get some tan 26" x 8' Tuf Tex panels for about $8 a piece when they had a close out.

 

[Grits&Eggs]

Hi - am in Florida, tried sand, was easy to scoop but held puddles during the rains :-/
then, I got a chipdrop (from chipdrop.com) and raised my run up almost a foot, and- viola - no puddles or muck all fall/winter!! I did however forget to put down mesh wire under it and it is now mostly dirt, but dang good dirt. I regularly scoop it, some for my garden, some for friends and it is so rich and dark! Highly recommend wood chips!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

My run is covered, but here is a picture after I just added yard and garden waste in the fall.

very nice!

 

[K813ZRA]

We have three coops, one which happens to be the remnants of an old greenhouse that had a packed gravel floor. That one has the best run by far. It drains really, really well! Poo does not accumulate either.

Coop number two has a covered but all dirt run and it works out okay much of the year. The rainy season it can get soggy though.

Coop number three has an open dirt run. It is either hardpan or slop depending on the season.

Anyway, my chickens are not confined to their runs but when they are in them they do not seem to mind gravel for whatever it is worth. I think I'd go that way if I had to build another coop.

 

[Chullicken]

Are you able to get 4 x 8 panels in NH? I can only get 26" x 8' in NC and they're $14. I did get some tan 26" x 8' Tuf Tex panels for about $8 a piece when they had a close out.

Yeah, I believe they are 4 x 8 from The Home Depot. About $14 bucks and up, depends what you get. The UV ones I really want are like in the mid 20s...to much for my hobby.

 

[Brookliner]

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I have a chicken run that is 8' x 8' and currently there is just dirt on the floor. I will have 6 chickens and live in SWFL where it gets very hot, humid and rainy in the summer months. I've been living with the dirt prior to this new flock of hens, but wanted to do something new to the flooring so that the girls will not have wet feet during summer, and reduce the smell too. I've thought about both contractor sand vs mulch chips and it looks like each have their own benefits. I've never done mulch chips so wouldn't even know what kind to get. Any suggestions on either way for areas that are more wet during 1/2 of the year?

Sand definitely. Wood mulch will rot and ultimately make a smelly mess. Also with sand you can rake it.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Yeah, I believe they are 4 x 8 from The Home Depot. About $14 bucks and up, depends what you get. The UV ones I really want are like in the mid 20s...to much for my hobby.

My main run is covered in corrugated metal, however I'm building a 4' x 8' extension to that. I had one piece of 2' x 8' metal roof so I purchased the 2' x 8' PVC corrugated roofing sheet from HD ($23 one). I like it because it will allow more sunshine into the run however, I'm putting HC under that as it isn't all that sturdy. So going with the less expensive one, I would be mindful of how predator proof it is. As for the run itself, I use dirt and pine shavings. The shavings helped out a lot to absorb the melting snow this winter. Poo gets composted in.

 

[paintedChix]

Here in the sandhills of NC, on our current property, we have sand. It is the nastiest, stinkiest stuff when it gets wet - no matter what is on it (the dogs, the ponies, the chickens). From our understanding, the open pastured areas on our property (about 7 acres total - fenced) was used for growing corn and tobacco years ago. Then had some horses/minis on it before we brought in our ponies. It also turns hard as concrete during the winter - even when dry - and makes it difficult for birds that fly down from even a lower 3' roost. I was not able to "scoop" it every day 1x much less 2x a day. So, we use DLM. The chickens mix it in and then anywhere from 3 - 6 months later we start removing the composted materials for our tire planters and raised bed gardens (just started doing this regularly this year).

I use different materials for my DLM. We just got our first few loads of wood mulch - all new chippings, different trees but mostly pine & pine needles. I have not used it in the chicken pens/coops yet - just in the nests mixed with shredded paper.

DLM is meant to break down and you continue to add to it. Wood chips also break down - that is why it is so good to use in chicken runs and as mulch on gardens. It adds to the soils as it breaks down. DLM is a method to do several things at once - makes a nice, deep bed for your chickens that reduces flies, smells and "moon craters" in the chicken yard; drains/soaks up water from lots of rain when deep enough; creates compost that you can remove and use in your garden with out having to put in a lot of work yourself (the chickens do all the mixing and turning and adding manure)and allows you to dump all your compostable materials in the chicken yard. A lot of wins there!

Mixed in with our coop/pen pics are pics of the DLM we've done - showing different pics of the varieties of materials. Unfortunately, I don't have good pics of the compost I remove - it's still very sandy... though right now. I hope to get it to be more "loamy" in the future - we'll get there. It does drain well.

Coops, Cattle Panels, DLM & Sheds

Our place is very much a learning work in progress as we learn about everything other than ponies/horses. This is the first property we've owned and not rented or leased. In the last few years on this property, we've had a lot of weather changes and we've seen different things happen on it with the changing patterns. It does also affect our coop & run layouts and what we are able to build where.

 

[Bar B]

We use sand on run floor and pine shavings in coop . The sand allows them more comfort when it rains. It's a softer landing for them when they jump/ fly from roost. They also have a dust bath available all the time. In the winter we add hay to part of the run and the coop for warmth. I love my chickies