Gaps in coop floor

[DerSchoeneBahnhof]

My current coop floor is made of pine lumber, 1" x 4" boards (treated with wood preservative). Due to the lumber quality, some boards being slightly bent etc. there are some gaps between them.

Tiny pieces of wood chips fall between the gaps and so I have to refill wood chips more often and remove the accumulated mess below (the coop is standing on concrete deck blocks and there is some space underneath).

Just thinking out loud what would be the best way to fix this? Cover the pine boards with thin plywood (since plywood here wouldn't be structural)? I hear rubber mats are not great for coops.

Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

Hardware cloth? Horse mats are fine, especially since you have ventilation underneath.

 

[DerSchoeneBahnhof]

Hardware cloth would have to be very thin, maybe 1/4" grid then? Wouldn't the chicken feet get stuck in the hardware cloth as they scratch?

Just looking for the cheapest option at this stage. Hardware cloth is cheaper than plywood and would let water go through. Horse mats are heavy and appear to be quite expensive.

 

[Krugerrand]

Can you access this from the bottom? Is the coop elevated? or are we dealing with a above floor only option?

Can you post pictures?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hardware cloth would have to be very thin, maybe 1/4" grid then? Wouldn't the chicken feet get stuck in the hardware cloth as they scratch?

Just looking for the cheapest option at this stage. Hardware cloth is cheaper than plywood and would let water go through. Horse mats are heavy and appear to be quite expensive.

I agree that toes catching would be a concern. They could catch in the existing gaps too so that's something you want to eliminate as much as possible.

I would do the plywood. Or scrap linoleum, if you want something more waterproof.

Not sure why drainage is a concern (you said you want water to go through), unless you have leaks, in which case the leaks should be addressed too.

 

[aart]

My current coop floor is made of pine lumber, 1" x 4" boards (treated with wood preservative). Due to the lumber quality, some boards being slightly bent etc. there are some gaps between them.

Tiny pieces of wood chips fall between the gaps and so I have to refill wood chips more often and remove the accumulated mess below (the coop is standing on concrete deck blocks and there is some space underneath).

Just thinking out loud what would be the best way to fix this? Cover the pine boards with thin plywood (since plywood here wouldn't be structural)? I hear rubber mats are not great for coops.

Thanks!

How big are the gaps?
Some pics would help here.

Yes, thin plywood would work fine.

 

[DerSchoeneBahnhof]

Sure, I will post pics later. Looks like plywood is the winner so far. The coop does have a vinyl roof, recently added to prepare for a possibly rainy winter.

 

[saysfaa]

Wood lath might be more frugal. There are a lot variables that would shift it one way or the other.

Certainly more frugal would be paper, although that depends on what the water problem is. Either flat (maybe "glued" down with anything from actual glue to paint or polyurethane to flour paste) or laid down dry with deep bedding to hold it in place. Or rolled and/or wadded and wedged in - basically used as oakum.

You might check out variations of oakum - there are quite a few variations from loose fiber/tar mixtures to plain rope.

I patched knot holes with a mixture of wood chips, sawdust, and wood filler. I also tried wood chips and caulk but only where the chickens couldn't reach it. These probably aren't technically oakum but they have similarities. It wasn't very cost effective the way I did it but it might be if someone uses a different type of wood filler and/or knows how it use it better than I did in my first attempts at it.

Sand sifting down out of the crack along the back of the poop board of my coop. I stopped it with backer rod and wood filler. It was probably not the least cost option except I had enough left over from kitchen repairs.

 

[K0k0shka]

I have oilcloth stapled to the floor of my coop, to protect the wood and to make the biennial big clean out easier. It's cheap, waterproof and durable, and very easy to install - cuts like fabric with regular scissors. Highly recommend, would solve the problem in your case. You can get it on Amazon by the yard, or at fabric stores.

 

[DerSchoeneBahnhof]

Oilcloth, cool, let me look at that. Thanks to all for the replies!

As promised, here are pics of the coop.

EDIT: gaps between planks are about 1/4" I would say.