outside coopfloor?

[fire sale chick]

I am building my coop, it is 5" X 10 ". I have 6 chicks and I was wondering what to use as the flooring of the outside of the coop. I have seen pebbles as a base and sand on top. Is this OK?

 

[Judy]

Honestly, I wouldn't spend money on pebbles. They will just sink into the dirt.

I think most people just use the grass that is there, until the chickens kill it. Then sand is working well for many people, if it isn't getting a lot of direct sunlight on it in summer, because it can get too hot. You may want a barrier around the outside to keep the sand in. There is actually nothing wrong with dirt, it just isn't easy to clean.

 

[Messipaw]

My run is a mix of everything. Dried leaves some compost. Deep liter. Wood chips mixed w sand. Grass clippings. You name it. They dig thru everything and break it down. It's a good twelve inches of a mix of everything I've tried. They love it.

 

[jetdog]

I am building my coop, it is 5" X 10 ".  I have 6 chicks and I was wondering what to use as the flooring of the outside of the coop.  I have seen pebbles as a base and sand on top.  Is this OK?

I have a 10x10 dog kennel with a roof and love the sand, I put 2x6's as a boarder and landscape fabric down with welded wire on top of that to keep anything from digging in, very easy to clean with a cat litter scoop and they love dusting in the sand, the landscape fabric keeps the ground from eating up the sand and allows any water to drain quickly.

 

[Judy]

My run is a mix of everything. Dried leaves some compost. Deep liter. Wood chips mixed w sand. Grass clippings. You name it. They dig thru everything and break it down. It's a good twelve inches of a mix of everything I've tried. They love it.

Haha, I love this idea, and would probably do the same if I had a small run! Certainly gives them something to do. I understand that cleaning sand is pretty simple, kinda like kitty litter -- but you shouldn't have to do much cleaning with a mix like that.

 

[Messipaw]

I agree. It's an ongoing compost. I love it.