To lay liner or to put wood chip straight onto the floor

[Parkers chickens]

Hi Guys,

2 questions - I live in the uk and my coop and run is completely outside.

I laid liber on the floor to prevent mud , however the water does not drain away , which is a real problem when I hose down all the poo etc. So shall I lay straight on the ground? Also should I use soft chip or hard wood chip?
Thank you in advance
Leanne

 

[EggyErin]

When you say outside, do you mean your coop floor is dirt? Either you need a way to drain water from the coop and run or you'll not be able to hose down the coop anyway. You might could use harder chips in the run but I would definitely use soft in the coop. More absorbent.

 

[3KillerBs]

It's not usually recommended to use wet cleaning methods in a chicken coop.

Chickens need to be kept dry to keep them healthy.

That is, they can *choose* to go out in the rain if they have free access in and out, but they need that dry coop to return to so that their damp outer feather dry.

A damp chicken coop is also a smelly chicken coop. Lots of dry bedding and big ventilation will be better for keeping things odor-free than hosing the coop down.

 

[Mtnboomer]

I have an elevated coop with plywood floor. I use straw and coarse wood chips as litter. Usually the wood stays completely dry and the 2" of litter is enough to absorb everything making clean out very easy which i do once a month.

My friend put down linoleum. He sweeps out the litter and then uses a damp squeegee to wash off linoleum. Works well.

You don't want to spray anything inside the coop with a hose unless its large enough with excellent ventilation and dry weather outside to promote drying asap. Lingering dampness can cause mold growth, your coop to rot, plus respiratory issues with you and your birds etc. Unpleasantness all around.
My adult birds are free range but i keep my juveniles in a coop/run setup. Best run litter i have found is the scrap wood generated when using a log splitter to split firewood. Big very coarse wood chips and large chunks of bark. Its awesome! If unavailable, large chunky coarse mulch is much netter than anything fine.