Best Covering For Cement Floor In Coop

[CompassPoint]

My coop is at my moms house, since I'm over there daily to take care of my older dogs and my ponies anyway, and stay the better part of the day so I can let my brother inside when he comes home from his day hab. program. She had my uncle build it and they cleared off a spot next to the garage where we used to have some dog kennels and placed it there, and as such--it sits on cement.

I've been looking into options of flooring. It's a coop/run (although they will not be in it all the time, mainly evenings/night). I figured pine shavings for the coop area, but the run? Do I do the same? Or try something else? One friend suggested sand, but I'm not sure how well that would work out.

Any suggestions/discussion on this would be appreciated.

I'll attach a picture of the coop (pre-wire, freshly delivered from my uncles house) so you can see what I'm working with.

 

[HS Pye]

Hi,

Yes, I would do a thick layer of pine shavings.

HS Pye

 

[Klutch]

I prefer sand for the outside run, because it's still going to get wet a bit. You could also put a underground French drain, just incase of some extreme weather.

 

[CompassPoint]

what type of sand would work best if I do decide to go the sand route for the run section of my coop.

I really appreciate the replies so far. Personal experience that other folks have had will really help me make the best choice for myself, so, keep them coming!

 

[jetdog]

Construction sand the coarser the better, I used septic sand because it is designed to drain very well and we sell it at my work so pretty easy for me to get. Clean up with a cat litter scoop and your done.

 

[aart]

That's a nice little setup!

If you use sand you'll need to put some boards up around the bottom to keep it from being scratched out of the run.

I would be very concerned about water infiltration coming off the roof in the background.

Also looks like you need some ventilation in the coop itself.

 

[CompassPoint]

That is our garage and it has gutters. We have to clean them out twice a year so they stay unclogged, but no water will pour down directly on the coop from the roof of it. We've had dog kennels there for years. As for ventilation in the coop section itself, there is a vent in the back near the top that you can't see at this angle and the door opening itself? Would I still need more ventilation than that? If so, I can have my uncle come over and put some more in, no problem.

 

[aart]

Can you still get at the garage gutters with the coop where it is?

1 square foot of ventilation for each bird is recommended.
1 linear foot of roost for each bird.

I'd put a big vent in the gable protected by the run roof.

 

[CompassPoint]

Yep. Can still get to the gutters! Our dog kennels we had there prior were about as tall and had covered tops and we could still get the gutters cleaned with the tools we have for doing so. Doing it so often keeps from a huge buildup of leaves and gunk too.

Thanks for the ventilation recommendation! This was the first coop my uncle has built, so he said if I needed stuff done to just have him come down.

 

[bluefrog87]

a garage floor epoxy cover with a good litter would be my best answer. The epoxy would seal the porous concrete. Don't use pretty chip finish though. The litter should keep them from pecking at it.