Best Flooring for Chickens Do's and Don'ts/Whys?

[mary61]

Do you put anything over the Blackjack 57? Just sawdust, sand, etc. Thanks

 

[SuzyEileen]

What is DE?

 

[chynasparks]

DE is Diatemaceous Earth. It is a powdery substance that kills bugs. For use in the coop be sure to get Food Grade. Food Grade DE is safe for the chickens they can eat it and it won't harm them. It dehydrates bugs, ants and kills them. Sprinkle it in the bedding on the poop board cat litter boxes too. Just be careful pouring it out around the chickens because it is real powdery, dusty which isn't good for their respiratory tract. Once it's down good to go. Put it in dust bath it helps kill mites on the birds.

 

[thinkloically]

I use linoleum as the flooring because it is easy to clean and I use timothy hay to cover it up. Linoleum is super easy to clean.

 

[Hokum Coco]

My Coop is a salvaged 4x8 metal shed here are a few tips and a quick look at my set up.
My floor are planks with a layer of tin for rodent proofing. On top of the tin I have a piece of vinyl flooring cut one foot longer than the length and width of my coop (roughly). Six inches squares are cut out of the 4 corners of the vinyl flooring. This allows the friction fitted flooring to travel up the walls six inches around the perimeter of my 4x8 salvaged metal coop. Shovel out the heavy stuff into a wheel barrow. Pop out the vinyl flooring hose it off pop it back in.
Easy Peasy!

Bedding
I have used all types of litter for coops.
I have not tried sand (sand gets good reviews on this site).
Of all the things I tried to date wood pellets have been the best. (I tried wood pellets as a last resort when pine shavings were not available.) They are super absorbent and swell up and eventually turn to saw dust. The droppings just seem to vanish and turn to dust when it comes in contact with wood pellets .
Replace my litter and clean my coop every October after I harvest my garden.
Works for me in my deep litter method.
I do add to pellets from time to time.
I had to revert back to wood shaving this year pellets were not available.


I have anywhere from 10 to 24 birds housed in my 4x8 coop.

Through the winter months the pellets froze harder than concrete with -40º cold snaps. The poop froze before it could be absorbed by the pellets and there was like a crusty layer of poop in certain areas where they collectively took aim (no smell, messy feet or flies @ -40º). Come April things started to look after themselves.

Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new.

POOP BOARDS are the "BEST" addition yet. Handles well over ½ of the poop in my set up keeps ammonia smell in check 3½" below roost excellent for catching eggs laid through the night (roost are in cups for easier removal and cleaning). I recently friction fit a piece of vinyl flooring over my poop board.it makes clean up even easier; Pop out; Scrap; Hose; Pop in.
Winter months even easier flex over compost bin DONE!

Easy peasy!.

 

[jak2002003]

I tried many things, but I found the best for me was sand mixed with dirt.

The coop is totally dry.

i use large size river sand and builders sand, and this is on top of an earth floor.

I have no poop boards.

I have no smells and I have not had to change the floor litter for over 5 months.

The poops fall onto the sand, and dry out quickly. The hens scratch about and turn over the sand and earth and mix it all together. I can walk in there and its very clean looking and no smell. The only thing I do is rake it over, or turn it over once a week and take out any big feathers (that will build up in the corners). It looks very neat and tidy.

If the coop floor was to get wet, I think this would not work. Also I only have 12 bantam hens and 10 fancy pigeons living in there.

 

[Going Quackers]

The best i have found is flax, trouble is it's hard to get. Regardless, raised many chickens on it... so brooder use and in the coops, it works great the with the fluffy footed breeds(the silkies) and fine for standards. Honestly, doesn't freeze up either! love it. if it's possible to actually love a bedding type.

 

[2xtremeChickens]

This maybe a helpful tip: If you do use shavings hay or wood chip materials, without a doubt make sure your watering system works great and it can't be over turned or get the floor wet. When that stuff gets wet it will soak up everything and off-gas some very undesirable smells...

Good luck with your new venture.
2xC

 

[AKCharle]

You can use washed construction grade sand or river sand. it's clean and easy to stir. I started with that but I want to put the bedding in my compost pile and was ending up with too much sand to start the compost reaction in the coop. so I now mix it with dead leaves and some soil. you have to stir this more frequently since it tends to compact quicker. Add new leaves,sand, and soil about once a week and stir it up a little. Deep clean once or twice a year depending on size of your coop and number of birds.

 

[Peggy O]

We're using fake wood glueless laminate left over from our living room. Then pine shavings over that. The small under coop area will be sand in a 2x4 frame, then the run will be dirt (after they take care of the grass that is there now).