Building Material Recommendations Needed for Coop Flooring

[KatieSwindler]

I'm looking for something to go on top of the plywood floor of my raised coop that is easy to clean and can stand up to deep litter in the fall/winter (planning to use deep litter method to add a bit of heat for our Chicago winters), but easy to clean in the hot summer months when we'll be cleaning it out weekly. I was thinking like a rolled laminate or something but I'm having trouble finding specific products via Google searches. Right now I'm considering a box of peel and stick tiles for lack of better options, but worry about the durability of this solution - though I figured it'd be easy and affordable enough to replace or reapply each spring. If you've used something and could share a brand name, good search term or even a link to a product for sale at a Home Depot/Menards/Lowes I'd be most grateful!!

(PS - I know bare floor is usually recommended for deep litter, but for a few different reason's we've decided on a raised floor coop.)

 

[Boise-girls]

I just got a roll of "scrap" vinyl flooring at our local Home Depot. 6x8, which is the size of my coop, for $24.

The one thing I don't like about it is that I think the girls skid a little when they come off the roost (which is only two feet high). There's always a bare spot in the morning. Maybe deeper bedding would fix. I'm thinking of switching to sand (currently chopped straw) on the premise that it would stay put better.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

A lot of people who coat their coop floors use BlackJack 57. Peel and stick tiles would not create a watertight surface and thus would allow the moisture that's needed for true, composting deep litter to penetrate to the wood below.

I'm in the south and don't have any winter to speak of, but it seems to me that attempting to provide heat via Deep Litter, which is moist, is counterproductive to the goal of keeping the chickens DRY so as to avoid moisture freezing on their combs and feet and causing frostbite.

@Alaskan, @aart, and @Ridgerunner probably have better information than I can give you.

 

[KatieSwindler]

I just got a roll of "scrap" vinyl flooring at our local Home Depot. 6x8, which is the size of my coop, for $24.

VINYL! Thank you! That's the search term I was looking for! I kept searching for linoleum or laminate and getting the wrong thing. I found what I'm looking for now! And looking at their scraps to start is a great idea! Thank you!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I use Hardiboard for my raised coop. But technically, its deep bedding, not deep litter in my coop. When I rake it out, it becomes deep litter underneath.

Which I need to do again soon.

 

[Alaskan]

can stand up to deep litter in the fall/winter (planning to use deep litter method to add a bit of heat for our Chicago winters),

I would go with the BlackJack 57.

If you want to have a composting floor, then you need to START when temps are mild enough to get it started. The pile/floor has to be actively composting before it gets cold. It is a tricky business, and best if you have some composting experience.

If you go the composting route, you NEED lots of ventilation, and I HIGHLY recommend a Woods style coop where the entire front wall is wire.

If you don't do a full Wood's style coop, then you should have a covered run. The wall of the coop that is up against the covered run should be mostly wire.


In freezing weather it is difficult to impossible to clean the coop. Everything freezes solid. All poo turns to concrete. Any moisture in the bedding and the bedding turns to concrete.

Sooooo.

I prefer to use wood chips/shavings. Shavings are easiest to clean out in clumps (hay wants to freeze into a huge sheet), and shavings are easy to sprinkle in as a new fresh layer. If you can keep it dry enough, then the poultry dig through the bedding keeping it cleaner and fresher looking.

I have found that a poop shelf is a great idea. PDZ is nice for summer, or if you have few chickens, or clean often... otherwise in winter it turns into a concrete sheet. I now line the poop shelves with old feed sacks. Every month, or whatever, I pick up the feedback, pop off the poo, replace the feed sack. Works great.

The poop shelf is great.

 

[mrtoren]

There are generally three recommendations: 1) Sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles; 2) Blackjack rubberized coating; or 3) Paint.

Vinyl is cheap and easy, but has its issues. For instance, tile corners may peel up and allow moisture to reach the plywood. Sheet vinyl and tiles may also rip or tear if you are not careful with the shovel during clean outs. Finally, vinyl can be slippery and some are concerned that chickens could injure themselves (especially while hopping down from the roosting bars).

Blackjack has a great reputation and appears to hold up well over time. However, it can be tricky to find (it is only sold by the 5 gallon bucket locally and can be expensive to purchase by the gallon online). It can be messy to apply and applies/cures better in warmer weather.

I am going the paint route. It is easy to apply and a couple of coats of quality exterior paint will seal the plywood. Blackjack or vinyl may be a better route if you are doing deep litter where the wood will be subjected to increased moisture over a longer period of time. However, for others, paint is more than sufficient to promote to longevity of your coop.

 

[aart]

If you go with vinyl sheet flooring, don't go cheap.

(planning to use deep litter method to add a bit of heat for our Chicago winters)

Not going to work....because....

it seems to me that attempting to provide heat via Deep Litter, which is moist, is counterproductive to the goal of keeping the chickens DRY so as to avoid moisture freezing on their combs and feet and causing frostbite.

plus composting just won't continue in that kind of cold, if it even gets started without ground contact.

 

[KatieSwindler]

But technically, its deep bedding, not deep litter in my coop.

Oh! What’s the difference between these?

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh! What’s the difference between these?

I explain this at the beginning of this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/