Cement slab coop?

[MN-chick]

Hi! I’m new here, my husband and I recently bought laying hen chicks. We are building a coop this weekend. I’ve live in Minnesota, so our winters are frigid. My question:
We have a large cement slab on our property that we’re thinking of building the coop on. Any thoughts on if this would/wouldn’t be a good idea?
Thanks!

 

[Ted Brown]

I have no direct experience but have read that cement makes a very secure foundation for a coop, excellent for keeping digging predators out. Of course care must be take to ensure that the coop itself is also predator proof.

You will also need to add a bedding material to the floor, many choices exist. Searching herein will help determine what will work best with concrete.

Best of luck!

 

[Mamatomany123]

I think it would work fine as a base for the coop. We have part of our coop built on cement and anchored down since we get high winds. The run portion I would do on grass/dirt.

 

[NatJ]

I’ve live in Minnesota, so our winters are frigid. My question:
We have a large cement slab on our property that we’re thinking of building the coop on.

In the winter, make sure you have enough bedding on it, to keep the chickens' feet warm. Anything from 2-3 inches up to a foot or more.

When you build the doorway: I suggest you arrange a board or something across the bottom to keep the bedding from falling out, but make it removable for when you want to clean the coop.

If you pile the bedding deep enough (maybe a foot), you might not have to clean it all winter. If any particular spot looks extra-poopy, turn that lump over with a pitchfork, but otherwise the chickens are likely to keep it all scratched up and mixed. (Depends a bit on the size of the coop--I think they mix it better in larger coops, because there's more space for them to work in.)

You can also add more bedding on top of what's there, rather than scooping it all out and starting over. Cleaning a coop in the middle of a cold, snowy winter is something I prefer to never do again (I grew up in Alaska.)

 

[MN-chick]

In the winter, make sure you have enough bedding on it, to keep the chickens' feet warm. Anything from 2-3 inches up to a foot or more.

When you build the doorway: I suggest you arrange a board or something across the bottom to keep the bedding from falling out, but make it removable for when you want to clean the coop.

If you pile the bedding deep enough (maybe a foot), you might not have to clean it all winter. If any particular spot looks extra-poopy, turn that lump over with a pitchfork, but otherwise the chickens are likely to keep it all scratched up and mixed. (Depends a bit on the size of the coop--I think they mix it better in larger coops, because there's more space for them to work in.)

You can also add more bedding on top of what's there, rather than scooping it all out and starting over. Cleaning a coop in the middle of a cold, snowy winter is something I prefer to never do again (I grew up in Alaska.)

Thanks for the tips!! I wouldn’t have even thought of the doorway situation and how it may be a pain while cleaning! And I agree, I don’t think cleaning the coop sounds like fun when the temp is below zero!

 

[MN-chick]

I have no direct experience but have read that cement makes a very secure foundation for a coop, excellent for keeping digging predators out. Of course care must be take to ensure that the coop itself is also predator proof.

You will also need to add a bedding material to the floor, many choices exist. Searching herein will help determine what will work best with concrete.

Best of luck!

Thank you for the well wishes! I am excited for this little adventure. I was thinking the cement would help with preventing digging predators from getting in too. Thanks again!

 

[MN-chick]

M

I think it would work fine as a base for the coop. We have part of our coop built on cement and anchored down since we get high winds. The run portion I would do on grass/dirt.

Thanks! May I ask how you anchored your coop down?

 

[Mamatomany123]

M

Thanks! May I ask how you anchored your coop down?

My husband did it but I believe he used concrete bolts and brackets. He drilled into the concrete.

 

[Krazikatlady64]

You can run a bead of caulk at the bottom between the coop and concrete if you feel like it helps keep water, wind or whatever out.

 

[Ted Brown]

@Krazikatlady64 makes a good point.

You should flood the concrete pad with a hose before you start to get a sense of where the water collects/flows. You do not want water to be running inside the coop and/or into the bedding. Not healthy for your birds.

Caulking will go a long way to deter water ingress but you also want to be cautious about water wicking into any wood that sits directly on the concrete as it will rot. There is a gasket material (cheap!) that you can get at a hardware store, comes in a roll and is about 6" wide; lay this down between the concrete and wood foundation/wall and caulk along the inside/outside edges to impede water .

Sounds like it will be a neat build!