Chicken Coop Floor

[DebiB]

Hi,

We've very new to chicken keeping. We have 7 adult birds that were given to us and we built an A-frame coop for our sweet new friends. The coop is off the ground and the floor is some salvaged window shutters. Our thinking was it would be easy to hose down and the drooping would just fall underneath. Well it ain't working for us! The coop smells terrible and they have to walk through droppings to get to the nesting boxes. The eggs are surprisingly clean for the most part but still.. I will admit we haven't been hosing it down everyday - seems like someone is always wanting to be in there to lay an egg or just hang out. So that may just be the solution.

So my questions are:
Should we change the floor and if so what would be best - would putting hay on it help and if so would we still be able to hose it or would that make the hay gross? See how new we are!! And is there something we can spread under the coop to keep the smell down like DE or PDZ - which I know nothing about except what I read.

My next question is would it be ok to move the nesting boxes out of the coop and under a lean-to that we made to give them some shade - we live in FL - or is it best to keep it in the coop?

They are pretty much free range as far as our run goes - it's probably 1/8 of an acre.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for the help!!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! I poop pick my coop everyday with a rubber glove to try and keep the poop down so they dint have to walk through it to get to the boxes. I've found this works well for me and my coops so just an idea for you. As long as your nest boxes are reasonably dark they should use them, they like privacy when laying. As for your coop smelling I would remove all bedding and give it a good hose out and let it dry. Do you have ventilation? This can help with smells also. Some commercial coop cleaners have a fragrance to them that could also help. I have a lavendar one which perks things up.

Wishing you the very best of luck and enjoy BYC

 

[mimsy]

It depends on your setup what would be easier to clean. I like sand floors with poop decks under the roosts. I mix sand with Sweet PDZ. Then I can just go in with a kitty scooper and get rid of the poop. The Sweet Pdz keeps it pretty much all smell gone. I use hay in their nest boxes and I sprinkle dried lavender into it. I rarely have to clean those since they don't potty in them. I'll also sprinkle rosemary all over the floors. The herbs seem to keep the flys out of the coop.

 

[drumstick diva]

DE has never done anything. The PDZ can make a difference. Could you put down a linoleum flooring for the coop (it can be hosed and scraped)? Then cover with pine shavings etc.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[mimsy]

Oh on DE, I don't think i'd use to keep smell down, like I do the Sweet pdz. DE is extremely drying to skin, not sure the chickens would appreciate it. I sprinkle it fairly thickly if I see ant trails near the house or coop and it usually helps clear them up, unless it rains and then it does nada.