Chicken run flooring

[JenBmomof3]

Advice needed!!
any info is great


My coop gets delivered July 12.
it has hardware cloth all around and on the top of the run. (My husband will add a roof over the run)
I’ve attached a pic
We were going to lay hardware cloth underneath the entire coop/run for extra predictor protection.
My question is what do we put in top of the hardware cloth in the run?
I thought of laying sheets of grass
Then I read about concrete sand
Then I read line shavings in both the coop floor and the run.

what is recommended and what does everyone use?
Pics are a plus
Thank you

 

[casportpony]

Your article has been converted to this thread and these are the replies that your article had:

*pine shavings

Thank you. Im
Trying hard to learn this site and about my chicks.

I use hemp shavings. Low maintenance, and keep odors at back. My girls love to scratch and dig through shavings. Shavings are smaller then pine shavings and clean up very easy with rake. Hope this helps!
Enjoy the journey!

Thank you kindly for replying.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters, especially when chicken housing is involved.

Rather than putting hardware cloth down under the run -- frustrating the chickens' natural instinct to scratch and dig and potentially injuring their feet -- it's better to install an anti-dig apron on the outside.

I'm concerned that I don't see any ventilation in that coop photo. It's a sad fact that commercially-sold chicken coops are almost always lacking in ventilation and claim to hold many more chickens than they actually can hold.

The usual guidelines are that each adult, standard-sized hen needs:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
1/4 of a nestbox,
and 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, which is best located over the birds' head when they're sitting on the roost.

Putting a roof on the run is a great idea -- giving them the ability to make use of the space regardless of the weather. It will also allow you to open up a large vent under that roof to give your chickens the airflow they need for good health.

This article shows the installation of an anti-dig apron on a chicken tractor: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hoop-coop-chicken-tractor.72211/

And here is a photo of my quick-and-dirty apron for my outdoor brooder (it would have been better to go 2 feet out rather than just one and to attach it to the wood rather than just lay it down).

I am a great fan of Deep Bedding. Here is my article on that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[DobieLover]

Don't lay hardware cloth under the run floor. Install a 2' apron all around it instead. Pin down the outer edge with HD landscape pins and let the grass grow up through it.

I use wood chips for the run.
They drain well, cold compost with the poop and the chickens love to dig around and dust bathe in it.

 

[aart]

Cute coop, love me some curvy doors!
What's inside?
Might need more ventilation.

Welcome to BYC! @JenBmomof3
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[JenBmomof3]

Welcome to BYC.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters, especially when chicken housing is involved.

Rather than putting hardware cloth down under the run -- frustrating the chickens' natural instinct to scratch and dig and potentially injuring their feet -- it's better to install an anti-dig apron on the outside.

I'm concerned that I don't see any ventilation in that coop photo. It's a sad fact that commercially-sold chicken coops are almost always lacking in ventilation and claim to hold many more chickens than they actually can hold.

The usual guidelines are that each adult, standard-sized hen needs:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
1/4 of a nestbox,
and 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, which is best located over the birds' head when they're sitting on the roost.

Putting a roof on the run is a great idea -- giving them the ability to make use of the space regardless of the weather. It will also allow you to open up a large vent under that roof to give your chickens the airflow they need for good health.

This article shows the installation of an anti-dig apron on a chicken tractor: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hoop-coop-chicken-tractor.72211/

And here is a photo of my quick-and-dirty apron for my outdoor brooder (it would have been better to go 2 feet out rather than just one and to attach it to the wood rather than just lay it down).

I am a great fan of Deep Bedding. Here is my article on that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

There are two windows on the back of the coop
It has 4 nesting boxes inside.
we planned on adding sheets of grass on top of the hardware cloth in the run. Then when they destroyed it to add pine shaving.
The plan was for them to never get to the hardware cloth. Just use is as an extra layer of protection. We have skunks, opossum and coyotes pretty bad here.
we are near LaPorte Texas, in the city but back up to a large field.
Thank you so much for replying. This helps greatly.

 

[JenBmomof3]

You article has been converted to this thread and these are the replies that your article had:

Yes that does help. Thank you.

 

[JenBmomof3]

Don't lay hardware cloth under the run floor. Install a 2' apron all around it instead. Pin down the outer edge with HD landscape pins and let the grass grow up through it.View attachment 2752928

I use wood chips for the run.
They drain well, cold compost with the poop and the chickens love to dig around and dust bathe in it.
View attachment 2752929

My concern is what if something digs up under and into the run? We are backed up to a huge field and get animals in our back yard often. We have random holes near the back fence. We were thinking of lying the hardware cloth then laying sheets of grass on top, letting it grow then adding pine shavings once they are up the top grass.

 

[JenBmomof3]

Don't lay hardware cloth under the run floor. Install a 2' apron all around it instead. Pin down the outer edge with HD landscape pins and let the grass grow up through it.View attachment 2752928

I use wood chips for the run.
They drain well, cold compost with the poop and the chickens love to dig around and dust bathe in it.
View attachment 2752929

Thank you for the pic. This helps so much!!

 

[JenBmomof3]

There are two windows on the back of the coop
It has 4 nesting boxes inside.
we planned on adding sheets of grass on top of the hardware cloth in the run. Then when they destroyed it to add pine shaving.
The plan was for them to never get to the hardware cloth. Just use is as an extra layer of protection. We have skunks, opossum and coyotes pretty bad here.
we are near LaPorte Texas, in the city but back up to a large field.
Thank you so much for replying. This helps greatly.

The inside. Of the coop will be similar to this. (Different flooring) so there is more than 2 windows. And I was incorrect. It only has 3 nesting boxes. (I have 5 chicks at the moment) depending if they are all hens that’s all I will have. If any are Roos the number decreases. Also I think I got bantams at least that’s what I was hoping for. lol.