Chickens on concrete?

[mdwillie3]

I am building a coop in my backyard. my problem is that space is limited. There is an existing concrete pad which is where I plan to put the coop. I am going to make a fairly large run but most of that will still be on the concrete pad. They will have an area within the run that is approximately 8' by 16' that is dirt. My question, will it be detrimental to the chickens for them to be on so much concrete so much of the time? I am new to chickens so any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ellie32526]

I am building a coop in my backyard. my problem is that space is limited. There is an existing concrete pad which is where I plan to put the coop. I am going to make a fairly large run but most of that will still be on the concrete pad. They will have an area within the run that is approximately 8' by 16' that is dirt. My question, will it be detrimental to the chickens for them to be on so much concrete so much of the time? I am new to chickens so any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

I am also fairly new but I think the concrete will be better than mud. You could try a layer of sand, hay or shavings to give the chickens something to scrath around in on top of the concrete. I do know that their surface should be mostly dry, walking around in wet stuff constantly will cause foot problems.

 

[chfite]

Adding a 4 - 6 inch layer of sand to the soil will help prevent mud. The chickens will likely spend most of their time on the dirt part, scratching around. Chickens tend to do this.

Chris

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Use wood shavings inside the coop, and sand on the concrete outside, if you put anything on it at all.
It will be easier to CLEAN the outside portion if it has a good layer of sand

 

[mdwillie3]

thanks to everybody for your advice