Ok, I've been reading a few posts involving cement and got to thinkin' I have a 10x10ft. slab of perfectly good cement with no plans. I am in need to expand my current operations (getting 16 more hens this spring have 7 right now). I was wondering what would cement make a better floor for coop or run? also would it hurt their feet in any way?
Coop good! Run bad (unless you have no alternative). You will need to bed fairly heavily over top of it for winter to keep their feeties warm but a slab floor is really great in the coop, verminproof and keeps things a bit warmer in winter. I would suggest building the coop the same size as the slab itself, with the edges of the siding overhanging the slab edges a tad (you might use flashing if the slab is very low and you don't want wood siding that close to the ground); if you build the coop any smaller, with walls inset from the edges of the slab, you will have to take Careful Precautions to prevent water on the slab outside from creeping under the sills and getting into the coop. There is stuff you can buy to do that, but it is really easier and more effective to size the coop to the slab. You *want* a 10x10 coop, right? Yes you do Good luck, have fun, Pat
Also, chickens love dirt. Mine have a field day in their run having dust baths as well as scratching and looking for goodies. I think they would find a concrete run pretty boring.
