Concrete floor...

[Julieschicks]

We are finally planning to build out our chicken coop in the near future! Yay! We’re converting an old greenhouse and plan to have the front half be a storage area and the back half will be all coop area. It already has a concrete floor. We shouldn’t need to do paint or linoleum flooring on that, right? Would a deep litter type method be a good option so it’s not so hard on their feet? How would you handle having a concrete floor coop?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I am planning to do a concrete floor in my next coop. I think it should be sealed just to keep moisture from excrement from getting into the pores. I plan to do deep litter or deep bedding, depending on what I can manage moisture wise.

Is it nice and smooth like a garage floor or textured like a sidewalk?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My biggest coop has a concrete floor (started out as a storage shed).
I like it and use horse stall pine shavings for deep litter.
Sometimes it is a brooder house so I have it divided into 3 sections. Since chicks are sometimes in there in winter. I put down 3/4 inch plywood on the floor to insulate the chicks from the cold concrete. That then gets covered with shavings.
Painting wouldn't hurt but I never did.

 

[Welshies]

True DLM uses a dirt floor, but I have a wood floor and still manage the DLM.
Concrete floors are great for ducks who are messy. Never tried them on chickens, just kept bedding plentiful.
If I had a concrete floor, I would do the DLM (mock method), then clean it out completely twice a year, as well as hose it down. I would invest in having a drain, for sure.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The low part of my concrete floor is at the double door so after I muck it out each spring, I pull out everything including the storage shelves and wash down the whole building.

 

[Julieschicks]

Is it nice and smooth like a garage floor or textured like a sidewalk?

Well, neither, actually. We originally were planning on doing a crushed concrete base and then filling it in with sand. Well, we were pouring a new slab for the workshop and ended up with like almost a whole yard of concrete left in the truck they had to empty. So spur of the moment we just started shoveling it into the greenhouse and smoothing it out best we could before it got too dry!! So, it’s a concrete floor, but it’s pretty dang rough and uneven!

 

[Welshies]

Well, neither, actually. We originally were planning on doing a crushed concrete base and then filling it in with sand. Well, we were pouring a new slab for the workshop and ended up with like almost a whole yard of concrete left in the truck they had to empty. So spur of the moment we just started shoveling it into the greenhouse and smoothing it out best we could before it got too dry!! So, it’s a concrete floor, but it’s pretty dang rough and uneven!

You should seriously consider using sand as bedding. Research it

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If the concrete is fairly clean, you could clean it up and put a topping mix on it and smooth it out. Otherwise it will be harder to clean in future years.
I was once given some wise advice. "You can't wash a turd."

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I agree. That will be a real pain to maintain.

 

[aart]

If the concrete is fairly clean, you could clean it up and put a topping mix on it and smooth it out. Otherwise it will be harder to clean in future years.
I was once given some wise advice. "You can't wash a turd."

Good advice there^^^

"You can't wash a turd."