Concrete Floor??

[thomi]

I have been checking out every resource on the web I can find to help design our coop and have noticed no one has a concrete floor. Is this due to cost issues or are there other reasons? Current thought is a 6x8 or 8x8 coop to house around 10-12 banties. I always wanted to try my hand at block laying so I was thinking concrete slab with maybe 3 feet high concrete block and the rest 2x4 & ply construction. I figure it would be extremely rodent proof and make for a very easy annual wash down. I know nothing about chicken coops but am no stranger to "odd" construction as you can see here:

http://www.machunter.org/iwancio_hodge_observatory.html

Dale said I would also have the option of re-locating our current, all wood 8x10 shed, convert it to the coop and build a bigger shed since she wants more room. I will try to post a picture of it in the near future as it has some features that might work well.

Thom

 

[patandchickens]

I would bet the main reason so few here have concrete floors is the cost!

I actually sort of do, though. By chance, not choice. For winter, the chickens are in a building which was originally built (not by us) as a dog breeding/boarding kennel. It's insulated and has a concrete floor.

The chickens are currently in several converted indoor dog runs, which have an insulated plywood-covered floor topped w/vinyl flooring. I like it pretty well.

However this summer when I build a big new indoor pen in the non dog run filled part of the building, I would not even consider leaving the concrete exposed - I will do like in the dog side, and put down insulation board topped w/plywood. (I will probably epoxy-paint the plywood instead of using vinyl flooring, though - simpler and having worked with epoxy paint before I'd say that once you get past the fumes it should work almost as well as vinyl and not get wrinkly or stuff packed underneath).

I just fundamentally mistrust bare concrete, mainly because it is terrible for horses or dogs (way too hard and COLD underfoot) but also because I fear it may condense out moisture under the bedding, making a soggy matted layer come springtime. I do not *know* that either of these is a problem w/chickens, I just suspect and don't want to leard the hard way.

I will say that there is a distinct advantage to having an EXPOSED concrete floor in the NON chicken part of the building -- it helps keep the building much warmer in winter and cooler in summer. (Large thermal mass, in contact with ground). This would be very unlikely to occur if you cover it all with enough bedding to cushion the chickens though, as the bedding will act as insulation. And I will warn you that the thermal mass that is so nice in winter and summer is a pain in the neck in springtime, when the (exposed) floor is still cold and you get warm *humid* air from outside condensing and making the building a humidity swamp. It takes A LOT OF ventilation to counteract this, sigh.

Dunno if this helps,

Pat

 

[thomi]

Thanks Pat, I didn't give any consideration to the moisture part of the equation. Perhaps a sealed wood floor would be a better approach. I also see some people using vinyl flooring to cover the wood. I think once we get settled on the basic structure Dale has the experience with setting up the roosts and nest boxes. I am pretty much just the engineer and tool man

Thom

 

[kstaven]

Cold and moisture are an issue. Heat in the summer once that slab gets warm it doesn't allow the coop to cool like a dirt floor will. 15 - 20 degrees difference here in the summer on indoor temperatures for dirt floors against concrete. personally I would use concrete for foundations but never for floors again.

 

[johnnyjack]

i had my chicken on a concrete pad awhile back. had to wash it down 2 times a week. no fun. plus the chickens feet had problems i guess jumping off the roost and nest boxes on the hard floor didn't help. a chicken will climb or fly but they jump down..i wouldn't do it . but this is jmho.
I'm no expert.
johnny

 

[spottedtail]

Concrete is the best in my experience. By far.
It will totally eliminate digging predators.
Easy to clean too.

An ample amount of bedding will keep hens off the cold floor in winter. In the summer they will scratch away bedding to lie against the cool concrete.

Yes, it's more expensive, but I really think it's worth it.

Good luck,
spot

 

[doodledo]

I too have a concrete floor and love it. It is very easy to clean and I use straw on the floor. I would recommend it.

 

[Picco]

Before I moved I had a coop with a concrete floor. It was great and easy to clean and kept the coop cooler in the summer. I would hose it off for cleaning in the summer. I always had a lot of bedding so I didn't encounter any leg/foot problems. If I had the extra money I would have built my new coop on a cement slab.

 

[beekybuzzard]

Yes the foot problems are the main concern. Where I work we service 152 turkey farms and a huge egg producer and that is the reason none of them use concrete floors. We had a potential grower that built 3 100 yard long houses with concrete floors and he had to go back and tear all of the concrete floors out because none of the major companies would sign him on as a grower because of the damage it would cause. That is only my take from what I have learned from the company that I work for. I have never used concrete floors myself so I have no personal experience. Good luck and Have a Blessed Day. T C

 

[nightshade]

I too have a concrete floor and love it. You do have to clean it a little more often but it cleans easier. And I don't seem to mine having a little extra bedding in the coop and neither do the girls lol. I only wish that I had enough concrete around that I could do the rest of the floor when I add the addition to the coop this week. Cost is deffently the biggest issue to contend with.