Coop floor - is a concrete slab a good floor?

[imtc]

I have a concrete floor in my run and LOVE it. The run is roofed so helps with the rain however with just wood shavings it tended to get nasty muddy with poo after a good windy rain since it doesn't absorb. I have since put a few bags of sand over the top of it and have had no more problems with muddy poo. I can easily scrape things out of there when I'm ready to do a good cleaning and have never had a digging problem from predators.

 

[FreedomLover]

Quote:
My point exactly. He won't be cleaning it regardless of if it's a dirt floor or a wood floor or a cement floor. * I * will. So why can't I have something that IMO is best?

Cement = No digging, No Rot and Fewer Pests
Wood = Possible predator infiltration through the wood, Eventually rots and lets in more pests.
Dirt = We won't EVEN go there! LOL

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Definitely go for it. I put in a 1/2" raised plywood floor and I like it for ease of cleaning...but I know that it will have to be replaced at some point. When it needs to be replaced, I will definitely pour concrete.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
I guess "easy" is in ones perspective. I eschew any digging, scraping or mucking.
Its all in what you think is normal, I suppose.

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I have a concrete slab for my coop floor and I LOVE it. It was just a slab that had been here since we purchased the place. It's about 6" thick and I have about 6" of shavings on top of it. I put my girls in there last July and haven't cleaned it out since. I rake the shavings around and add more as needed. When it warms up I'll rake all the old shavings into the run clean out the entire coop and start over!

We will be moving in a few months and I will be building another coop...YES, I'll have another concrete floor!

 

[devinm2257]

I have a few grain bin pads on my property that I've been considering using as a base for a coop. They're pretty big in diameter and solid concrete so they should work well.

 

[Brett in Traverse City]

Hi All, I am just getting started in Chickens. I live in the city and am allowed 4 chickens only. We are waiting on the chicks as we speak, and working on the coop. We have already in place a nice sized dog kennel, fenced in on a concrete slab, so this thread is of particular interest. I was considering framing in the bottom with treated 2x6, leaving a slight gap at the bottom for draining, laying pea gravel under a layer of sand then some kind of bedding on top of that for the run. Does that sound like a good idea?

 

[amiachicknorwat]

Our coop has a concrete floor. Please, for the chickens, use deep litter. That way they're insulated from the cold unforgiving concrete and they can scratch and peck carrying on their instinctive light tilling of the ground you may want them to do for you where you choose to let them run, where later you'd like to grow food (garden). Plus i seemed to find a good mix for my deep litter last time, cuz it composted very fast and is now very close if not already garden ready. Chicken poo is a compost accelerator, being high in nitrogen, also why it's better to compost it before garden use, so not to "burn" plants, as it's put.

 

[Brett in Traverse City]

Our coop has a concrete floor. Please, for the chickens, use deep litter. That way they're insulated from the cold unforgiving concrete and they can scratch and peck carrying on their instinctive light tilling of the ground you may want them to do for you where you choose to let them run, where later you'd like to grow food (garden). Plus i seemed to find a good mix for my deep litter last time, cuz it composted very fast and is now very close if not already garden ready. Chicken poo is a compost accelerator, being high in nitrogen, also why it's better to compost it before garden use, so not to "burn" plants, as it's put.

Would you recommend top soil (dirt) or sand for the floor/litter?

 

[amiachicknorwat]

A bit of both and more. Sand for the true grit of it...that helps them digest other food. And soil for the mycelial and bacterial diversity, plus simulation of the great outdoors, that we dont call great for nuthin'. The more could be straw, hay and not unsavoury compostables, particularly chicken friendly kitchen waste and garden waste, plus flowers of herbs and such said to nourish chickens and us too.

Last winter we went away for a few weeks. Upon our return we found our watering system had been leaking. The friend taking care did a fair job taking care, but left the big clean up for me. It just stunk horribly, nearly intolerably. I cleared it out into a pile and applied dolomite lime, D.E. and such to neutralize the stench. Then recently moved the pile into a compost pile beside our garden. I was pleasantly surprised to find it nearly garden ready, mostly fully composted, near fully resembling soil.

Hope relaying all that helps. It has helped me and my garden anyway