coop floor material

[Jtp79]

What is the best thing to put on the floor of the coop? Im searching for a piece of linoleum flooring now but then i was told to put a few inches of sand and then put wood shavings over that?

What is best? Sand? then shavings? just shavings?

What is your opinion?

thanks

 

[Guineas.horses.hens]

The coop mine sleep in just has a deep pile of shavings but samd is also okay, just make sure that for cold weather you layer up a lot with newspaper, different bedding materials, and plastic sheeting.
Things you can use are:
Straw
Sand
Newspaper
Dust free shavings
Dust free hay
Sandy soil (dry)

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

We had a scrap of vinyl flooring, so put that in there. I see the better built coops are always adding it these days. We are still in the build phase, so we haven't put it to use yet, but am sure it will be fab!

 

[Jtp79]

What is the best media to put down on the linoleum? Straw , shavings, sand? which one? and how deep?

 

[sawilliams]

think of it this way you want something that will absorb the moisture without smelling up the coop. Sand drys out quickly and can be used alone but then you have to scoop the poops out. Straw and shaving both absorb but hold the moisture and will stink if not replaced regularly (straw stinks more in my experiance). Shaving is the easiest to just sweep out and replace. I haven't done sand yet. And usually just use pine shavings. We have been using straw lately as we got a free bale from a friend. But i fine straw works better for me on the floor but has to be cleaned out 1-2 times a week. I prefer shaving in the nest as they tend not to kick as much out. I do not have any protective layer (lanolium or vinyl) over my floors at present. You can do shaving and just add more periodically between cleanings to keep the smell under control, but I wouldn't recommend that with straw.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I know around here on byc, a lot of members don't advocate the use of newspaper because it is slippery and messy. I use shavings, but a lot like sand. Straw tends to mat and clump from what I have read.
I think it all depends on what you prefer and what works well for you. I would do some research using the search function here to get a feel for each substrate and how it is used.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I used vinyl flooring on my 8x10 floor in the coop. And i use shavings to absorb the messes. Works well.

 

[aart]

Mostly depends on how you want to manage the manure.

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily into bucket(takes 5-10 minutes) going to friends compost.

-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.

-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.

-Runs have semi-deep litter, never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials.

-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 4 years.

 

[lazy gardener]

You could not pay me to use sand. My experience with sand is that it becomes laden with chicken poo, and is either a dusty mess, or a wet mess. I keep DL in my coop, and can hang out in there without issue. I visited a friend with sand floor. Even though he meticulously rakes the poo out every morning, 5 minutes in his coop sent me into an asthma reaction that lasted all day.

DL in both coop and run work well for me, and I avoid the cost of buying shavings.

 

[HenHouse4Life]

In the coop: pine shavings.
Straw is an insulator, it doesn't absorb and once it gets wet it turns moldy and will smell much worse than just good ol chicken poo.
Sand works better for the run area .
Best wishes!!