Coop Floor

[sesa]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this Chicken thing, I'm planning on raising 10-20 meat birds and am planning the coop. I've read alot of the posts concerning what type of floor is best, my question is. I've been in a few commercial turkey houses and they have dirt floors, so why wouldn't that be the way to go?

 

[freddy22]

i dont see any problem with that, have you heard different?

 

[CoopCrazy]

Firstly

Second I am not an expert by any means but i have heard it has to do with worms. But i think thats more for quail. Some one smarter then me will chime in i'm sure

 

[Smmcdn]

I also have a dirt floor and they seem to be ok with it and its easier to clean. If its not good I myself would like to know.

 

[Chirpy]

I haven't raised meat birds so it may be different but I love my wood floor covered with linoleum. I use the DLM using wood shavings. It is SO easy to clean, it doesn't hold moisture if the waterer happens to get knocked around. I can just use a shovel to scoop out the wet part and put dry back in. I think keeping a dirt floor clean would be really difficult unless you are using a tractor which can be moved around.

 

[MSHEN]

The beauty of DLM on a dirt floor is that it hastens the composting effect, as opposed to putting bedding over an installed floor, which must be removed to composted. On a dirt floor, you just keep adding more bedding as the older bedding composts until you get around 8 inches or so, then remove it to an area where it can finish composting. I think you are supposed to stir it occasionally,but you can let your chickens do that by throwing scratch on the floor and letting them stir it for you. If any one else has differing info, please let me know.

 

[ZooMummzy]

My current coop has a dirt floor and I have really liked it. The only reason I'm putting in a real floor in the new coop is I'm raising the coop off the ground. The dirt floor has been easy to clean and it does make composting easy. The only downfall of it was the mice holes this winter. Now the hens are digging holes everywhere to find the mice!

 

[Sunflower]

I live in NE Kansas where it has rained & sleeted the last 10 hours and is now snowing. Yuck I have a raised wood floor covered in linolium, then I pile about 8" pine shavings and hay over that. It stays warm and dry, no bugs or mice (yet) and I change it out in the spring and fall. There is no smell really and I have been totally happy with it.

 

[Chirpy]

MSHEN said:

The beauty of DLM on a dirt floor is that it hastens the composting effect, as opposed to putting bedding over an installed floor, which must be removed to composted. On a dirt floor, you just keep adding more bedding as the older bedding composts until you get around 8 inches or so, then remove it to an area where it can finish composting.

That is an excellent point. My concern with a dirt floor is how easily it can get wet and the higher potential for predators digging up through it.​