Coop floor?

[ConPollos]

So far not here in my coop. I am in town though. We do have fox and raccoon and have not had much of an issue.

That's good. I'm in the country so it might be more of a threat here. I just discovered I'm allergic to my chicks, even though I don't have any other allergies, and I don't want to rehome them, but might have to. I'm really sad about this.

 

[sukochickens]

Maybe there is a way to put the hardware cloth under the floor instead of inside the coop? Or put it around the outside of the coop and bury it 18"-24" underground so the predators can't dig under?

 

[21hens-incharge]

You could and should do an apron around the coop and run. That apron is what kept the fox that did try out of my run.

 

[ConPollos]

Maybe there is a way to put the hardware cloth under the floor instead of inside the coop? Or put it around the outside of the coop and bury it 18"-24" underground so the predators can't dig under?

Yes, that's a good way to go, just hard to dig down with so much sandstone in my ground.

 

[ConPollos]

You could and should do an apron around the coop and run. That apron is what kept the fox that did try out of my run.

An apron would work for me since it's so hard to dig here. Thanks! That's if I can keep my girls.

 

[Katalina]

We live in the sticks and have a coop that can be moved around our grounds which we do frequently in in the summer. But we live in the Northeast so it is stationary over the winter and they lived on the dirt from November til Spring. We haven't had any problems with animals digging to get in. However, we bring in the chicken feed at night so there is less temptation for nocturnal animals to want to get in. It is easy enough to take them their food in the morning when we let them out. I have seen squirrels, possums, and other animals near the coop but nobody seems to be interested in getting inside when there isn't food available. We have a tiny flock of four so I can only speak for our situation.

We have thought about getting a more permanent run with gravel or other bedding on the ground but they love the fresh grass so we are going to continue to move them about the yard when we can without the protective foot of underground hardware cloth. We feel that so long as they are safe in the roost at night we are comfortable without added protection.

HTH,
Katalina

 

[WCHomestead]

Our coop is about 2 feet off the ground, but we just used plywood on the floor and covered it with a deep layer of wood chips and this has done well. We have cleaned it out a couple of times by raking it into our tractor bucket and that was it!

 

[mermaids]

@ConPollos
I think if you attached the plywood floor really well--like, woodscrews to the floor joists or the frame, it would do a better job keeping predators out than attaching hardware cloth under the plywood. However, it would be nice if your coop is off the ground, to make a hardware cloth enclosure so that the chickens can enjoy the space under the coop too. They're always happy to dig for bugs and take dust baths.

As for allergies... skin or respiratory? My chicks are producing a lot of dust and that is irritating my respiratory tract. I'm not thinking of getting rid of them though--it shouldn't be an issue when they're old enough to be outside in their own well-ventilated coop away from the house!

 

[Pgreer82]

What about insulation? We are not insulating anything else, but what's the thought on insulating the floor? Is it more important? We live in KY. Winter can get old but not extreme.

 

[Neuport]

A lot of the well made pre-built backyard coops you see have a fiberglass panel on top of plywood or OSB floor sheathing to ease cleaning. They are like the wall panels you see on the walls of commercial bathrooms. If you go to Home Depot ask for FRP panels. Much faster, more durable, and probably cheaper than paint.