Coop Flooring

[iwiw60]

You're very welcome!

 

[aart]

Hi, my coop opens to the grass and with the recent rain and random thunderstorms here in NC, the floor is a mush mess. What is the best way to clean it? I have hay around and pine shavings. Should I put the hay or pine shavings in there and let it soak up a bit and rake it out or just leave it be. Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks

How is the rain getting into the coop...can you post a pic??

You need to figure out how to change things so no water infiltrates the coop or you'll forever be battling it.

Several things might help soak up the water, but then you'll have to dispose of them and put dry bedding in there.
Hay will mold and stink up fast, same with straw and neither are really very absorbent.
PDZ will not absorb large amounts of water, it is more for absorbing ammonia from liquid urine.
Pine shaving would probably work best...but still....fix the problem of water getting in.

 

[Suzyr]

How is the rain getting into the coop...can you post a pic??

You need to figure out how to change things so no water infiltrates the coop or you'll forever be battling it.

Several things might help soak up the water, but then you'll have to dispose of them and put dry bedding in there.
Hay will mold and stink up fast, same with straw and neither are really very absorbent.
PDZ will not absorb large amounts of water, it is more for absorbing ammonia from liquid urine.
Pine shaving would probably work best...but still....fix the problem of water getting in.

@aart Hi! With the daily thunderstorms and hard down pours there is just a lot of water on the ground. So its not that water is leaking in from the top, but coming because the ground is so wet. The ground in the coop looks like muddy poop…gross. I feel bad for the chickens to be in there right now. I have been letting them roam the yard between each down pour. Here is a picture of my coop. What do you think? Still pine on the ground?

 

[aart]

Oh, I see what you've got. I'd leave the ground alone in the run(the lower part where the grass is-or was)....as long as they have a choice to get into a nice dry coop (the upper part where they sleep), they'll be fine.

If you get puddling in the run because the ground doesn't drain properly, sand might be a good idea....but if it drains out ok, I'd just leave it.

That's a pretty small coop and run, you may get poop build up in the run depending on how many chickens and how often they free range.
The poops normally dry up and break down pretty well, but if it's wet, it does stink.
They will tear that grass gone in pretty quick order and then you'll have dirt......and poop........and stinky muck when it rains.
If you want to clean up the poops to avoid that, again sand might work well as the poops can be sifted out (when sand is dry) if you use a nice coarse sand.

Hope that helps.

 

[Suzyr]

Oh, I see what you've got. I'd leave the ground alone in the run(the lower part where the grass is-or was)....as long as they have a choice to get into a nice dry coop (the upper part where they sleep), they'll be fine.

If you get puddling in the run because the ground doesn't drain properly, sand might be a good idea....but if it drains out ok, I'd just leave it.

That's a pretty small coop and run, you may get poop build up in the run depending on how many chickens and how often they free range.
The poops normally dry up and break down pretty well, but if it's wet, it does stink.
They will tear that grass gone in pretty quick order and then you'll have dirt......and poop........and stinky muck when it rains.
If you want to clean up the poops to avoid that, again sand might work well as the poops can be sifted out (when sand is dry) if you use a nice coarse sand.

Hope that helps.

Ah, okay. Sorry that my wording was off, I thought the top part was called the roosting house and the whole thing was called the coop..? This is my first backyard flock, so I am learning. I was planning on going to the feed store tomorrow and grabbing some DE and some mint, basil and other herbs to reduce the flies. I hope the rain storms stop soon.

 

[Suzyr]

So, I think I figured out what might work best for my little run. A light layer of sand mixed with DE and then a nice layer of pine needles! They are "fluffy" enough to keep my girls out of poopy mud. I hope the rain will hold out tomorrow in long enough increments for me to work out in the yard. Im excited to get it set up!

 

[aart]

DE won't do anything...not sure about the pine needles, tho folks in the south use pine straw like we use grain straw up here.

When I had muddy run with standing water from snowmelt this spring (usually my run drains well as it's sandy soil), I put down a very thin layer of straw especially around the ramp going up to the coop just to reduce the amount of muck tracked into the coop. It helped and dried out OK, the chooks kept it mixed up so it didn't get slimy-but I kept an eye on it.

With that small of a run...and how many birds?...you may want to regularly rake the poops out......you'll learn what works best for your situation as you go.

Oh, you can put your location in your profile, sometimes it helps when folks are giving advice.

 

[The Triplets]

I have a similar problem but my coop in on concrete and it was filled with 3 inches of coarse construction sand. Unfortunately with a tiny bit of rain it turned into a biological maggot infestation within a few days. Today I am removing and bleaching everything, but now am really worried about the winter. Not sure what to put on the ground as I am new to chickens. I have 3 pullets less than 16 weeks old. Thankfully I am in SO CAL so not a lot of rain, but there was barely any last week and everything is a mess. I think part of the problem was they were being fed their mash and had water in there. That added to the biohazard!!!!

Suggestions anyone?

 

[aart]

Maggots in the coop or in the run?

If in the coop, you'll need to do something about eliminating any water leakage, spillage, intrusion..... or no matter what bedding you use you'll likely have problems.
Figure out how it got wet inside and correct it.

Dryness is necessary for cleanliness...all pathogens, all living things, need water...eliminate water and they won't survive or multiply.

Both your run and coop are on a concrete slab? Is it sloped enough to drain well?

 

[The Triplets]

Maggots in the coop or in the run?

If in the coop, you'll need to do something about eliminating any water leakage, spillage, intrusion..... or no matter what bedding you use you'll likely have problems.
Figure out how it got wet inside and correct it.

Dryness is necessary for cleanliness...all pathogens, all living things, need water...eliminate water and they won't survive or multiply.

Both your run and coop are on a concrete slab? Is it sloped enough to drain well?

Hi - the maggots are in the coop. It is sloped since we have a pool, but I think the sand and the bricks I elevated the coop on (to level it) kept the water in. I am going to talk to my husband and have him figure out a way to slide plyboard in on top of the bricks so the floor will be wood, then use shavings...??? Any suggestions on a better feeder so they don't throw their mash everywhere? I will no longer feed and water them in the coop. Since they are trained to put themselves to bed there is no need for it in there. I am new to this and learning the hard way...