Coop on pavers?

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Just pointing out *Concrete is nice for chickens to keep nails short naturally and they file their beaks on it. I have a concrete walkway and cinderblocks around (for future use) and my free range chickens go to the blocks and walkway just to sharpen their beaks.

 

[zinnia5117]

How many chickens are you keeping? If anyone has noticed, the OP has a small yard and the coop will be near the house anywhere it is placed. They are more concerned with keeping it off of the neighbors houses.

Thanks for pointing this out to others. We will be keeping the max of 5 chickens. The regs are these:

WL rules and regs

• zinnia5117
• Apr 29, 2019

As I hope you can see (if I attached the picture right), the rules only talk about how far from other people’s houses, not your own. And your chicken coop is not allowed to smell, per the rules.

Under the deck is not near a door, unless you count the door on the story above.

My plan is to have a decent sized coop and run, but also to have a chicken tractor and/or paddock to put ‘em to work in the yard (which one depends on if I am home or at work). So they won’t be in the coop 24/7, and will have a chance to scratch naturally in the dirt (and hopefully will be trained to eat slugs and decimate my population for me).

Hope that helps paint the overall picture a little better. I really appreciate all the feedback.

 

[zinnia5117]

OK, gonna try to resuscitate this thread because it has all the background info for this question. Coop/run will be on pavers, for five chickens... has to be 20 ft from neighboring residences etc.

I had been proposed the idea that putting down hardboard first would protect the pavers from chicken poo and the run from moisture coming from below (haha, as if that matters in Oregon where it rains 9 months a year and moisture is everywhere), and I was on board. But then I read about what hardboard was, and was skeptical. Yesterday I went to the ReStore and the volunteer there seemed to think hardboard was a terrible idea because it would come apart in no time. That’s cool because I was thinking that might be a problem.

So she convinced me to try a piece of Formica instead but said I would need some 2 mil or thicker plastic to put under the Formica so it doesn’t get moisture up under it. I went to Home Depot and the three people I talked to there also thought hardboard was a bad idea. So I walked out with some 3.5 mil plastic that I figured I could fold in half and have 7 mil plastic, to attach to the bottom of the Formica.

Before I do this though I was thinking, do I even really need to put anything down? I think I was confused about what people use as litter in the run versus coop. I have been reading more to clarify and there is so much info out there and so many different litter option so that seem to work. So the DLM might not work in the run in rainy Oregon with pine shavings, but maybe the combo suggested by @mowin with sand and coarse wood chips, or @aart using something similar to coarse wood chips. We had a ChipDrop in December so some of that (pine chips, etc) could go in there. It might get a little wet, because we are in Oregon, and it rains in all directions, but the whole coop/run will be roofed with overhang, and protected by the deck so it’s as dry as it will get.

Then if the chickens get down to the pavers they can just sharpen their beaks and I am sure I’ll catch the bald spot within a few days and fill it back in.

Wouldn’t that just be better than a bunch of plastic and Formica down there under the run to deal with? Seems more natural and less likely to hold water somewhere it shouldn’t stay.

Or do you think ultimately even with litter in the run that a bunch of poop is going to get in the paver cracks (which I have redone to fill in any missing sand) and stink horribly or that it will totally ruin the pavers? I mean, the coop might be there awhile (if it all works out). However pavers are replaceable...

I can return the plastic to Home Depot easily and am only out $6 on the Formica panel, so the expenditure is not a concern.
Thanks for any last feedback on this pretty “foundational” detail.

 

[mowin]

So, your thinking of putting a waterproof barrier, plastic and Formica, over the pavers?

If that's the case, your going to have a pool of muck, unless it drains somehow. And if it drains, where is it going to drain to?
Sounds like a smell waiting to happen.
Maybe put the coop on the pavers, and do a run on the ground, sand and chips like I suggested in my earlier post.

 

[zinnia5117]

So, your thinking of putting a waterproof barrier, plastic and Formica, over the pavers?

If that's the case, your going to have a pool of muck, unless it drains somehow. And if it drains, where is it going to drain to?
Sounds like a smell waiting to happen.
Maybe put the coop on the pavers, and do a run on the ground, sand and chips like I suggested in my earlier post.

Thanks for thinking that through for me. That is what I was thinking but wanted to run it by someone else too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Given the idea of plastic flooring vs leaving the pavers as is, I'd go with bedding directly over pavers. Better drainage and better chance of not having issues, versus using the plastic flooring which doesn't allow for drainage at all.

If worst comes to worst you can always pull up the pavers and replace some of the sand/gravel if needed to deal with stink.

 

[Steven Bussell]

Here's a idea. Frame a floor. Build walls as you would a house. Paint or seal your wood floor. Frame using the red pressure treatment lumber. Maybe put floor framing on something just to keep it off pavers just incase water gets under it.
Pavers are protected and we all sleep good tonight

 

[mowin]

Here's a idea. Frame a floor. Build walls as you would a house. Paint or seal your wood floor. Frame using the red pressure treatment lumber. Maybe put floor framing on something just to keep it off pavers just incase water gets under it.
Pavers are protected and we all sleep good tonight

Basically what I suggested. Build coop on pavers, but I didn't elaborate, and say coop should have it's own floor.
Thanks for mentioning that. I shouldn't have assumed the OP new what I was thinking.
Then put run off pavers, with several inches of DLM or sand to keep the run as dry as possible.

 

[zinnia5117]

Basically what I suggested. Build coop on pavers, but I didn't elaborate, and say coop should have it's own floor.
Thanks for mentioning that. I shouldn't have assumed the OP new what I was thinking.
Then put run off pavers, with several inches of DLM or sand to keep the run as dry as possible.

Thanks yes my design is similar to the Palace coop so the coop will be off the ground, just the run is on the pavers. Hard for me to remember to differentiate sometimes...

 

[Steven Bussell]

Thanks yes my design is similar to the Palace coop so the coop will be off the ground, just the run is on the pavers. Hard for me to remember to differentiate sometimes...

I would just build on larger wood floor so you pavers are completely covered and protected. If later if you decide you don't want to keep the birds your pavers are still nice.
I builded my coop so if I decided to call it guilt I could turn it into a shed or play house. I use screws on everything inside to make it easier to remove. And framed my roof so I would end up with a large shed