Coop Run flooring question

[donaltman3]

Hello all. I purchased a coop from TSC. The bottom level is an open run area. Most people I see have set these on the dirt or take and slightly raise them above the soil to keep the wood from directly sittings on the dirt.
Doing this keep the the frame off the dirt but still allows a dirt floor inside the run.

I have a raised platform that was the floor of my large breed dog house. It is heavy duty construction and sits about 8 inches off the ground. The platform top is 3/4 marine ply wood and the whole thing has been painted. Ideally I would like to build my coop right on top of this platform and secure it to the platform which is held up by post that have been sunk with concrete.

Would having a run with plywood on the bottom instead of soil be an issue? Could or should I elevate the house ontop of the platform and fill it in with an inch or two of soil/ compost? I like tha tthe platforms slightly raises it off the ground and that it gives me a way to anchor the coop down. I can just screw the coop frame directly to the platform using decking screws.

 

[Howard E]

You could do as planned, but how wet is it going to get? How much rain is going to blow in?

Line the bottom with a few inches of litter and plan on cleaning it often.....like at least once a week. Even so, if the bottom and litter gets wet, droppings will flush through the litter to settle out on the bottom, on top of your plywood, where it will likely start to accumulate as a black, slimy sludge. But you could scrape that off, or hose it off during your cleanouts?

 

[Howard E]

If I had a small coop, with an open bottom, rather than dirt, I might be tempted to buy enough paving stones to line the bottom with. That would elevate the birds off the dirt / mud, and be a barrier that rats and other diggers cannot get through. Just cover it with a nice layer of litter. Paving stones can stay wet and damp and won't rot like a floor made of wood might.

 

[donaltman3]

I do have water close by so wash outs would be easy.. I also could drill drainage holes throughout the run area very easily.... maybe a 3/8 diameter every square foot. Would that help? also with my coop next to a fence corner it will be partially blocked giving some shade and rain protection. I will stand the coop off the fence about foot to allow for circulation.

 

[donaltman3]

If I had a small coop, with an open bottom, rather than dirt, I might be tempted to buy enough paving stones to line the bottom with. That would elevate the birds off the dirt / mud, and be a barrier that rats and other diggers cannot get through. Just cover it with a nice layer of litter. Paving stones can stay wet and damp and won't rot like a floor made of wood might.

Well.. the platform is already made. It was a former dog house floor that I removed. After tearing down the rest of the dog house I realized It would be a whole lot easier to stop than to try to dig out the anchored posts...... so I will just attach my coop to this already made raised floor... just trying to figure out the best way to use it set up that way and what material if any to throw ontop of the floor for the chickens.