Coop run flooring

[Skyler698]

I am a new chicken owner. We built a coop and enclosed run for our chickens. We have a lot of hawks ( there’s a bird of prey rehabber who lives across the road) and we felt an enclosed coop would be better. We used the chicken wire on the floor too. Now I’m not sure if that was the best idea. Is there a way to clean it? We all know chickens poo a lot! They have eaten all the grass and now it’s just dirty and poo. Should I put bedding down? Let it wash away in the rain? Anyone have a run with chicken wire flooring? Thanks so much

Super chicken newbie Tina

 

[cjohnsd69]

I live in NJ and have all kinds of weather issues... I use sand in my run which works best for me... You need to find out what works best for you...the sand makes it easy to rake. water...poop...snow...ice...are absorbed very quick...i just replace the sand i take out once a year...

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Just a couple of thoughts. First, if you used chicken wire instead of hardware cloth (the heavy duty wire with 1/4 inch square holes), if won’t keep predators like raccoons out of your run. Second, if you have already put the wire on the subfloor of the coop, you can always add a piece of scrap vinyl flooring. Then you can cover the vinyl flooring with whatever bedding you want. Personally, I use sand. I just scoop the poop with a kitty litter scoop. I have sand in both the coop and the run, also on the poop boards.

It would be helpful to post some pics or a description of your coop and run so people can offer their input. I’m a newb too, but took the predator proofing very seriously as we have lots of predators as well. We have hardware cloth over all of the windows in the coop, complex latches on all of the doors (so striped hairy bandits who have far too much time on their little paws can’t figure out how to open the latch), and a roof over part of the hardware cloth enclosed run. We also buried hardware cloth six inches down under the 2x12” boards that enclose the bottom of the run (and hold in the sand).

My chickie babies spend their days in the run and are only free ranging when hubby or I are with them. They get out for a couple of hours a day and don’t seem to mind being confined to the run when we are busy doing other things (like eating!). We probably went overboard on the security measures, but hey, if you can, why not? Looking forward to pics!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not sure from description if chicken wire is on floor of coop, run, or both. Either way I'm not a fan of wire flooring - hard to clean, bad for the chicken's feet, and chicken wire is neither predator proof against bigger things, nor pest proof against smaller ones like mice. You're better off doing an apron using either hardware cloth or welded wire.

Regardless of if it's run or coop or both, if it cannot be removed at this point I really recommend looking into bedding options and plan on laying it thickly so the chickens are less likely to injure themselves. Most common beddings would be sand or deep bedding/deep litter - lots of info on both on this site, and pros and cons that you need to take into account depending on your climate and set up.

 

[Jersey Born And Bred]

I live in NJ and have all kinds of weather issues... I use sand in my run which works best for me... You need to find out what works best for you...the sand makes it easy to rake. water...poop...snow...ice...are absorbed very quick...i just replace the sand i take out once a year...

I'm also in NJ, in a part of the state with groundwater issues. After a week of rain, with two more predicted, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions for soggy, muddy ground?

 

[LittleCheepers]

I am also concerned about chicken wire on the floor - especially if it covers the floor of the run. If it does, I personally would go to the trouble of cutting the wire around the edges of the run and removing it. If it is just chicken wire, it won't necessarily be hard to do, it will just be time consuming - and may give you a back ache from bending over for so long! Having wire on the ground will prevent your chickens from doing what chickens love to do! I think they instinctively scratch and hunt and peck for whatever treasures they can find all day long. Wire covering the ground would make that painful, and likely impossible, for them to do. Not to mention taking away their pleasure of dust bathing and digging a hole in the cool earth to take a nap when it is hot outside. I think it would be hard to put down dirt, sand, or whatever, deep enough that it would allow them to do all that without the wire interfering. Even if you were able to get it deep enough initially, you’re going to lose so much as time goes on.

As far as what to use to cover the ground, we put down a layer of sand and then a layer of wood chips. It always looks clean and never smells. When it rains, the water seeps down through the wood chips and they dry very quickly once the rain stops. We have found it to be the perfect answer, although of course others have their preferred methods as well. Whatever ground cover you choose, please think about removing the chicken wire. I know you love your chickens and just want them to have a happy life!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

welcome to byc! hope you like it here! my avvys pic is of my polish.... Tina!

 

[Rachael<3Chickies]

I second rosemarythyme pretty much exactly. I personally use sand once it gets disgusting bc it smells better which makes me feel like there’s less bacteria? Tarps to direct rain helps too. Aprons going down around coop or out are better than wire flooring I would think because my chickens love to dig and dust bathe and would be so mad at me over wire on their ground. Lol

 

[Erinu2025]

It has been raining where I live in Pennsylvania for a week straight. My run is a muddy pit right now trying to walk in the mud to change the water is becoming an Olympic sport. I read on fresh egg daily that sand is a bad option since it breeds disease. I have no idea what to use most say dirt or sand but I have also heard that stone mixed with sand or what is called backfill is great. Any advice on what I should use I have had my chickens locked up in the coop the last few days because it's so muddy.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I'm also in NJ, in a part of the state with groundwater issues. After a week of rain, with two more predicted, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions for soggy, muddy ground?

I use straw or hay as a wet ground covering, it ends up worked into the soil which is a good thing since it raises the humus content. Soil with a higher humus content will hold more water but it will also drain excess water away faster.