Deep litter in run - on top of concrete - SEMO

[Ted Brown]

Black Jack Rubr-Coat 57 Gloss Black Rubber Roof Coating 1 gal.

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A gallon of Black Jack 57 goes for about $79 per can at present. I bought some inexpensive sheet vinyl on sale at Menards to cover my 6X12 foot coop and it cost me less than $25 (3 years ago).

Lowe's price for a 5 gallon pail of BJ57 is currently about $55.

This will cover a 10' by 16' coop floor and one foot up the walls with 3 coats. Once dried the floor is totally sealed and water will sit on it until it evaporates or the bedding is removed.

The product can be a bit messy to apply and you can throw away any brushes, rollers, clothes, gloves, etc that it mucks up.

I am into my 4th year and when I clean out the coop each spring it looks pretty much like the day it was put down.

IMHO it is the best and least expensive way to cover a coop floor, certainly far better than some cheap linoleum or vinyl (I used cheap linoleum on my drop board, the flock tore it to pieces in a few short month).

 

[3KillerBs]

The bottom layers are moist...
I was hoping to pull it out in spring

If your bedding is moist on an elevated wood floor either you've got a problem with the weather getting in or a problem with lack of ventilation for the moisture the chickens themselves getting out. Or a leaky waterer.

Looking at the photos you posted after this quote, your coop would benefit from large roof overhangs or awnings to protect the walls and vents from the weather.

 

[gtaus]

I am into my 4th year and when I clean out the coop each spring it [Black Jack 57] looks pretty much like the day it was put down.

IMHO it is the best and least expensive way to cover a coop floor, certainly far better than some cheap linoleum or vinyl (I used cheap linoleum on my drop board, the flock tore it to pieces in a few short month).

I know some people swear by how great BJ57 is for their coop. I'm glad to hear you have had such great success with that product.

I just bought some inexpensive linoleum on sale, for less than $25 for my 6X12 coop with linoleum going up 12 inches high on the sides of the coop. My chickens have not torn apart my linoleum. When I cleaned out the litter in the coop this spring, the linoleum looked as good as new after 3+ years of use. I think I got more mileage out of that linoleum than I expected.

The only negative thing I have heard about BJ57 is that it can crack at our low temps here in Minnesota when we get down to -40F in the dead of the winter. When I was building my chicken coop, I was considering either BJ57 or inexpensive linoleum. But, BJ57 was only available via special order. Nobody in my area sold BJ57 in their stores. Everyone sells linoleum and I was able to pick up my sheet on sale at a great price.

 

[Ted Brown]

...

The only negative thing I have heard about BJ57 is that it can crack at our low temps here in Minnesota when we get down to -40F in the dead of the winter. When I was building my chicken coop, I was considering either BJ57 or inexpensive linoleum. But, BJ57 was only available via special order. Nobody in my area sold BJ57 in their stores. Everyone sells linoleum and I was able to pick up my sheet on sale at a great price.

I live in Canada, we have cold winters that typically last from early December through March. Average temperatures are -15C but we also get periods of up to a week that are as low as -30Cs (-22F).

There is no sign of cracking in my application. While the floor is covered the BJ57 extends up the walls for about 12"+ and higher behind the drop boards. These sections are visible year round.

The product retains some small flexibility once applied so it is difficult to image what would cause it to crack.

As I was experimenting with a 5 gallon diy heated water container i had the entire bucket empty onto the bedding and floor, froze solid and was impossible to remove with the effort I was prepared to invest. Rather I added wood shavings and straw over the area to try to isolate the flock from the mess.

In the Spring when I cleaned out the coop I was unable determine from visible signs where the water had been.

As I said I cannot imagine what would cause cracking save application in a very thick 1/2"+ layer, even then I would be surprised as tar is commonly used on flat roofs in commercial buildings. Finally, even if it did crack what difference would it make?

I would certainly be interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced cracking and what the negatives of that were?

 

[gtaus]

As I said I cannot imagine what would cause cracking save application in a very thick 1/2"+ layer, even then I would be surprised as tar is commonly used on flat roofs in commercial buildings.

I have never used BJ57, so good to hear that it has not cracked in your Canadian winters.

Finally, even if it did crack what difference would it make?

I don't think a crack in the BJ57 in a chicken coop would make any difference, nor would a crack in inexpensive linoleum. I suspect it might be easier to roll on new coat of BJ57 over a crack then to repair the linoleum, but maybe the point is moot because neither one of us has had to deal with cracks in our flooring covers.

To be clear, I'm not anti-BJ57. In fact, I think I was the first one to bring it up as an option for floor covering. Given the cost of lumber these days, I think a person should use some kind of floor covering in the chicken coop to preserve the wood. I'm not sure just plain paint or sealer would be good enough for the coop floor. But just about any covering would be better than nothing.

 

[Ted Brown]

A somewhat contrary thought. I use deep bedding in my coop along with drop boards/cleaning several times a week. The flock also has access to a covered run, I no longer free range.

The majority of waste is onto the drop boards. There are droppings onto the deep litter of course, however I never remove these as I find they dry quickly and then turn to dust which settles into the bedding.

It strikes me that the preoccupation with covering the floors may be a cautionary step that, assuming the use of deep bedding, is entirely unnecessary?

 

[Folly's place]

Wood floors are the problem, because they will rot, sooner or later. A dirt floor is traditional, as long as it's not flooding, and there's a perimeter predator barrier. Ours is concrete, with rubber stall mats on top, and works very well too. We also have more chickens! Thirty to forty usually, and definitely don't clean out that often!
Mary

 

[gtaus]

It strikes me that the preoccupation with covering the floors may be a cautionary step that, assuming the use of deep bedding, is entirely unnecessary?

When I built my coop, I used about 3 sheets of OSB for the flooring. At that time, I paid about $7 per sheet. Although it would have been inexpensive to replace that flooring, if needed, I did not want to fall through the flooring one day while walking in the coop. Also, I did not like the idea of patching up and/or replacing the floor boards after the chickens had been in there for a few years. It would have been considerably more labor hours to clean out the coop before I could lay down a new floor.

Today, that same OSB sheet is about ~$50 per sheet. So, I'm glad I decided to protect the flooring with inexpensive linoleum which has lasted for many years. My deep bedding is mostly dry, on top anyway, but the floor layer of bedding is not completely dry as the chicken poo and urine will filter their way down to the bottom. Mostly, the chicken poo dries up and goes to the bottom, but I think, over time, that would rot an unprotected floor board.

Wood floors are the problem, because they will rot, sooner or later.

I agree. My coop is elevated, built on an old boat trailer frame, and can be moved if I want. I had to build a wood floor. I hope that my floor covering will preserve the wood for many years, but, being outside, I can imagine that the wood floor will have to be replaced at some point in time.

If I ever build another coop, the next one will probably be a shed conversion, sitting on soil, and using either dry deep bedding or active composting deep litter. My second option for a shed conversion might be a concrete floor under the shed using deep bedding in the coop. That way, if I ever stopped having chickens, I could convert the coop back into a shed and drive my riding mowers and other outdoor equipment, parking them on the concrete slab.

 

[gtaus]

This has only been going for 10-11wks idk if you can see the different Shade in the first pic

It's hard for me to tell what is going on with your litter in the posted pictures. To me, it does not look like an active composting system. My composting systems look much different than what I see in your pictures. Your pictures do look like what I find in my deep bedding, with a small bit of litter breaking down, but mostly not.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

It's hard for me to tell what is going on with your litter in the posted pictures. To me, it does not look like an active composting system. My composting systems look much different than what I see in your pictures. Your pictures do look like what I find in my deep bedding, with a small bit of litter breaking down, but mostly not.

Either way I am good with it...
I figured if it was breaking down then we'd pull it out and stick it in the compost to protect the flooring!
If it's not, no big, was just gonna go to the garden next yr

Thanks so much for your help and the info for you provided!

We are revamping hopefully today, I have no plans to pull it out as of now.