Dirt floor coop vs raised wood floor coop

[Folly's place]

So, I lied; 48 chickens, but 18 are bantams, so they don't count as full sized birds, right?
Mary

 

[MotherOfChickens]

So, I lied; 48 chickens, but 18 are bantams, so they don't count as full sized birds, right?
Mary

48 birds is only like 12 tops... and 18 bantams is like 4 so you have 16

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

In my current situation I opted for a raised wood floor because of high coon activity, I didn't want to have to dig proof the coop. The second consideration was that the coop is within the boundaries of our hog enclosure and the coop is raised high enough that the hogs can't damage it. If my situation was different, there would be a dirt floor just for ease of cleaning and health of the chickens. Dirt floors allow the microbiota to come in contact with the chickens and if you have a good microbiome, you have healthier chickens.

 

[janiedoe]

So, I lied; 48 chickens, but 18 are bantams, so they don't count as full sized birds, right?
Mary

And if you eat off someone else's plate the calories don't count, right?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

In my current situation I opted for a raised wood floor because of high coon activity, I didn't want to have to dig proof the coop. The second consideration was that the coop is within the boundaries of our hog enclosure and the coop is raised high enough that the hogs can't damage it. If my situation was different, there would be a dirt floor just for ease of cleaning and health of the chickens. Dirt floors allow the microbiota to come in contact with the chickens and if you have a good microbiome, you have healthier chickens.

My biggest concern is figuring a way to dig around the base to add hardwire to make sure nothing digs in.

 

[chicken1234]

It gets so cold here that I prefer wood floors. We have 2x4 decking with 3/4" plywood screwed on top then a thick layer of shavings. I think my hens are warmer.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

It gets so cold here that I prefer wood floors. We have 2x4 decking with 3/4" plywood screwed on top then a thick layer of shavings. I think my hens are warmer.

Luckily winters aren't too bad here

 

[chicken1234]

We get -35F often in the winter, crazy!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

We get -35F often in the winter, crazy!

YIKES!!!! Yeah, Im in TN. We rarely get below freezing. Although last year we had a 2 week period in the single digits... it was terrible. So I can't imagine -35!

 

[chicken vet girl]

I had a coop with dirt floors once. It was terrible in the winter. I had to put new bedding in every day and it never did stay dry. Dirt floors are not predator proof either. Also, it really is impossible to complete clean the coop. I have raised wood floors now and I like it much better. I am planning a new coop and wondering which would be better, wood or concrete floors?

Dirt floors allow the microbiota to come in contact with the chickens and if you have a good microbiome, you have healthier chickens.

@Bryant Redhawk, can you explain more about this?