Dirt floor in coop -- not such a good idea

[tomato lady]

This is my first time raising chicks so I expected to have a lot to learn. However, I was quite proud of my 8' x 6' coop that I built. One of the "best" features was the natural dirt floor. Well, in reality, maybe not. I used treated 4 x 4 for the foundation and built from there. The first indication that a dirt floor might not be the best idea was when my faithful old dog dug a hole under the coop large enough for one of my 4 week old chicks to get out. He didn't bother the chick, but stayed by his hole to see if there were more.

Immediately I planned a wood floor. My plan to put in the wood floor has ben delayed until I get the run finished. It is an impossible task to do anything, much less a floor, in a coop with 20 chicks running around. The run is done now except for the gate and that should be finished tomorrow.

Today I discovered a new problem with my dirt floor. My youngest chicks (2 week old EE chicks) are digging under from the inside! I am not sure if their intent is to escape, but they have hollowed out a space large enough for three of them to get under all except for their butts sticking out. They flatten themselves out, stick their heads under the 4 x 4 and wiggle their feet until they are over half way under the board.

If all goes well I will have a safer, escape proof coop by the end of the day tomorrow.

 

[Mahonri]

The other problem with a 'dirt' floor is... water can seep in under your coop... and make a mess of everything.

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I'm sorry your dirt floor is not working for you.

All my coops have dirt floors, and I love them. Wouldn't want it any other way.
We bury metal or wire about 2 feet in the ground, attach that to the 2 x 6 's we use for the frame and we are good to go from there.

And yes, my chickens think they are landscapers also....they change the level of the ground all the time!!

Jean

 

[m2wandc]

we have a dirt floor (and our dirt is a lot like 'sand' in the world of dirt) LOL...I've noticed that something is digging in and out from both sides and assumed it was the outside rodants trying to get to the chicken feed that has been scattered here and there...but maybe it's the chickens? Either way, I like the dirt floor because it's natural on their feet...and gives them grit so I don't have to, etc...my coop/run is housed inside a fenced area, so the dogs can't get to them (or at least that is the HOPE) but I do worry about mice finding the coop or squirrels and taking over!

 

[Fowl Visions]

We have a dirt floor also and wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

Rats love to dig up through the dirt floor and eat the chicks and their food. We have wooden floor with linolium on top of the boards for easy clean up. I use shavings and or straw for bedding. We use sand in the run which is super nice because it provides grit...nice sand baths....drains quickly when it rains and easy to keep clean.

 

[ranchhand]

The holes being dug by the chickens are for dust bathing. They seem to like being against a wall or fence.

 

[sweetie54]

hummm i have a dirt floor too but i cover it with pine needles!!! I put rocks around the outside and inside too so they cant get out or raccons cant get in!!!

 

[Southernbelle]

I'm keeping my dirt floor. Definately cooler in the summer!

At one point I was getting a lot of rain run-off flooding the floor, so I decided to build a wood floor raised up about 5" off the floor. Bad idea. The chickens stayed drier, but mice moved in.

My coop is currently empty, so I plan to dig a french drain in front of the coop to divert the rainwater and rip out the wood floor, evict all the mice and get it ready for more chickens.

Mine used to dig huge holes for dust bathing. If I saw they were getting too close to the coop wall, I just put a big rock or timber on the outside of the coop against that wall so they couldn't escape.

 

[txchickie]

I wouldn't have anything but a dirt floor

We burried hardware cloth 12" underground and then nailed a 2x4 across the bottom of the corner posts over the wire and burried it as well. We then dug 4ft down and 3ft wide under the door/gate and filled it with bricks we had laying around.

If you do it right, dirt floors can be a good thing!