Dirt Floor in Coop

[Debi214]

Quote:
You change the sand once a week? Sand is expensive in Richmond, VA.

 

[beak]

We prefer a dirt floor. Our main coop is dirt and the poop and stuff soaks in to the dirt. We just use our mini rototiller and a mask to clean it out once a year. The walls are built on 2x10's laid on edge and secured to poles in the corners. So no problem with rain or snow melt. We have some pullets and meat chickens in some big crates, 5x8 floors and they have to be shoveled out and new chips every 3 days or so. The dirt floor stays much drier and is a lot cheaper.

We hired some cats to keep the rodents under control. Never had a problem with the cats around.

 

[Ol'FashionHen]

I didn't go with a dirt floor coop, only because of the risk of Histoplasmosis. In the Ohio and Mississippi River Valley the risk is high. It is a fungus that can grow in nitrogen rich soil. If it is inhaled (spores) it will give you cold symtoms, but if it gets in your eyes it can cause you to go blind. I think the sand would be ok if you regulary cleaned out droppings. Just be careful all you fellas with dirt floors... make sure you don't clean the coop with a air hose.

 

[NoelTate]

Mine is a dirt floor. That's all we ever had in our chicken pens and coops when I was growing up. This site was the first I had heard of anything different. Guess my family comes from really old-fashioned stock lol
The only problem with a dirt floor is that when it rains a lot, there is a problem with the ground getting mushy and the pen smelling. To avoid that, I spread a bail of hay or bag of leaves around during winter and throw my grass trimmings in there when I cut the grass during the rest of the year. When I need compost, I dig it out of the chicken coop. It works out well for me, but I suppose each person has to figure out what works in his or her own situation.

 

[jmetzger]

what is DE?

 

[chickee35]

We have a dirt floor. Although outside of the coop I have had to pour cement around because skunks were digging under and getting into the coop. It is also good because when I clean the coop, I can just throw all of the yuk into my compost pile. Works out great!