Does your coop have dirt floors? I would love to see pictures!

[havi]

Okay Ive gone back and forth on the dirt floor idea. I like it, then I dont. Seeing as how DH has told me I cant have the original 12x12 we agreed upon, we have to go with something smaller now. So it will either be 8x12 or 10x12. With the smaller coop in mind, Im thinking more along the lines of having a dirt floor. What seems to be the best litter material if you have dirt floors? Should I go with straw, hay, wood shavings, etc..? Right now my runs are plain dirt and when it rains, I cant stand all the mud it makes! It gets everywhere and on everything!!


I would LOVE to see pictures of all your dirt floor coops!

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I like shavings in the coop and sand in the runs.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Quote:
One of the primary reasons I got chickens in the first place was for their manure. I'm an organic gardener, and their manure (when properly aged, of course) is perfect for growing vegetables.


So I would never consider anything BUT a dirt floor in our henhouse. I use cheap pine shavings that I buy from a farmer's co-op over in the next county. I usually put that flooring down about 4 inches thick, but they have a tendency to knock the shavings around where they want them.


During the spring through fall, I clean the shavings and manure mixture about once every five or six weeks, and add the material to my compost pile.


During the winter, I begin with 4 inches, but as they "muddy" that up, I add clean shavings on top instead of pulling the stuff out of there. The reason I do this is that on cold winter days, they have the option of digging themselves a hole in the shavings and lying in the hole for warmth. The composting process generates some warmth for them, as does simply being able to dig themselves a deep enough hole.


About this time each year, I finally clean out the shavings/manure combo from over the winter, and that officially begins this year's new compost pile.

 

[bandbaustin]

I had dirt floors but got sick of all the mud and how everyone was looking from it. The street dept by me offers free chipped wood if you pick it up. They load it so I went and got five loads of it. I even covered the floor of my barn since it was dirt that was more like powder, it would get on everything.

 

[kathyinmo]

I have dirt floors and do not want the muddy mess, so I layed down concrete pavers. They are cheap, and I hope this makes it easier to clean out. I have pine shavings over the pavers.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Pine shavings. Straw and hay tend to hold moisture underneath that can create a bacterial amusement park which can potentially make the birds sick. It will look nice and dry until you start digging around and turning it over. Since I live in the desert I don't use sand because it gets way too hot here but I have heard good things about it from other parts of the country.

 

[A1 Steak Sauce]

Dirt floors and sand. Easy as pie!

 

[havi]

After reading a fellow BYC'ers post, Im really leaning toward the sand. I think it will be easier for me and healthier for them. At first I thought the hay/shavings would do almost like a compost thing. I would just need to turn it every so often. But the more I think about it, I dont think it would work out that way. Plus, who wants to live on top of a compost pile? Not me.



So if you have pictures of your sand floors in your coop, or run, please post pictures. I would love to see them all!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Just plain ol' North Carolina red dirt floor. I'll cover it with a layer of leaves or wood shavings. I make it about 2 inches deep to start with and add more over the months. I'll toss in DE with a handful or 2 of scratch and let the girls toss it for me. I clean it all out once every 6 months

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've got a dirt floor in an 8' x 12' coop with wood shavings on top. To keep the coop and run dry, I created a swale on the upslope side of the coop and run to divert the water away. I also hauled clay dirt in to the coop and built the floor up a few inches above the surrounding ground. It works in the coop. The run still get wet when it rains but not too bad and it dries fairly quickly.

I also have a droppings board to keep the amount of poop down. It is a great addition to my compost pile.