Farm store coop with dirt floor, issues are too much rain!

[aart]

Yep, doing that in run area.., good for inside coop flooring too? Then just rake out or keep layering up?

For your coop/run combo....I'd put wood chips on the ground and pine shavings in the coop above.

 

[Swbertrand1]

We use a small coop like that for our ICU unit and for young chicks that are too old for the brooder, but not yet large enough to contend with the "adults".

To solve the being-on-the-ground problem we constructed a frame of treated 2x4 lumber the exact dimensions of the footprint of the coop itself. Then, we cut a treated plywood floor with a reveal that is about 1/8" less than the thickness of the bottom frame members of the coop.

When looking at the completed floor/frame, you'll see a edge all the way around it that the bottom edges of the coop will sit in down in, essentially interlocking with the floor. Drill a few pilot holes through the bottom framing members of the coop into the edge of the floor plywood, and secure the coop to the floor with a few stainless screws.

You now have a coop that is more secure, heavier, and keeps the birds up off the wet ground when raining. Of course, you may wish to add a ramp just below the coop door so they can easily get in and out of the elevated coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

I would be nervous about any kind of raised floor that's only a few inches above the ground as anything other than a temporary, emergency-we-have-to-get-them-above-the-flood situation.

It's an engraved invitation to rodents -- EXACTLY the sort of living quarters they love most.

Can you dig a diversion ditch around your coop to keep water from running into/through it and put down a good layer of wood chips?

I put a diversion ditch around my outdoor brooder -- shallow, but just enough to redirect the groundwater flow:

 

[DebAnneDigi]

C-

We use a small coop like that for our ICU unit and for young chicks that are too old for the brooder, but not yet large enough to contend with the "adults".

To solve the being-on-the-ground problem we constructed a frame of treated 2x4 lumber the exact dimensions of the footprint of the coop itself. Then, we cut a treated plywood floor with a reveal that is about 1/8" less than the thickness of the bottom frame members of the coop.

When looking at the completed floor/frame, you'll see a edge all the way around it that the bottom edges of the coop will sit in down in, essentially interlocking with the floor. Drill a few pilot holes through the bottom framing members of the coop into the edge of the floor plywood, and secure the coop to the floor with a few stainless screws.

You now have a coop that is more secure, heavier, and keeps the birds up off the wet ground when raining. Of course, you may wish to add a ramp just below the coop door so they can easily get in and out of the elevated coop.

today’s project was a good layer of river rock. I may add wood chips, still weighing that idea. The coop is on a 2x4 frame, screwed into that… I bought hooks raised feeders higher…I cut and screwed in 1x6 to prevent rain from going on feed… Tomorrow I’ll continue… I’ll add more 1x6.. with a small spacer in between for ventilation. This is some journey, I’m correcting as I go along. I had absolutely no idea

 

[Swbertrand1]

C-

today’s project was a good layer of river rock. I may add wood chips, still weighing that idea. The coop is on a 2x4 frame, screwed into that… I bought hooks raised feeders higher…I cut and screwed in 1x6 to prevent rain from going on feed… Tomorrow I’ll continue… I’ll add more 1x6.. with a small spacer in between for ventilation. This is some journey, I’m correcting as I go along. I had absolutely no idea

Looks good! We don't have a problem with flooding, so I can't really speak to that, but you can always build a frame that is mounted to ground-sunk 4x4 posts to REALLY get the coop up off the ground easily...

 

[rosemarythyme]

today’s project was a good layer of river rock. I may add wood chips, still weighing that idea.

Hope that works, though I think you're going to discover a new set of problems with the rocks there, as poop washes down between the stones and starts decaying and smelling.

If drainage at that location wasn't an issue I'd suggest elevating the whole set up 3-4 inches, and then filling those extra inches with wood chips. I've found that works fantastic for keeping a small coop dry in rain... provided that the water has somewhere to drain to.

What's the ETA on the new run? How is the drainage at the new run location? Might as well address it now, so you don't get a repeat of what's happening here.

 

[DebAnneDigi]

Hope that works, though I think you're going to discover a new set of problems with the rocks there, as poop washes down between the stones and starts decaying and smelling.

If drainage at that location wasn't an issue I'd suggest elevating the whole set up 3-4 inches, and then filling those extra inches with wood chips. I've found that works fantastic for keeping a small coop dry in rain... provided that the water has somewhere to drain to.

What's the ETA on the new run? How is the drainage at the new run location? Might as well address it now, so you don't get a repeat of what's happening here.

I’m enclosing this coop in a 10x12 run… we have had an exceptional amount of rain (Catskills). My whole property is sponge like. The run will have a pitched roof, downhill side, for the snow…. Mill is slow in cutting the hemlock, ugh… I even attached 1/2 HC to protect them.. easy enough to unscrew and rip up

 

[DebAnneDigi]

Looks good! We don't have a problem with flooding, so I can't really speak to that, but you can always build a frame that is mounted to ground-sunk 4x4 posts to REALLY get the coop up off the ground easily...

We went from no rain, to monsoons I feel better with what I’m doing, even though a temporary fix.. my buffs were muddy

 

[DebAnneDigi]

Hope that works, though I think you're going to discover a new set of problems with the rocks there, as poop washes down between the stones and starts decaying and smelling.

If drainage at that location wasn't an issue I'd suggest elevating the whole set up 3-4 inches, and then filling those extra inches with wood chips. I've found that works fantastic for keeping a small coop dry in rain... provided that the water has somewhere to drain to.

What's the ETA on the new run? How is the drainage at the new run location? Might as well address it now, so you don't get a repeat of what's happening here.

Would a white vinegar spray help out odor issues, if they arise?

 

[3KillerBs]

Would a white vinegar spray help out odor issues, if they arise?

Probably not.

There are very few situations where adding moisture to a chicken set-up is a good idea.

Lots and lots of dry organic material is usually a better idea.