Floor of chicken coop???

[sakesler]

Hi! I live in a suburban area, and I am building my first chicken coop. It will house 3 hens. I have the design pretty much figured out, but I have a question about the floor of the coop. Should we use hardware cloth with the idea that the poop falls through, or should we use a solid surface? I know both will require weekly attention, I am just not sure of the pros and cons of each. The coop will be about 18 inches off the ground and will be enclosed as part of the run. We plan to use the deep litter method in the run. Any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated! Thanks!
Staci

 

[chicmom]

I would definitely put a solid floor in the coop to make it more predator proof. That is just my humble opinion.

 

[ColoradoMike]

You should make the coop floor solid - for several reasons: reduce winter drafts, easier on the hens feet, less apt to allow predation. Also, I think the 'deep litter method' is more of a coop bedding management practice, and not a run management practice - as far as I know, you wouldn't really want 'litter' or bedding material in the run, where it would be exposed to the elements... Sand is the most recommended material for use in the run...

My $0.02...

 

[CityChook]

from MN!

The poo never seems to fall through the wire the way we think it should anyways. And it's not very comfortable for their feet. Make the floor solid, paint it and cover with deep litter. Then you'll only have to clean it out twice a year. Seriously.

 

[alpinefarm]

I love tile floors in my coops. Makes things easy to hose out.
In my cold, high altitude climate, I also insulate the floors of my coops underneath.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

I have wood floors, wished I would have put linoleum over them but other than that, but that's a shouldawouldacoulda!!

 

[sakesler]

Thanks for the input everyone! I was leaning toward the solid floor, too. I think it makes the most sense, and I will worry less in the winter(although we don't have extreme winter weather or snow here). I also think the maintanance will be easier. I had read about the mesh floor, and I questioned myself. Thanks for putting me back on the right path!
Happy Spring!
Staci

 

[Montana-Hens]

Don't forget linoleum or vinyl flooring it makes clean up a breeze.