Flooring for my Concrete Chicken Coop?

[WeHave12HensNow]

We have a concrete old "milk house" for our chickens. Our past tenant had put carpeting down which will be disposed of very soon. Is it necessary to lay linoleum, etc., down? Also, we have shavings we put on the floor. Is hay better?

 

[CityFarmer202]

I don't see any need to put down linoleum, mine are in a brick shed with a concrete floor with no problems...i use hay when it's available for a good price, and shavings when its not, but i prefer hay because it's better for their respiratory system.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Our main coop is in an old barn with an old concrete floor, I do put concrete sealer on it every couple of years. I like shavings much better than hay, they tend to absorb better and they mix more so you don't get that matting effect you get with straw/hay, you might also look into putting a bag or two of pelleted bedding like they use for horses, Sweet PDZ or Stall Dry. down, especially if it is humid. If you have access to sand, some people really like that.

 

[RJSorensen]

In my older coop, a real one, I have cement for a floor. I use pine shavings on top of it. I was a straw/hay guy up until I got convinced by a lady at the local farm store to use shavings. I now find them the litter of choice by far. Straw and Hay are like putting gravel in a wet hole, you can stand on top of it and be dry, but all the water is still in there. Shavings seem to draw up or wick any moisture away and from there it leaves the coop as vapor I suppose. The shavings seem to dry out in normal use at any rate.

Anyway cement and shavings are what I would use in all of my buildings, were I given a choice.

Best to you in your choice(s),

RJ

 

[WeHave12HensNow]

I don't see any need to put down linoleum, mine are in a brick shed with a concrete floor with no problems...i use hay when it's available for a good price, and shavings when its not, but i prefer hay because it's better for their respiratory system.

Thank you for your response, and I didn't know that hay was better.

 

[WeHave12HensNow]

Our main coop is in an old barn with an old concrete floor, I do put concrete sealer on it every couple of years. I like shavings much better than hay, they tend to absorb better and they mix more so you don't get that matting effect you get with straw/hay, you might also look into putting a bag or two of pelleted bedding like they use for horses, Sweet PDZ or Stall Dry. down, especially if it is humid. If you have access to sand, some people really like that.

Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[vehve]

Thank you for your response, and I didn't know that hay was better.

Some people have issues with mites and other crawlies living inside the hay.

 

[WeHave12HensNow]

In my older coop, a real one, I have cement for a floor. I use pine shavings on top of it. I was a straw/hay guy up until I got convinced by a lady at the local farm store to use shavings. I now find them the litter of choice by far. Straw and Hay are like putting gravel in a wet hole, you can stand on top of it and be dry, but all the water is still in there. Shavings seem to draw up or wick any moisture away and from there it leaves the coop as vapor I suppose. The shavings seem to dry out in normal use at any rate.

Anyway cement and shavings are what I would use in all of my buildings, were I given a choice.

Best to you in your choice(s),

RJ

Thank you so much for your reply. After reading all of the replies, I think I will choose shavings over hay on the plain concrete floor.

 

[CityFarmer202]

your welcome Shavings are more absorbent than hay, but i have a chicken who struggles with respiratory problems, and i have to be careful with shaving

 

[vehve]

your welcome Shavings are more absorbent than hay, but i have a chicken who struggles with respiratory problems, and i have to be careful with shaving

Have you tried a electric razor?