flooring material??

[CHICKIE1976]

Hi everyone. I'm in the planning stages of my coop design? my idea was getting the rubber horse stall mats and laying it over the wood in the coop for flooring? i figure i can pull it out hose it down easy?it supposed to be gentle on the feet? dunno?or should i use laminate? also what's good material to use for walls??

 

[Booswalia]

I used linoleum flooring and extended it up the wall. See my BYC page for details. I just sweep out the shavings and wash down the linoleum a couple of times a year.
A boot tray under the roost works well to catch the poo and just remove that every morning. Even news paper under the roost works if you get out there early enough before they've kicked up a mess.

 

[patandchickens]

If you have some horse stall mats sitting around doing nothing, you can certainly use them if you want (or, uh, send them to me for my horse shed, lol)

HOWEVER I would not BUY them for a coop. Several reasons. First, they are pretty expensive and you truly, truly do not need any of their special qualities (durability and slight cushiony-ness)... if you want to blow mad money on something I am sure you can find something better to spend it on

And second, they are actually a POOR candidate for use on a floor that will be frequently hosed. Reason being, water will get under them and rot the floor.

Truthfully I see no reason to be hosing your coop on a regular basis. But I know some people just apparently enjoy doing it, and it's a free country

, so if you really think you're likely to be a "hoser" so to speak, IMO the best thing is good-quality plywood with a really good paint job on it. Alternatively you can do a single piece of vinyl flooring (or linoleum) and try your darnedest to seal the edges, like using tightly-fitted battens all round with a considerable amount of caulk within all parts of the joint.

'Gentle on their feet' is taken care of by the bedding (litter) you will put in the coop, such as shavings or chopped straw or whatever you choose to use. You cannot really skip this, not only would the chickens be unhappy but the poo quickly plasters itself quite tightly to bare solid surfaces.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[debid]

My folks put a stable mat in their pen. They love the ease of cleaning it with a mop and it and it is holding up well. However, it was much more expensive per sq. ft. than, well, just about anything else short of hardwood! It's also never, ever coming out of the coop to clean underneath because it's just plain too heavy. That would bother me. And yes, it's nice and cushy to walk on for humans and horses but a 7-pound bird doesn't need so much cushioning -- their bedding provides plenty.

 

[CHICKIE1976]

thanks everyone 4 the input!!

 

[zekii]

I am in the same situation here, almost too the point of deciding on a floor covering, I also plan to use linoleum, and skirt it up the walls. I was also told by another person to use Rubberized roof coating, which is applied on, but I'm not sure if in the long run this maybe toxic to the chickens, since it is really a roofing material.

 

[Momagain1]

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Would love to hear replies/opinions on this!

 

[farmer_lew]

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Would love to hear replies/opinions on this!

Most of that roofing compound material is petroleum based. I would not recommend using it inside the coop. I'd be afraid they would scratch/peck parts of it up and eat it. I'd stick with the linoleum. During the construction is the best time to apply it. Put it down before the walls go up. That way the edges are under the bottom plate of the walls and cannot curl up.

 

[upthecreek]

This must be some good stuff as i've heard a lot of different people in different hobbies talking about using this stuff . I've heard nothing but "good" about it . I need to check it out myself and see what all i can use it for .
Best to you Guys ,





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Would love to hear replies/opinions on this!

 

[JackE]

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Would love to hear replies/opinions on this!

Most of that roofing compound material is petroleum based. I would not recommend using it inside the coop. I'd be afraid they would scratch/peck parts of it up and eat it. I'd stick with the linoleum. During the construction is the best time to apply it. Put it down before the walls go up. That way the edges are under the bottom plate of the walls and cannot curl up.

My coop has the rubberized roof coat on the floor. Chickens been on it about a year. I'll tell you what, Show me the chicken that is going to peck pieces out of it. They better have some serious teeth. That stuff, after it drys, is practically INDESTRUCTABLE. Unlike linolium, there are no edges to pick at. There is absolutly no odor after it drys. This stuff is like a solid membrane over the floor. To me, it's the perfect floor cover for a coop. It totally fills and seals the gap between the floor and the wall. If I wanted to, I could fill the whole coop with water to a depth of about 2ins. Additionally, PAINT is petroleum based, And we have plenty of people painting their walls and FLOORS. I'll bet on the painted floors being pecked up and ate looong before the chickens could put a dent in the rubber floor.
Jack