Flooring Opinions

[emorems0]

I know this has come up a lot and I've read lots of posts with varying opinions, but I just can't decide what to do for my coop floor. My floor is elevated and constructed from pallets, I don't really have the resources to buy (and bring home) a piece of plywood large enough to cover it. I've been going back and forth between using the 1/2" hardware cloth that I have or getting some cheap linoleum flooring... or is there something else (cheap and simple) that I can use?

Here's a picture of the floor at this point, it is elevated 2ft above the ground. The largest spaces between the slats is about 2".




With the hardware cloth, I'm concerned that the wire will be hard on their feet (there will be plenty of bedding in there though), it may be too drafty for winter, and harder to clean.

With the linoleum, I'm not sure if I need to have a solid floor under it or if I can put it right onto the pallets... will there be an issue with it sagging or cracking/wearing out quickly between the slats? Will predators be able to get through it?

If I use the hardware cloth, I think I want to put that on before the side walls so there aren't any edges exposed, but the linoleum would need to be done at the very end so that I can tear it out and replace as necessary.

Is there some other flooring option that I'm missing? How would you cover this floor (keeping in mind that I don't have a truck/vehicle available to bring home a full size sheet of plywood). This floor area is ~6.5ft x 4ft.

 

[thomasboyle]

I would vote for the linoleum. It will be easy to clean. Hardware wire will get messy pretty quickly. My only concern about not having a solid floor underneath it will be if predators can get in. They will be able to get through the linoleum no problem, so I would see if you can re-space the boards so there are no gaps more than 1/2".

For the ultimate floor, use cement board. It is sold in 4x2 pieces, and is normally used under tile floors. As a coop floor, it will be impossible for a predator to get through, and easy to clean - won't absorb water and chicken mess like plywood does. It is literally made with cement, so it will also last many years.

 

[emorems0]

Still trying to figure out this floor situation and need to get the walls up ASAP. Would it work to lay linoleum or some kind of rubber floor down on top of the hardware mesh? I saw a description of a coop where they used EPDM rubber roofing and they were able to pull it out to clean it and then lay it back down in there. I don't have access to small quantities of rubber roofing, but I did find this rubber mat stuff at Tractor Supply... thoughts? Would it hold up & be safe for the chickens? http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...t-rolled-rubber-1-4-in-thick-sold-by-the-foot

I also saw a positive review for melamine wall panel as a coop floor, if they could cut this down to 6' for me at the store, I could probably bend it enough to fit it in my van. I see lots of positives for this material and I could skip putting the hardware cloth under it, but would it be too slippery? Linoleum is slippery too, but that seems to be well-liked in coops. http://www.lowes.com/pd_16605-46498...ce|0&Ntt=melamine+wall+panel&page=1&facetInfo=

 

[tracecom]

6.5 times $5.69 = $36.99, which is what the rubber would cost from TSC. At Lowes you can get a 4' x 8' piece of 3/4" plywood for less than that. Have them cut it to length (6.5') and then rip the 6.5' x 4' piece into two pieces, each 6.5' x 2', which you should be able to get in the van.

Nail those two pieces in place across the pallets, and then put a piece of linoleum (vinyl, actually) on top of that.

Don't you have a friend with a truck? I seem to have lots of friends that need me to haul stuff for them.

 

[kevinmadison]

Actually, buying a new one is not required. You can even get the same flooring repaired and cost efficient way. Just collect some wooden blocks of size slightly bigger than the spacing. Then all you need is to put them between the spacing in vertical manner. Nail the blocks from below side of the table.