For those who have used vinyl flooring in the coop...

[BirdBrain]

How does it hold up over time? Are you finding that as you shovel out the litter that you are gouging it and making it troublesome to really clean up? I was just wondering if it was really such a wonderful idea or not. What are your thoughts?

 

[blue fire]

We just put some of the fake glue on tile in our coop and it is working out great. It has lasted for more than 2 months but of course there is bedding over it.

 

[BJ]

We just installed it and I haven't cleaned it yet...but I was planning on using a broom rather than a shovel. It should just "slide" right out with a broom. But like I said, I haven't cleaned it yet, and time will tell...

 

[Redfeathers]

So far I'm really liking it. My chickens spilled water and the vinyl flooring saved the wood from soaking it up. It's easy to clean and is durable. I'm glad we put it down.

 

[Catalina]

I use it too and it's super easy to clean!

 

[kstaven]

Use a plastic blade grain shovel or shop broom and it will not rip the flooring.

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Quote:
Nope...doesn't slide right out! We have cleaned ours once and it did anything but slide! DH has a very large 'squeegy' which he used to scrape the vinyl and that worked pretty well. We still had to soak some of the spots - they were like hardened glue!!

Luckily for us he designed a 'slide out' floor so we could pull it out to clean it fully. We loaded it on the tractor bucket and carried it over to the water well - used the hose to soften and the squeegy to loosen the poo - then scraped it right into the tractor bucket!

Brenda

 

[BlueMoon]

Trick is to have no seams, it works best to cover the floor. We have chips over the vinyl. Also, can be very slippery for the chickens when exposed.

 

[BirdBrain]

So does it really matter if it is the high grade vinyl remnants from the hardware or flooring store, or will the cheap stuff do...I guess I am saying, will it pay off in the long run to put out a few more shekels to get something a bit higher grade so it will hold up longer.

Brenda, Do you have pictures of this coop cleaning exercise? I would love to see how your removeable floor works.

Blue Moon, How long have you had your vinyl in your coop? Do you see needing to replace it any time soon. That just sounds like a job I would like to avoid.

I am assuming that a coop with vinyl flooring has it sealed at the edges so nothing can get under (including water) and possibly have the vinyl up the walls, say, a foot or so to protect the walls for use with the deep litter method. Do you provide for a drain somehow to get the water out after you have hosed it down? How does that work? Or am I trying to design a space shuttle with parts from the hardware store?

 

[BlueMoon]

Use high end scraps. PVC is so environmentally destructive that I am reluctant to even suggest it. High end scraps would be going into a dumpster and if they're scraps, have already been offgassing (think new car smell).

We've had the pieces in since March and they're fine. Until all of the phthalates leech out, we're set. Only problem is where there's a seam and the floor is exposed - which is very close to the water. So that gets wet and stays wet.

A more environmentally sound way could be to coat the floor with an oil or wax that gets absorbed and let it cure for a long while before using.