Help with chicken pen

[terry stewart]

I am wanting to build a new chicken coop I have several breeds and roosters so I need to build pens to put them in and it' must look good also wire or plywood floor

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Ok first things first. How many chickens? How many of each breed? And I recommend plywood for a floor. Wire can make them cranky, its uncomfortable, higher chance of injury, and can lead to unwanted vices such as chicken cannibalism.

Will they free range or stay cooped up?

 

[islandgirl82]

I covered my plywood floor with sheet vinyl. You can get it in rolls, it's inexpensive, installs easily with an all purpose floor adhesive (which dries in about 20 minutes) and is incredibly easy to keep clean.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

That's a good idea. I just painted mine, but that sounds like it'd be easier to get the whole floor clean without having to scrub it constantly

 

[islandgirl82]

That's a good idea. I just painted mine, but that sounds like it'd be easier to get the whole floor clean without having to scrub it constantly

I clean it daily (while the flock is either in the run or out free-ranging) but it only takes a few minutes. I scrape it out with a flat shovel and a garden hoe (gently or the flooring can get damaged) then spray down what's dried with a vinegar/water solution which is all-natural, non-toxic, inexpensive, easy to make myself, kills bacteria and deodorizes. The vinegar odor dissipates in just a few minutes too.

I have a piece of vinyl on the wall behind the roosts too and topping the catch tray. The catch tray is removable so I can take it out and hose it down and the wall wipes clean as well.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I'm going to have to look into this. My biggest issue is they'll spill food, trample it into a concrete and I have to attempt to scrape it up every weekend. ...maybe I should consider cleaning more often too. Hmm.

 

[terry stewart]

I have 30 that free range and three different breeds that are bantams I need to keep the roosters separated is my main thing

 

[islandgirl82]

I have 30 that free range and three different breeds that are bantams I need to keep the roosters separated is my main thing

Separate from each other or separate from the rest of the flock?