Hi,
My coop floor is plywood that was well primed and painted with 3 coats of exterior latex paint. On top I have 2"-3" of sand. It's a snap to clean with a kitty litter scoop. I have sand in their run for the same reason. I don't like having to constantly buy, and mess with dirty shavings or straw.
I wasn't able to do an exterior nest box so mine sits on the floor. It has a slanted roof to discourage the hens from sitting on top. I do put some straw in the nest box rather than sand. (it pleases my senses).
The inside of the coop is only 3' high, so the perch in 18" off the floor. Seems to work ok. (My coop is 3' off the ground, and 3' tall to match the 6' high lid on the attached run.)
I did a lot of buried wire inside the coop and around the perimeter to keep out digging varmints. It's also wired to the bottom edge of the fence. There's a wire lid to keep out hawks. If a cougar or bear get in the yard I'm sunk. They can rip the whole thing to shreds (think of the trash bins at Yellowstone Park). But other than rodents I think I've done pretty well at making it secure. Based on that the pop door stays open at night. I hate keeping them cooped up because I'm in bed. They need the daylight and I didn't do big windows like some I've seen. We also travel and aren't home everyday. BUT, there are several designs for automatic door openers. Search YouTube and BYC for a variety of ideas. Some people use an electric fence, too.
My coop floor is plywood that was well primed and painted with 3 coats of exterior latex paint. On top I have 2"-3" of sand. It's a snap to clean with a kitty litter scoop. I have sand in their run for the same reason. I don't like having to constantly buy, and mess with dirty shavings or straw.
I wasn't able to do an exterior nest box so mine sits on the floor. It has a slanted roof to discourage the hens from sitting on top. I do put some straw in the nest box rather than sand. (it pleases my senses).
The inside of the coop is only 3' high, so the perch in 18" off the floor. Seems to work ok. (My coop is 3' off the ground, and 3' tall to match the 6' high lid on the attached run.)
I did a lot of buried wire inside the coop and around the perimeter to keep out digging varmints. It's also wired to the bottom edge of the fence. There's a wire lid to keep out hawks. If a cougar or bear get in the yard I'm sunk. They can rip the whole thing to shreds (think of the trash bins at Yellowstone Park). But other than rodents I think I've done pretty well at making it secure. Based on that the pop door stays open at night. I hate keeping them cooped up because I'm in bed. They need the daylight and I didn't do big windows like some I've seen. We also travel and aren't home everyday. BUT, there are several designs for automatic door openers. Search YouTube and BYC for a variety of ideas. Some people use an electric fence, too.