horse stall mats

[pokey]

i was thinking of using two of these in the bottom of our coop. seems like it would be easy to wash off, keep them out of mud when it rains(there is a roof but the ground gets wet) and would be strong enough for them not to tear up. has anyone tried this and what was the result?

 

[possumqueen]

I like horse stall mats for exactly the same reasons you want to use them. A big plus for horse stall mats is they provide a little bit of cushion for big chickens jumping down from a roost.

But I wouldn't cover everything with them. You're thinking just inside the coop, right?

 

[HEChicken]

Not quite the same use but.....we don't have a run - we just have an A-Frame coop and the chooks free-range all day. We put the feeder and nesting box under our deck, so they get a little shelter from the deck. However because the deck comprises boards separated by 1/4 - 1/2", rain would drip down from the deck to the feeder - not good. So I bought a horse stall mat to put on the deck and LOVE it. It means the feeder/nesting box stay dry below, and I love how easy it is to sweep/shovel (and in summer, hose chicken poop) off. I got mine at TSC and it was only about $32 for a 6x8' mat.

 

[Humhill]

That's a GREAT idea Pokey!! I love it!

 

[pokey]

our coop is a converted dog kennel that 7x10x4h so i was just going to cover the bottom inside. all the birds are bantam cochins and they get wet feet and chest everytime it rains because they are so short and feathered feet don't help.

 

[ginaseven]

I have a plywood floor in my coop covered in stall mats, with pellets over that. It works great, it protects the floor, adds some cushion, and they are indestructible. Its very easy to keep clean and might add some insulation to a cold floor. My coop is off the ground about a foot and I worried about the floor being very cold. I have them in all of my horse stalls and if a 1200lb horse can't hurt them, you know they are durable and should last forever.

 

[flgardengirl]

That is a great idea. I hadn't thought of that, I think I will try it too.

 

[gryeyes]

Huh. I think I'll get one of those (just called my feed store and they'll get some in next week). I'll use it in the new coop I'm planning on building.

Meanwhile, I just got SO flippin' tired of the mud muck, I bought 40 pavers (12" x 12") to make a walkway to/from the run and a tiny "patio" inside the run on which I'll place the feeder. (I've already got an umbrella to keep the rain from dampening up the feed in the feeder, but that doesn't take care of the muck around it.)

I'm am too old and fat to want to slip on this adobe mud one more time.

And, once the rainy season is over, those pavers will be practically set in concrete, as that adobe cra.... errr...... crud.... hardens up.