I have a concrete floor but hate it...I'm wondering if anyone has used those rubber mats over concrete?

[StinkyAcres]

I would recommend a single piece of vinyl sheet flooring over the concrete. Rubber stall mats are awful to keep clean in my experience. They have a texture so cannot be easily scraped clean. And the worst part is the bedding and poop falls between and underneath them and the only way to get it out is by taking the very heavy stall mats out.

 

[Folly's place]

WE have an old concrete floor, and have stall mats over most of it. Then, deep litter using bagged shavings, and cleaned out two or three times each year. Is it perfectly spiffy? No, but good enough, and low maintenance. Good ventilation so not any more humid than outdoors (by hygrometer).
This summer I plan to refloor parts of the coop where the concrete has settled and broken up, not good for rodent control.
Because the floor is uneven, sheet vinyl won't work, and we already have stall mats in the barn, so happy to use them. More cushioning for the birds too.
Mary

 

[Wutthacluck]

The heavy part is bad...as I only have a walk door. So that may be a deterrent for me. And why not just use a kitty litter scoop?

That's why I haven't used the mats. I have a door and step down. I suggested the barn rake because you don't have to bend down to scoop as bad and can reach under stuff better. I have back pain so it's hard for me to bend over. I most definitely would struggle with just a kitty litter scoop. Either will work, just depends on you.

 

[gretchenconnect]

I'm wondering if it's practical to use those. Are they hard to clean and what are the cons to using them vs just leaving the floor as is. I did consider sand...I could install 2x4's to make a box to hold the sand.

Be aware stall mats will block moisture & also trap moisture under the mats and can lead to bacteria growth.
I have cement floor in my coop and I use wood shavings on top of it. You can buy bags of livestock bedding shavings at feed stores, tractor supply, etc. They are easier to shovel out for cleaning than sand.

 

[WILMOT]

At a previous house, I put dirt down but I moved so not sure how that worked out.
My hens are currently living in my garage with straw but I am not sure if there are other ideas I'm not thinking of. TIA!

PUT DOWN ABOUT 2 INCHES OF WOOD SHAVINGS,, THEY LOVE TO SCRATCH IN THAT,, AND KEEPS THERE FEET CLEAN... CHANGE EVERY 4 TO SIX WEEKS

 

[NH Dreamer]

You could also build a low deck - deck slats or plywood - and cover it with a piece of scrap vinyl. Flooring companies often sell larger "scraps" and many hardware or discount stores offer inexpensive vinyl in 8 foot or better squares. My coop is a converted wooden playhouse. I picked up the vinyl for the floor at our local Ollies' (discount store) for under $20.00.

I'm glad to see this post. I'm building my coop now, as part of a large shed, and was considering scrap vinyl over the wood floor until the person helping me design the coop suggested stall mats. Reading above that they might be hard to keep clean, now I'm leaning more towards the vinyl. Thanks for your input.

 

[texsuze]

I have interlocking stall mats in my horse stalls (sadly, have been 'horseless' for a few years now ). The material underneath is hard-packed caliche (limestone with fines), not concrete, but just as firm. Always used bagged shavings in the stalls. Easy to pick out/clean out and never had moisture seepage even up through the caliche base. For urine spots I added the pelleted pine bedding to soak up excess moisture. The key is picking out moisture/wet spots early and refreshing with clean shavings.

If your chickens are doing any jumping from roosts, coop, etc. to the concrete floor, it should certainly be padded and protected in a way they won't get bumblefoot or get joints jarred every time they hit the ground. Vinyl flooring over concrete will be very slippery, too, unless amply covered with a softer material. I like the interlocking stall mats, since they don't curl up at the edges, don't shift and therefore don't allow shavings and other material to get underneath them. Just my opinion....

 

[Folly's place]

I like that the stall mats block moisture from below! And they provide a softer and stable landing when the shavings get moved around (daily) by the birds. Bacteria or whatever on the underside? Actually I don't care, we just clean out the bedding a couple times each year, and rebed with shavings, often a mix of 'regular' and 'fines'.
Chickens live to root around in the dirt and drink out of mud puddles, so having a 'kitchen' level of clean is irrelevant, IMO.
This is no the same a commercial poultry facilities, where 'all in, all out' is the standard, and serious hot spray disinfecting is done between each batch of birds.
Our coop, all wood, would melt or rot away with those procedures!
Biosecurity and luck have kept nasties like Mareks and Mycoplasma diseases out of our flock, may it continue! And if avian influenza hits, the birds are all gone anyway...

 

[Nugget_123]

I have a concrete floor in my closed coop. I use wood shavings you get from tractor supply, about 2 inches. A bag and a half covers my 8x10 area. I add a bit more where they roost. I clean it out with a plastic shovel and garbage can 2 to 1 times a month and it takes a hour and a half ish on average.

 

[MROO]

I have a concrete floor in my closed coop. I use wood shavings you get from tractor supply, about 2 inches. A bag and a half covers my 8x10 area. I add a bit more where they roost. I clean it out with a plastic shovel and garbage can 2 to 1 times a month and it takes a hour and a half ish on average.

I use a plastic snow shovel, one of those half-height jobs with a deep scoop, to clear the shavings off my vinyl floor. Works like a charm!