Ideas for the chicken run floor?

[Bizichick]

My husband and I are working on designing our own coop/run. We are using an old dog run/kennel that was part of the backyard when we moved in. It has a concrete slab as the bottom. This concrete slab would be the chickens "yard". We are brand new to this so we are looking for ideas on how to make the slab more chicken friendly. Half the run will be covered in chicken wire and half of it will be covered with a roof. We were thinking about using straw but that seems like it would be a nightmare when it gets wet. We thought about astro turf but not sure if that would work for chickens either. Any ideas are appreciated!

 

[Melinda35]

First, don't use chicken wire. Not strong enough for predators. You need to use hardware cloth.

Second, can you make the cement the bottom of your coop and then have the run extend out using the ground. Chickens like to scratch around for bugs. If you can't do that then I would cover it either in dirt or sand depending on if you wanted to do the deep liter method and how well it drains. I would put a ledge around the bottom of the coop to keep the dirt/sand in. I personally would go with dirt and shavings and then every six months scoop it all out and start over. You will be making your own compost.

 

[Bizichick]

Thanks for the response Melinda. We are only going to have 5 chickens and the concrete slab is too big to turn into a coop itself. We were planning on about 1/4 of it being coop and 3/4 run. We are trying to avoid using any of the yard itself because it is fairly small. The dirt idea is sounding like it could work....the only problem is that we live in Washington so we get lots of rain. Im wondering if that would turn into a problem...more mud than dirt. As far as the top of the run goes, the coop itself will be made out of wood and the chickens would only be let out during the day and locked up at night. I have heard night time is the big concern. Still think we need something other than chicken wire for the top of the run? Trying to go inexpensive yet secure.

 

[Melinda35]

Could you may be put a roof over the run part to keep it dry? Chickens do need shade. Otherwise I think chicken wire would be okay for over the run. I have an open air coop because I am in Texas with one end covered with metal and the rest covered with fence wire that we had pieces of laying around. If you don't cover the run then you might want to go with sand it dries so much faster. I think it is contractors sand or something like that, can't remember! There is a lady that post on here and she has a blog about it. You might could search on the site and see if you can find more info on sand.

 

[ladydoc1992]

Sand is great for your small size run, especially if you cover some of the top part. Yes, it gets wet when it rains, but dries quickly, and you don't have to worry about it getting moldy like you do with wood shavings. Also , you can sift the sand occasionally and remove large poop particles.
Also , the chickens LOVE to dust in the sand..which is great cause you can mix a little diatomaceous earth in the sand to prevent mites and lice on your chickens.
Buy the same kind of sand you would put in a child's sandbox.
Good luck!