natural protection for wood floor of coop??

mythreechicks

In the Brooder
May 7, 2017
12
4
24
I am new to the chicken life and I prefer to be as natural and non toxic as possible. My goal is to have a wood floor protected and also be able to use the deep litter method. Not sure if that is even possible. I am not sure what surfaces you can use that method on.
So my two questions: 1. I built my coop raised off of the ground so it has a wood floor. Can I use the deep litter method on it or will it rot the wood out?
2. If it will rot the wood...then I am having trouble finding what to protect the floor with that is completely safe and nontoxic. I hear people say to paint it, put roofing tar on it, or linoleum. Paint is toxic so I figure that any composting done in the coop to use in my garden would not be used.. Not sure what the roofing tar has in it..and I can not find linoleum at stores. I only find vinyl, which is definitely not environmentally friendly and the backing has a felt with fiberglass in it. All the store seem to be switching over to vinyl. i can not find linoleum. Help! Is there any hope for wood and deep litter??
I am new to the chicken life and I prefer to be as natural and non toxic as possible. My goal is to have a wood floor protected and also be able to use the deep litter method. Not sure if that is even possible. I am not sure what surfaces you can use that method on.
So my two questions: 1. I built my coop raised off of the ground so it has a wood floor. Can I use the deep litter method on it or will it rot the wood out?
2. If it will rot the wood...then I am having trouble finding what to protect the floor with that is completely safe and nontoxic. I hear people say to paint it, put roofing tar on it, or linoleum. Paint is toxic so I figure that any composting done in the coop to use in my garden would not be used.. Not sure what the roofing tar has in it..and I can not find linoleum at stores. I only find vinyl, which is definitely not environmentally friendly and the backing has a felt with fiberglass in it. All the store seem to be switching over to vinyl. i can not find linoleum. Help! Is there any hope for wood and deep litter??
 
Is the wood floor plywood or planks? How many chickens do you have in how much space?
We have a plank floor in our coop, made from recycled oak fencing. It is unfinished but stays clean under thick shavings. I just sweep out the shavings every now and then, but usually just pick out the poop w a manure fork. (Our coop has more than 4 sq ft. per chicken. )
 
Is the wood floor plywood or planks? How many chickens do you have in how much space?
We have a plank floor in our coop, made from recycled oak fencing. It is unfinished but stays clean under thick shavings. I just sweep out the shavings every now and then, but usually just pick out the poop w a manure fork. (Our coop has more than 4 sq ft. per chicken. )
It is a plywood floor in a 4x6 coop with 4 chickens.
 
Well, what kind/grade of plywood? Is it an exterior type? I think you have plenty of room per bird for it to stay relatively clean and dry, but maybe you could apply a sealer.
I'm not exactly sure what the deep litter method is. My hubby is a woodworker and cuts trees from our land and as a result I have a LOT of shavings to use, so I have deep shavings and the floor never gets wet or dirty. I would be more concerned about moisture from the ground underneath than the chickens above.
 
Well, what kind/grade of plywood? Is it an exterior type? I think you have plenty of room per bird for it to stay relatively clean and dry, but maybe you could apply a sealer.
I'm not exactly sure what the deep litter method is. My hubby is a woodworker and cuts trees from our land and as a result I have a LOT of shavings to use, so I have deep shavings and the floor never gets wet or dirty. I would be more concerned about moisture from the ground underneath than the chickens above.
It is 3/4 inch exterior plywood. Deep Litter is a way of maintaining the litter in the coop to keep it clean. It works naturally with microbes found in nature to break down the waste by turning the shavings and waste 1-2 times a week and then only having to clean out the coop 1-2 times a year. Turning it keeps it clean and smelling nice until you have the big clean once a year and all the compost to put into your garden!
 
It is 3/4 inch exterior plywood. Deep Litter is a way of maintaining the litter in the coop to keep it clean. It works naturally with microbes found in nature to break down the waste by turning the shavings and waste 1-2 times a week and then only having to clean out the coop 1-2 times a year. Turning it keeps it clean and smelling nice until you have the big clean once a year and all the compost to put into your garden!
also...what kind of sealer would be natural and without chemicals?
 
Sounds good...Well, mine always smells nice. I go in there and sit sometimes, just enjoying my chickens, lol. I let it compost outside tho.
Anyway someone else with deep litter know how will surely be along to advise....
 
We have a similar set up, our coop is about 3 ft of the ground. I got a super deal on exterior plywood. Now we also wanted to seal it, so I chose exterior semi flat paint w/primer latex paint. Yes I know about VOC'S but I did some research and they do evaporate for the most part and what little is left is sealed in. That combined with deep litter has worked out great. Honestly I was concerned the chickens could tear the paint. It's been two and a half years still no tears. We compost our litter and it has worked fine. Also we have 3 bin compost system so it's about 3-4 years before it ever hits the garden. The worms and salamanders are pretty reliable indicator it's clean. I started that because as you know you never have enough compost. And any manure you bring in is liable to have herbicides in it. So I figured better safe than sorry.
 
A woodworker friend suggested I line the inside of my coop with FRP, as I'll have foam insulation in the walls. It's fiberglass reinforced plastic. Home stores seem to sell it.
 
Deep Litter is different than Deep Bedding. Deep Litter requires moisture to break down. Deep Bedding is dry. With a wood floor, I'd definitely go with the latter.

The floor in our coop is OBS painted with deck paint. There is very little moisture in there, no water and most of the poo is confined to the poopboard under the roost. We use a thick carpet of pine flakes which quickly absorbs any poo.

In the run we have Deep Litter, it's a mixture of grass clippings, straw, hay, leaves, landscape debris and pine needles. The run is covered but rain blows in giving the necessary moisture to break it all down into compost.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom