New coop with a plywood floor...what is best to cover it with....need help...dh not happy... ;)

[countrycakelady]

So.....we started on our coop yesterday....I insisted on a plywood floor instead of the hardware cloth one ( see my other thread on that).....it now has 2 new expensive sheets of pretty plywood....what do I need to do to make it not rot thru? Need hep here! Dh is not happy at my choice....but he did it anyway......lol.......now I need input on how to keep it from rotting thru with poo, and whatever......... thanks!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

If you have your coop on stilts or if too large for that at least off the ground the flooring is not going to rot. The litter you use is going to absorb the liquids so your floor is not getting wet just clean the litter every few months depending on how deep your using. I like many use pine shavings, it can be purchased in 3 cuft compressed bags for around $6 ask at yoru local feed store,. In my 4x4 coop with liter 3-4 inches deep a bag last me 3 complete coop cleanings.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Congrats on the new coop! I had to do some searching before deciding what to put over our coop floor, too.

Many will use a piece of linoleum. If you're lucky you can find a scrap or end-of-run that will be very inexpensive. I've also seen recommended to use a rubberized roof sealing product to seal the flooring. We decided to use a large tarp and tacked it down around the edges with staples. Figured I could remove it easily to let the flooring dry out if any wet got under it. Can also just pull up those staples and haul the entire tarp out = clean coop!

Good luck on whatever you decide!

 

[Eggcessive]

Vinyl is the most common way to cover the plywood, but another BYC member, JackE uses a product called Blackjack # 57 from Lowes which is a rubberized coating, and has had good results for a few years.

 

[woodsman23]

place a piece of linoleum and seal it down with contractors glue and never look back you can even hose out the coop whenever you want. look at a bargan center for some cheap stuff. nothung sticks to linoleum and its waterproof.

 

[josago]

Keep floor dry. A shingled roof should it, and cover floor with at least 2 inches of pine chips. I get mine at Wal-Mart.

 

[kannna]

I have a plywood floor in a raised coop. We keep a couple of inches of pine shavings in there and the plywood is always dry.

 

[nannie]

I had some scrap rubber matting that I used.I haven't cleaned coop yet.my girls have only been outside since since mid april.i would like to only clean 2 or 3 times a year.Im new to chickens also .I am learning as I go .It sure has been a lot of fun.I hope you are having fun too.I have 5 girls & 1 roo . what and how many do you have?

 

[aart]

If you use vinyl sheeting, try to use a single piece and you don't need to glue it down you can just bend it up the wall 2 to 4 inches all around the coop and tack it to the walls.
That way no water spills can get thru any holes or seams in vinyl and it can be easily removed and replaced if necessary. Make sure no nails or anything else hard and sharp is under vinyl that might make a hole in vinyl when stepped on.

 

[theoldchick]

I use a good quality tarp-the silver type and tack it to the floor of our coop. I scatter pine shavings and use feed bags as poop guards under the roost. Once a week I roll up the poopy feed bags and burn them. Or you can rinse them off with the hose and let them air dry and use them again. When the time comes that the tarp is worn I will untack it, roll it up for easy extraction from the coop, and burn it.