Newbie Here: Coop question

[MrsMax]

Hello everyone !
My husband and I are building a bigger coop for our expanding family of chickens . The last coop we had was smaller and built by my father. I have used hay for the flooring before and have began to have a dislike for it because it absorbs moisture too quick . Ive been considering using play sand or rice hulls on top of the native soil...What do you guys recommend?!

 

[Judy]

I've never used anything but hay or pine shavings, and I prefer the pine shavings, for odor control. Do you have more moisture to deal with than what is in their poop?

 

[MrsMax]

Judy ; it's been raining quite alot and some of the water just manages to flow in parts of the coop! Our native soil is more like clay so you have a lot of the water just sitting on top of it rather than absorbing it! It's a mess so I'm just trying to find a better option to keep my chickens feet dry even on a rainy day

 

[Judy]

I'd suggest a way to promote drainage so the coop floor doesn't stay wet. When we built our coop, which is dirt floor, we had to guild up about a 8" platform of soil to build it on, so that it would always drain. Sometimes you can trench around it. I don't know much about this sort of stuff, but perhaps this article will help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop

 

[jetdog]

I assume you mean the run and not the coop itself? Sand in the run will drain quickly and is easy to clean.