Placement of coop

[GracieJ]

This is a very good question to ask actually. My coop and run will be on concrete paving and I’m trying to think of what ideas I could come up with where they could forage in their run without wearing their feet down but also at the same time it needs to be practical to clean and hose down

 

[GracieJ]

This is my advice and wished I'd had it when I started. Place your coop so the windows are faced East and West. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Thereby giving you as many daylight hours as possible. Too, place your coop on a knoll. As hill of sorts so drainage goes away from the coop. I couldn't find a decent picture of one. If you don't have one already, you can build one easily by piling soil in a mound big enough to fit your coop or coops. When it rains water should run down and away from your coop. ( Unless you're keeping ducks) No matter what type of coop you have these two things will serve you well.

Fab advice!! Debating on the location of my coop as where it is now the rain comes through the vents at the back in addition to this we have the fun game of ‘move the coop to where the drainage will flow away from it’ and it’s difficult to find the correct location away from wind, rain and drainage- phew!

 

[bruceha2000]

This is a very good question to ask actually. My coop and run will be on concrete paving and I’m trying to think of what ideas I could come up with where they could forage in their run without wearing their feet down but also at the same time it needs to be practical to clean and hose down

Pretty hard to forage on concrete.

 

[GracieJ]

Pretty hard to forage on concrete.

Yes it is, that is why I’m trying to come up with ideas for bedding/flooring and asking for any advice

 

[bruceha2000]

Forage means finding bugs and plant life to eat. I suppose if you made a true deep litter base there would be bugs to be found. For plants I know that some people make raised flats with hardware cloth over the top so the birds can't dig the plants out. Not sure how that works though since I would think their nails would get caught in it.

 

[rancher hicks]

I suppose there are threads or postings on keeping chickens on concrete. I'd suggest looking for those. Certainly we'd all like to keep chickens, their coops and runs looking "pretty as a picture" and while it can be done, it takes a lot of work. I have a friend who every day removes the poop by hand wearing gloves. He has three hens. Having 12 or more might be a bit more work. A lived in coop, like a lived in house never looks as nice as the vignettes we see in magazines. It can as I said with constant maintenance. With a maid perhaps.
So no matter what you keep your chickens on in a run, expect to clean it often. A concrete floor in the run might be okay if they can range for part of the day. Other wise I don't see as there would be much to "forage" .

for·age
ˈfôrij,ˈfärij/
verb

1. 1.
   (of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions.
   "gulls are equipped by nature to forage for food"

noun

1. 1.
   bulky food such as grass or hay for horses and cattle; fodder.
   synonyms: fodder, feed, food, provender
   "forage for the horses"
2. 2.
   a wide search over an area in order to obtain something, especially food or provisions.
   "the nightly forage produces things that can be sold"
   synonyms: hunt, search, look, quest, rummage, scavenge
   "a nightly forage for food"

 

[GracieJ]

I suppose there are threads or postings on keeping chickens on concrete. I'd suggest looking for those. Certainly we'd all like to keep chickens, their coops and runs looking "pretty as a picture" and while it can be done, it takes a lot of work. I have a friend who every day removes the poop by hand wearing gloves. He has three hens. Having 12 or more might be a bit more work. A lived in coop, like a lived in house never looks as nice as the vignettes we see in magazines. It can as I said with constant maintenance. With a maid perhaps.
So no matter what you keep your chickens on in a run, expect to clean it often. A concrete floor in the run might be okay if they can range for part of the day. Other wise I don't see as there would be much to "forage" .

for·age
ˈfôrij,ˈfärij/
verb

1. 1.
   (of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions.
   "gulls are equipped by nature to forage for food"

noun

1. 1.
   bulky food such as grass or hay for horses and cattle; fodder.
   synonyms: fodder, feed, food, provender
   "forage for the horses"
2. 2.
   a wide search over an area in order to obtain something, especially food or provisions.
   "the nightly forage produces things that can be sold"
   synonyms: hunt, search, look, quest, rummage, scavenge
   "a nightly forage for food"

Thank you both for your advice, it is much appreciated I think my thoughts did not come across how I wanted them to through post however. I definitely do not expect a coop and run to look like a show house haha and I have absolutely no issue with cleaning - I love cleaning. Besides my ducks will only be in the run every so often, if I’m out of the house for a long time and at night. Otherwise they will be free-roaming. I was just wondering what I could do to improve their lives on concrete but as you said i should look elsewhere on more appropriate forums.

Thank you .

 

[BReeder!]

can you essentially make the entire run a raised bed of dirt on top of the concrete? Essentially use ground treated lumber along the edges of the run and pile in dirt. Maybe mix dirt with sand, peat moss, straw, etc to loosen and lighten it (and as a cheaper filler option than just dirt in some areas). I also read in another forum that somebody had a concrete floor but made a deep bed on top of the concrete by through straw or hay down regularly and letting the chickens mix compost into the straw or hay - poop would add to this composted deep bed as well. If you garden, clean up most, but not all (spreading out the rest across the concrete) of the deep bed in the spring and use it as compost or mulch (depending on how well the bed broke down).

Yes it is, that is why I’m trying to come up with ideas for bedding/flooring and asking for any advice

 

[bruceha2000]

A lived in coop, like a lived in house never looks as nice as the vignettes we see in magazines. It can as I said with constant maintenance. With a maid perhaps.

Maybe those $20K coops in Silicon Valley.

I have absolutely no issue with cleaning - I love cleaning.

Come to my house.
Please.

 

[GracieJ]

can you essentially make the entire run a raised bed of dirt on top of the concrete? Essentially use ground treated lumber along the edges of the run and pile in dirt. Maybe mix dirt with sand, peat moss, straw, etc to loosen and lighten it (and as a cheaper filler option than just dirt in some areas). I also read in another forum that somebody had a concrete floor but made a deep bed on top of the concrete by through straw or hay down regularly and letting the chickens mix compost into the straw or hay - poop would add to this composted deep bed as well. If you garden, clean up most, but not all (spreading out the rest across the concrete) of the deep bed in the spring and use it as compost or mulch (depending on how well the bed broke down).

@BReeder! Perfect idea!! this is exactly what I was trying to think of, so thank you! It would make the ground nicer to walk on for them but also can be easily cleaned and replaced...love it.