Plywood floor in raised bed coop

[Stephanie AZ]

We are just building our coop and run. We have a raised coop with a plywood floor. We are asking for recommendations for how to protect the floor from getting wet and smelly. I plan to use the deep litter method at this point for bedding.

We live in Arizona, so hot and mostly dry weather is the norm.

 

[DobieLover]

We are just building our coop and run. We have a raised coop with a plywood floor. We are asking for recommendations for how to protect the floor from getting wet and smelly. I plan to use the deep litter method at this point for bedding.

We live in Arizona, so hot and mostly dry weather is the norm.

DLM will be difficult to accomplish with dry conditions.

I painted my plywood floor with an exterior latex primer then put down cheap peel and stick vinyl tiles. A good coat of floor paint would also work.

 

[Ted Brown]

Pierce Woods (the Woods style coop guy) and others on this forum use BlackJack 57; combination of roofing tar and rubber. Woods claims that tar deters mites/lice as well as sealing cracks etc. Coops I have seen here apply it 12" up the calls as well. Economical at ~$50 for 5 gallons.

You should verify that it will dry and stay dry in the temperatures you get.

 

[blackdog043]

I used Black Jack 57 in my coop, it holds up well. If you decide to use this, turn the can upside down 1 - 2 days before using it. This will help make stirring it easier. I used a long piece of wood to stir it, placing one hand high and one low on the board for leverage. The stuff is thick and will take about 15 minutes to get everything stirred well. I used a 4 inch paint brush to apply it on an 8 x 12 floor and about 12 inches up the walls.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I'm in southern NM and I do DL in my raised coop. It does work if you add water occasionally. I second @blackdog043's recommendation of Black Jack 57. The floor of my coop is in perfect condition despite its contact with composting litter.

 

[gtaus]

I used Black Jack 57 in my coop...

Really liked the photo of the Black Jack 57 in your coop. I don't have access to a Lowe's where I live. We have Menards and Home Depot. Would any fibered roof coating work such as this RoofWorks Roof Coating from Menards?

Other options I have considered for my deep litter bedding flooring is 1) nothing (how wet would a deep litter get if 6 inches or more?), 2) putting down a sacrificial OSB floor on top of the main floor/side walls and throwing it out if it gets bad, and 3) cheap linoleum on the floor alone.

I live in northern Minnesota and plan on only cleaning out the coop once in the fall, and then again once in the spring, assuming that the deep litter method works for me. Other than chicken poo itself, I don't expect to add additional water to the bedding for the composting. I have been told that it is more important to keep the coop bedding dry for our winter months in Minnesota. Your thoughts appreciated.

 

[paneubert]

Really liked the photo of the Black Jack 57 in your coop. I don't have access to a Lowe's where I live. We have Menards and Home Depot. Would any fibered roof coating work such as this RoofWorks Roof Coating from Menards?

Other options I have considered for my deep litter bedding flooring is 1) nothing (how wet would a deep litter get if 6 inches or more?), 2) putting down a sacrificial OSB floor on top of the main floor/side walls and throwing it out if it gets bad, and 3) cheap linoleum on the floor alone.

I live in northern Minnesota and plan on only cleaning out the coop once in the fall, and then again once in the spring, assuming that the deep litter method works for me. Other than chicken poo itself, I don't expect to add additional water to the bedding for the composting. I have been told that it is more important to keep the coop bedding dry for our winter months in Minnesota. Your thoughts appreciated.

I wish I could find the posts, but I seem to recall a couple years ago someone wrote up about why Black Jack 57 was specifically the best choice for coops. I think it was more than just "lots of people use it". But I can't for the life of me recall why it was the "better" choice over other comparable buckets of roofing sealant. They are ALL going to be bad if consumed, bad fumes when curing, all hard to work with due to how thick they are in the bucket, etc...

 

[gtaus]

We are just building our coop and run. We have a raised coop with a plywood floor. We are asking for recommendations for how to protect the floor from getting wet and smelly. I plan to use the deep litter method at this point for bedding.

We live in Arizona, so hot and mostly dry weather is the norm.

I am in the same situation, except I live in northern Minnesota. Signing on to this thread to listen and learn...

 

[rosemarythyme]

Would any fibered roof coating work such as this RoofWorks Roof Coating from Menards?

Other options I have considered for my deep litter bedding flooring is 1) nothing (how wet would a deep litter get if 6 inches or more?), 2) putting down a sacrificial OSB floor on top of the main floor/side walls and throwing it out if it gets bad, and 3) cheap linoleum on the floor alone.

I would do a very careful side by side comparison of ingredients in Black Jack 57 vs the one you linked (or any others you're considering), as well as their usage sheets, and go from there. I did drive out of my way to get to a Lowes since I couldn't find any other retailer with the Black Jack products. Amazon sells it as well but at a marked up price (I believe 1 gal on Amazon is same price as 5 gal at Lowes).

Linoleum would be an option as well. I'd even go with paint if it's that vs untreated wood. Not a fan of leaving the floor completely untreated as poop is damp and even if you put in a very thick layer of bedding, eventually the chickens will kick it around enough that they're pooping directly onto the floor.

 

[blackdog043]

Really liked the photo of the Black Jack 57 in your coop. I don't have access to a Lowe's where I live. We have Menards and Home Depot. Would any fibered roof coating work such as this RoofWorks Roof Coating from Menards?

I'm not sure if other products will work as well. The Black Jack web site also lists, Ace Hardware, Do It Best and True Value. If you have any of those in your area, they may carry it or possibly order it for you.

Other options I have considered for my deep litter bedding flooring is 1) nothing (how wet would a deep litter get if 6 inches or more?), 2) putting down a sacrificial OSB floor on top of the main floor/side walls and throwing it out if it gets bad, and 3) cheap linoleum on the floor alone.

If you can't find Black Jack, I would use one piece of vinyl flooring, not squares. I would tack 1 x 2's around the edge to hold it down. This way if you ever have to replace it, it will be easy.

I live in northern Minnesota and plan on only cleaning out the coop once in the fall, and then again once in the spring, assuming that the deep litter method works for me. Other than chicken poo itself, I don't expect to add additional water to the bedding for the composting. I have been told that it is more important to keep

Yes, you want your coop bedding dry. I do deep bedding with pine shavings and some straw. I clean my coop out about once a year, but I also use a poop board that I scoop every day, so I don't get a lot of poop on my floor. They spend a lot of time in the run or in the yard.