Quick ? on Floor for Lowes Playhouse Coop

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Okay, finally getting around to setting up our Lowes Playhouse coop. i had planned on putting in a floor and vinyl tiles. But we've decided to put it on our back covered patio, with a run going off to the side next to our house, for our three Showgirls.

i bought some thin pieces of plywood i was going to hammer in, then i was going to put the boards from the pallet it came on under that. But i just noticed stickers on the boards stating it contained materials known to cause cancer. What the . . . . ? ! ? ! ? :O

So now i'm wondering if i even need to put a floor in, if it will be sitting on our cement patio. We live in Northern California where it gets hot in the summer (mainly dry and hot), winters it can sometimes go to freezing or slightly below, but not on a regular basis, no snow at all.

Before i paint the interior and seal the exterior, i wanted to resolve the flooring issue. i would really appreciate input from anyone who has an opinion on this.

Thanks! Oh, here is a pic of the playhouse:

 

[NancyDz]

Because its on your patio and so close to your house, I wonder if you just want to sit it on a piece of linoleum to make cleaning easier. I know concrete floors are pretty easy to clean but
it may stain it and if you ever move the coop then you will have a stain right there on your patio. I think the concrete floor will help keep it cool in the summer and covering it with wood will prevent that, I think our heat here is more of a worry than our mild winters.



I still need a home for my Mille Fleur D'uccle roo, if you know anyone, he needs some banty hens, my standards laugh at him

He's a sweetie, no aggression.

 

[KrisRose]

The piece of vinyl for easy cleaning is a good idea. Painted cement I find easy to clean but not unpainted. Cement is porous and just sucks in all sorts of chicken crud.
You should consider a floor if you plan on moving your playhouse. Mine is flimsy and did not move all that well. A floor helpes to stiffen up the playhouse and support it when being moved. Lost trim on the edges even after putting it on a pallet and sliding it into position with the tractor.
They make very cute coops.

 

[rebecca10782]

I would even put it on four short legs, make the floor out of chicken wire, make a short box the same dimensions for the droppings and fill it with shavings or something. It would make it easier to clean up.

 

[lesterlu]

i am new to chickens (have a silkie pair and a red hen). however, in my vast reading on the subject i read that concrete is bad for chicken feet and a different source said that they would not keep silkies on a metal wire floor.

i am building now and using scrap linoleum ($7 from lowes) over plywood at a slight angle for easy cleanup. linoleum is shown in the byc coop competition's ideal entry page, so i assume its a good choice.

dont use the fiberglass based board found in some online pre-built coops-i called the manufacturer and they said chickens will peck away the coating, then it will be bad news.

 

[lesterlu]

oh, and as of today, i am planning to do the DLM method with pine shavings and diatamaceous earth.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

That linoleum idea is very good. i wish i had some, as that would have been the easiest thing to do, and probably the best. But i just didn't have the energy to go back to Lowes. i did find some scrap lumber, so put together a wooden floor. Then i painted the outside with a wood sealer. Tomorrow i can put down the vinyl tiles i bought. i'm just a bit frustrated because of my health. It feels like it takes me so long to get anything accomplished. i wish i didn't have to paint the interior of the playhouse, but someone on the other Lowes Playhouse thread mentioned it was cedar, so probably best to be safe.

So okay, tomorrow haul it onto our porch. Climb inside and paint the interior. It's for Showgirls (and one has a deformed foot) so probably won't need roosts. But they may like a platform, perhaps on top of the nest boxes. That shouldn't be too hard to do. We'll see how it goes. They may be sleeping in the tool shed a couple more nights.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! i knew there would be bright ideas here.

NancyDz - Did you post your roo under the Sale category? i would take him except my bantams have posted "No Rooster" signs in their pens.

 

[NancyDz]

Quote:
Yes I did, no responses

Let me know if you hear of anyone, I don't want to resort to the feed store!

I got a free piece of linoleum on freecycle, I just posted that I needed a small sheet and got
some to fit the bottom of that playhouse, I think he had a lot so I could probably get you one if you want? Let me know.

Nancy

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hi Nancy - Thanks so much for the offer to snag me some linoleum. Really appreciate that. However, in my haste to get this thing done i pulled out all the scrap lumber i could find to fashion a base. i tipped the playhouse on its side and just hammered them down. Below are pics. The hard part was cutting the wood. We have a circular saw, but i've never used it and didn't want to wait for my husband. So i used a hand saw. Ouch!

 

[NancyDz]

That looks good!

Wow hand saw! Nice work! I'm too lazy for that. heehhee