rubber mats (with wire mesh around edges)as flooring on dirt?

[ajathiel]

I'm re-modeling a former horse stall/shed as a hen house. Is there a problem with using rubber stall mats as flooring for the girls--12 hens( I hope) as long as I add hardware cloth over any bare-dirt edges?
Thanks for any thoughts,
JT

 

[Standard Hen]

I have rubber mats in my horse stalls and I do not see a problem with it as long as you put down shavings for them to scratch in and soak up poop. When you say bare dirt edges do you mean the mats do not come to the edge of the stalls. I'll say one thing it will be really easy to clean! I am sure you will be adding perches etc? It will make a nice coop.

 

[Standard Hen]

Ohhhh and

 

[ajathiel]

Quote:
Thanks for the welcome! And Yes, I'll be putting in shavings. There might be an inch or two around the edge where I can't fit mats to the wall, so I plan to run wire mesh from under the mats and up the wall a few inches. I just don't know if mats without the wire edging would stop any hungry incoming diggers... otherwise I think the mats will be a good flooring, too.

jt

 

[Standard Hen]

Well that is one problem I have never had. I have one little coop with a dirt floor and nothing has ever tried to dig under it YET! But yes the wire would definately work. You could also buy an extra mat and cut what you needed and use the piece that is leftover for in front of the stall or some other use. But that would not keep something from digging under and the wire is the real stopper. Good Luck and enjoy the chickens, they are so much fun.