run and coop on a concrete slab?

[mmaddie's mom]

I it possible to provide a secure run and coop on a concrete slab? (I have one that my husband is willing to let me use for my set-up)
If so, what would you put down in the run that would be easy to keep clean?
Roof for run?
New set-up is a Spring project so I'm trying to figure it all out now.
An area on plain dirt is possible, but where the concrete slab is is more protected.
Open to suggestions and brainstorming.
Thanks.

 

[Pequena Bandada]

Personally, I'd do the coop on the slab and have the run on plain dirt. The problem with concrete under the run is that you won't have any drainage when it rains... and you don't want a muddy yukky run. If you decide to use the concrete for the run, cover it first with 3" of gravel and then 12" of dirt. Your chickens will want to dig dust baths so they'll need the dirt, and the gravel underneath will help with drainage.

 

[patandchickens]

I it possible to provide a secure run and coop on a concrete slab? (I have one that my husband is willing to let me use for my set-up)
If so, what would you put down in the run that would be easy to keep clean? Roof for run?

Several considerations here.

Slab is EXCELLENT protection against digging predators and rising ground moisture (unless slab is insufficiently sealed, but you can reseal it before building on it if necessary).

However, be very cautious about putting a coop on just PART of a larger slab with the rest left unroofed. We have had a lot of threads on this over the past few years, the problem being that rain pools on the exposed slab and the water sneaks under your wall sills and into the coop. This can "sorta maybe" be prevented by using appropriate sill membrane under the walls, but it is not a guarantee and doesn't work for everyone. I would really discourage you from roofing only part of a slab, for this reason.

If you could possibly roof THE WHOLE slab, that would be excellent. Part could be run, part coop, if you want. (And you can always enclose the run part for extra indoor space in future, if your needs change, and add more run off the slab). On the whole it is better to have a dirt-floored run but you can certainly do it on slab and still have happy chickens IF you add enough thickness of material atop the slab to cushion their feet and give them something to poke around in. I try to keep at least 3-4" of stuff (that's started out as 6-8" uncompacted inches of stuff) on my runs that are on slab, whatever's handy, mostly garden weedings and hay sweepings and hay the sheep have wasted and horse stall cleanings and autumn leaves and that kind of thing. It works pretty well, given that my on-slab runs are roofed. (You could still do it in an unroofed run but in a wet climate it might get kind of muddy/skanky). Sand or a sand-gravel mix is another option, although you would then need retaining boards to keep it from washing off.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[WoodlandWoman]

You could also put a board around the bottom and use sand as a base in the run.