Run Floor

[SoCal Chicken Mama]

So I’m going to be getting 3 chickens this Spring and have started designing the run. I was thinking maybe make the floor of the run dirt, but say 2 inches below the dirt have concrete, so that the run is safe, but comfortable. Is this a good idea or should I discard any plans of using concrete?

I think it's a good idea, but 2" isn't nearly enough! More like 10-12 inches (of dirt on top). They really, really love to scratch and dig, deep holes, and that is why they recommend NOT putting hardware cloth under the dirt, no matter how deep. They could hurt their feet and get bumble foot.

The reason I think it is a good idea to put concrete is because we have digging predators here. I've had a weasel come up inside the run, but he was trapped in a little area (about 6" wide) between the coop and run that I have blocked off so the chickens wouldn't get stuck in there. To solve it, I put 1/2 " hardware cloth down to cover the whole ground, and put 6 inch wide concrete pavers on top of it. But nobody is going to be walking in there. Weasels are little and cannot move the bricks. Make sure there is no space more the the size of a quarter than isn't protected.

This run has concrete patio on two sides, heavy rocks in a french drain on one side, and an 18" wide DG path on two sides (it's a pentagon). But still, this critter came up inside, apparently where its home was. I also put a motion detector light at night that comes on when there is any movement. I did this to the whole floor inside the little coop where they sleep, so it couldn't get in the little coop where they sleep at night. I put their food in there in the morning, and take it inside the house at night. They sleep inside a little house that is above this floor (has a metal floor), with the door shut. Outside of this coop is a run. It has a dirt floor, and that is where they love to dig. They also like to take dust baths in there, and 10" may not be deep enough for a dust bath. I have a container in there for dust baths, but I took it out recently, because it filled with rain, and I'm still trying to dry out the dirt. You'd have to put something along the bottom of the wire of the coop to hold the dirt in. Like wood siding. Or even concrete blocks. Make sure the holes are filled.
The weasel hasn't been back, but since then I have had mice and rats! I turned my dog loose in there and she caught and killed one, but the other one got away. I'm not sure where they got in. They wouldn't eat the chickens, but they might go after the eggs, or the feed. But the biggest problem is, if there is a hole big enough for a mouse or rat, that's big enough for a weasel. And they are known for killing the whole flock, just for fun, and eating only the heads. I've been stuffing any openings with copper scouring pads, attached with wire.

 

[Haflinger]

So I’m going to be getting 3 chickens this Spring and have started designing the run. I was thinking maybe make the floor of the run dirt, but say 2 inches below the dirt have concrete, so that the run is safe, but comfortable. Is this a good idea or should I discard any plans of using concrete?

 

[Haflinger]

My coop is sitting on a cement pad. A few years ago, I developed a rat problem. The rats enjoyed the treat block that I had in the run. The block was a bad idea, & never leave food or treats out, if you can help it. The rats made a home under the cement pad. They even chewed thru the hardware cloth, that I dug 2 feet down. It took forever to stop these critters. I think the cement pad made a cozy home for the rats. I have a dirt floor in the pen. And I add First State Lime to the dirt floor often, after the girls are tucked in for the night. My chickens have many opportunities to free roam.

 

[SqueakyBee]

Fine playground (silica) sand and diatomaceous earth are not suitable for chickens as they have very delicate respiratory systems. Appropriate chicken dust bath substrates are coarse sand, plain top soil/dirt, peat moss, or a mix of these. No need to add any pesticides to the mix.

Thank you for the advice. I will get some clean fill dirt instead of the playground sand.