Sheet metal for coop floor?

[Vickery]

We have a very competent contractor friend building our coop...he's never built one before! He thought that a piece of nailed down sheet metal (galvanized) for the coop floor would be great for cleaning and such. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Thanks.

 

[hotrodflash]

I think that would be hard on their feet, and may rust. Just a thought.

 

[Toshi]

Not a good idea, wood floor with vinly flooring on it. That would be easy cleaning.

 

[chfite]

I would not use sheet metal. If water gets under the sheet metal, rust, mold, mildew might result. Unless the sheet was monolithic and glued down, there could be problems. Painted wood or sheet flooring seem good. I use painted wood in one coop and hardware cloth in the other.

The chickens aren't hard on the floor. Cleaning is a primary concern.

Chris

 

[Hokum Coco]

I used sheet metal on a floor in one of my coops (Thinking of rodent control) It did not last very long rusted out in no time flat. If you were going to use it I would suggest putting it down before you board in your floor. My metal was not galvanized I have to admit.

 

[R20]

Never had chickens!…..Will this work?
I’m building a 6x4x5’tall chicken coop for ~6 chickens. Floor is elevated 2.5’ off ground. Entire coop sits under a porch. No rain gets to it. Coop floor is heavy plywood. I want to use a 6 ft. long roofing metal (R-Panel) to merely slide it thru a hatch door. The panel is 32” wide. When coop needs cleaning, I open hatch, Slide the (R-Panel) out. Dump it, Rinse it, slide it back into hatch to collect more “goodies“.
Question:
• Think it’s a good idea?
•. Will chickens be ok if it becomes a bit slick with poo-pee? I guess I could throw hay and/or shaving it there to absorb it?!?!
•. Think the girls would have difficulty jumping from floor to a higher perch…..say the first perch rail is 12” off floor……? They’re not going to be able to grip the floor at all.

This whole idea is driven by the desire to keep the moisture from the girls penetrating the plywood over the long haul if it’s not covered. Replacing the floor after 4-5 yrs would be a PIA.
Thoughts / Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Ted Brown]

Paint the floor with BlackJack 57. I did two coats on the foor and up 12" on the walls, result is waterproof. Also strongly recommend use of a drop board under your roosts.

 

[mowin]

Never had chickens!…..Will this work?
I’m building a 6x4x5’tall chicken coop for ~6 chickens. Floor is elevated 2.5’ off ground. Entire coop sits under a porch. No rain gets to it. Coop floor is heavy plywood. I want to use a 6 ft. long roofing metal (R-Panel) to merely slide it thru a hatch door. The panel is 32” wide. When coop needs cleaning, I open hatch, Slide the (R-Panel) out. Dump it, Rinse it, slide it back into hatch to collect more “goodies“.
Question:
• Think it’s a good idea?
•. Will chickens be ok if it becomes a bit slick with poo-pee? I guess I could throw hay and/or shaving it there to absorb it?!?!
•. Think the girls would have difficulty jumping from floor to a higher perch…..say the first perch rail is 12” off floor……? They’re not going to be able to grip the floor at all.

This whole idea is driven by the desire to keep the moisture from the girls penetrating the plywood over the long haul if it’s not covered. Replacing the floor after 4-5 yrs would be a PIA.
Thoughts / Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

In theory it works. However, when you pull the panel out, a lot of the "goodies" will be knocked off by the top board. If you paint the floor with good exterior paint, or as mentioned above, blackjack 57 or linoleum, you will not be replacing a floor in 5 yrs, or 20 yrs. While the poop has moisture, it's not liquid and will not saturate the area.

 

[R20]

In theory it works. However, when you pull the panel out, a lot of the "goodies" will be knocked off by the top board. If you paint the floor with good exterior paint, or as mentioned above, blackjack 57 or linoleum, you will not be replacing a floor in 5 yrs, or 20 yrs. While the poop has moisture, it's not liquid and will not saturate the area.

The opening to slide to R-Panel out is 10” tall, so I don’t believe I’ll have accumulated so much goodies it would rake off as I pull the panel out.

 

[mowin]

The opening to slide to R-Panel out is 10” tall, so I don’t believe I’ll have accumulated so much goodies it would rake off as I pull the panel out.

Would that opening be predator proof? What's to stop the gals from scratching the goodies out the 10" opening. The gals would also be able to get out of that opening. Do you have a drawing? I'm having a difficult time trying to envision what you're saying, but I'm also old and tired, so that's not helping, lol.