Stall Mat Flooring

[Dusty Chicken]

I have a new coop with a dirt floor that I am contemplating covering with stall mats. I am growing concerned that once I move my hens into the new housing it will be too dusty with the dirt floor. My thought is that the mats would keep the dust down & I could cover the mats with bedding to keep them from getting too dirty.
Does anyone have any experience with stall mats or having chickens on stall mats? Do you have any other flooring ideas?
Thank you for you

 

[OlympicChick]

Hi! I'm south of you in Kitsap

I have my coop floor just on dirt using the Deep Litter Method (DLM). No need for stall mats if you decide to go that route. If your coop is on higher ground and doesn't flood, then any rainwater hitting around the perimeter will make the ground wet enough for the good microbes and decomposing action to happen.

 

[OlympicChick]

When it is dry out (over the summer), I will spray the hose in there when needed to keep the dust down.

 

[Dusty Chicken]

When I first designed the coop my plan was to use the deep litter method. This coop build has been in progress for a number of years and I am now down to just 2 old hens. I am getting new girls next month which has pushed the project up to the top of the priority list.
My building space will be divided up between the chickens area & my workspace. I just keep picturing one of my hens digging down to that nice powdery dirt and filling the entire building with dust.

 

[OlympicChick]

My building space will be divided up between the chickens area & my workspace.

Ahhh, I see. Yes that would be a problem!

 

[OlympicChick]

Can you post pictures of the coop? The outside and the inside?

 

[Dusty Chicken]

On the second picture you can see a little bit of what will become the chicken area. The chips are currently covering the dirt floor to keep the dust down. I put driveway fabric over the dirt on the people side. I have the floor fairly flat, nothing is level but I did strive for flat.

 

[aart]

My building space will be divided up between the chickens area & my workspace. I just keep picturing one of my hens digging down to that nice powdery dirt and filling the entire building with dust.

Even without an exposed dirt floor your area of the building will become covered with thick dust.

That's a very cool building!

 

[OlympicChick]

I love the building. And x2 what aart said. What is the workspace to be used for?

 

[Dusty Chicken]

The workspace will be used for gardening supplies, tool storage & a workbench where I can do seeding & transplanting. I realize how dusty chickens are just by their being alive! My first batch of day old chicks I kept in my sewing room for a little while, that was a mistake!!
My goal is to not add more dust to an already dusty situation.
The building has turned out really great, almost too great for the girls. We have contemplated re-purposing it several times but we always come back to it being a coop / garden shed, that has always been it's original intent.
What do you think of the stall mat idea?