the bottom of our coop is concrete patio slabs....should i

[redhen]

put anything over the concrete,(besides shavings)? will it get too cold in the winter in new england?..can i or should i put linolum over the concrete...also..i noticed when i wash down the concrete floor..it stays damp for quite a while...and thats with the barn doors left open to help air it out, so i'm concerned about dampness when the chickens are ready to go in there. thanks..Wendy.....p.s...or should i just have a dirt floor?..its a 8x8 barn type shed...its just resting on the concrete slabs..i think we can easily take them out from under the barn..but i'm not sure how good a dirt floor is for new england?.....thanks

 

[redhen]

any ideas on how to keep the concrete from staying so damp after it gets wet..?...

 

[morelcabin]

You might be best to seal the slabs with a concrete sealer so they don't stay so wet, but in reality I would tack a wood floor into that coop, or take the slabs out altogether and go with dirt floor.

 

[TeaLady]

how to keep the concrete from staying so damp after it gets wet..?

Erm... a gentle slope?
You can seal concrete, too, if it is actually absorbing and holding the moisture.​

 

[redhen]

thanks so much for replying guys!..i've been in a tizzy all day trying to figure out what to do....because my coop that is still being built(but almost done)..is now going to be for my goats..it has a wood floor...and i was gonna put vinyl over that for the coop..but now i'm gonna be using the barn....cause its bigger(higher) for the chickens and and the 8x16 run is already attached to the barn...and i can get bird netting over the pen..for their safety...where with the other pen..there was no way i could get netting over the top..so..sealing the floor will prevent the dampness?...if i put wood over the concrete..will water get under it and cause mold?....can chickens in new england have dirt flooring?..wont it be to cold for them?...

..lol...stressing to get these dang pens built!..thanks.Wendy

 

[patandchickens]

I would suggest not washing down the concrete floor unless it is truly seriously necessary, for one thing. Then do it on a dry (nonhumid) day and get several Large Fans to aim across it til it dries.

If you are not going to hose it out hardly ever and the concrete floor does not make the barn problematically damp in springtime (when humid warm outdoors air meets cold indoor thermal mass) then there is not much wrong with a concrete floor per se as long as you bed *heavily*. Extra in winter.

(e.t.a. -- these are concrete *pavers*, right, not a slab? in which case I am not sure that sealing is going to do all that much good - a significant amount of water is surely going down between --> underneath them, and that's a substantial humidity reservoir...)

However, if hosing is part of your normal lifestyle

or if the barn has significant springtime humidity problems, then I think your chickens would be safer and healthier with something covering the floor.

Linoleum on top of the concrete is a good idea in principle *but* it's going to be difficult to keep it flat and keep it from shifting around, as you can't just go nuts with a staplegun like you could on a wood floor.

The best thing would probably be to get horse stall mats. They are Not Cheap however, even if you get the thinnest cheesiest ones you can find (which would be perfectly adequate for chickens). Best to spend extra for the ones that fit together with puzzlepiece edges rather than butting flat against each other; less litter and poo will creep underneath to stink.

Failing that, I guess personally I'd go with plywood (primed and well painted, especially on the underside), but with the knowledge that it will gradually rot out.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[morelcabin]

run some 2x4's over the concrete slabs and screw wood flooring into that. I wouldn't put wood directly on top of the slabs, yes it would cause mold that way. Building a 'platform' with plywood and 2x4's would be much better

 

[redhen]

HEY!! That is a GREAT idea!!!

....thanks everyone!... i can stop stressing out now!! i didnt want to do anything to make my chickens croak.....p.s.,..lol..yeah, Patandchickens..i'm a hoser!..lol..

..Thanks, Wendy

 

[dixygirl]

I dont see anything wrong with the pavers. Anything you put on top of them will grow mold, fungus and attract bugs. I would either remove them and go for decomposed granite ground or if i kept them I would just toss some straw on them and be done with it. Remember to sweep and hose them off if you do keep them.

If you are worried about stuff getting in the grooves and decaying. I would just dump a bag of cement down. Sweep it into the grooves and spray it with the hose and let dry a few days. This would fill the groves between the pavers with more cement and make it kind of a solid slab so nothing can fall between the tiles. Then just sweep it and hose it off regularly and still toss down straw or pine shavings.
Hope that helps.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Erm... before we bought this house, one of the properties we looked at had a basement that was 'finished' (sorta, badly) that way. They put 2x4s down on the poured concrete floor and screwed 3/4" plywood on top. Of course they did not deal with dampness issues first, so it had clearly been good 'n' humid under that plywood for a while.

Boy, was that BAD - there were rotten spots and merely 'boggy' spots and spots where you woulda put your foot entirely thru the plywood except for the carpet stapled on top. Urgh.

Having seen that, I sure wouldn't do anything like that myself. Sure, if the plywood is flat on the floor it will start to rot, but at least it will still be safe to walk on. In a coop you might well also be breeding mice under there.

(I suppose there's always those 'Dri-Core' type panels, which in Canada are like $6 per 2x2 piece but like most things are probably somewhat cheaper in the States. Wouldn't cost as much as horse mats anyhow. You would put 'em in, fasten them down or put a frame around them so they did not separate (they're tongue and groove), then prime and paint the top to semi-waterproof and ease poo removal.)

JME,

Pat