They are like little excavators..

[Boise-girls]

Good luck to you. Seems like there's always something needing to be addressed!

 

[mccmeadows]

I wouldn't dig down, due to the water infiltration.
Just use pavers on top of existing dirt floor inside the coop.
Tho you should really try to do something to eliminate any water outside from flowing/seeping inside.


You might have to bend a bit on that, neat row of pavers along the bottom of walls wouldn't look bad.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/excavation-by-birds-a-word-of-warning.1086535/

Love that “protect from the chicken excavators”! I mostly just meant down under of shavings to on top of the dirt floor. Pavers sound like a great idea as they would be more thin and I could definitely put shavings on top of them, thanks! I just don’t like a ton of stuff being on top of the bedding as it makes cleanout super quick when there’s not a bunch to move.

 

[mccmeadows]

Good luck to you. Seems like there's always something needing to be addressed!

Thank you! There definitely is - who knew I would have a tiny professional trench digging crew.

 

[3KillerBs]

I personally would not use any wire on the floor to ensure they don't cut their feet on it, or snag a toe.

This.

Additionally, I don't have any science behind it, but I think that a lot of the behavioral problems that people have with animals, not just chickens, but other pets and livestock too, is due to frustrating their natural instincts.

So I would expect that if you make it impossible to dig in the coop when they can't dig in the run their instinct to scratch will pop up somewhere else and cause other issues.

I would be more concerned about addressing the ground water that poured in. Is there standing water outside the coop?

Yes.

If water is running into the coop you need to address the drainage problem before anything else.

If water is running off the coop roof or other nearby buildings use gutters to sent the water away from the coop walls.

If water is running across the ground into the coop use diversion ditches, grass swales, and/or French drain to move the water away from the coop and run.

If the coop is in a low spot where water pools there are only two possible solutions -- either move the coop to higher ground or bring in fill to raise the level of the coop. The former is usually less expensive.

You might have to bend a bit on that, neat row of pavers along the bottom of walls wouldn't look bad.

Agreed.

Additionally, clutter is actually good for the chickens -- giving them things to do other than pick on each other.

 

[mccmeadows]

This.

Additionally, I don't have any science behind it, but I think that a lot of the behavioral problems that people have with animals, not just chickens, but other pets and livestock too, is due to frustrating their natural instincts.

So I would expect that if you make it impossible to dig in the coop when they can't dig in the run their instinct to scratch will pop up somewhere else and cause other issues.



Yes.

If water is running into the coop you need to address the drainage problem before anything else.

If water is running off the coop roof or other nearby buildings use gutters to sent the water away from the coop walls.

If water is running across the ground into the coop use diversion ditches, grass swales, and/or French drain to move the water away from the coop and run.

If the coop is in a low spot where water pools there are only two possible solutions -- either move the coop to higher ground or bring in fill to raise the level of the coop. The former is usually less expensive.



Agreed.

Additionally, clutter is actually good for the chickens -- giving them things to do other than pick on each other.

Thanks! Not trying to stop them scratching - like I said, want them to be able to do what’s natural to them, it’s more just wanting to stop their ability to dig down below the dirt cause that’s when water came up from the ground that is thawing/freezing regularly right now.

We have lots of enrichment out in the run for them. I’m just trying to keep inside to stuff that either hangs or is easy to move which is why I was looking for something that could be buried and not impede on their dust bathing/scratching all together. I think I’ll try to get some pavers and put those on the dirt floor then put our bedding on top. Thanks again for your reply

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks! Not trying to stop them scratching - like I said, want them to be able to do what’s natural to them, it’s more just wanting to stop their ability to dig down below the dirt cause that’s when water came up from the ground that is thawing/freezing regularly right now.

Scratching = digging.

If the water table is right there within a chicken's excavation capability you really NEED to address the drainage or you'll have more issues over time.

 

[mccmeadows]

Scratching = digging.

If the water table is right there within a chicken's excavation capability you really NEED to address the drainage or you'll have more issues over time.

We will keep an eye I felt like it was a bit out of the norm as like I said, it’s not a issue we have in any other coop. They scratch up some bugs and to dust bath themselves, but this seemed excessive.