Hi All - We're going to start putting the coop together tomorrow and have to make a decision about whether or not to use linoleum on the floor. And if we use it, do we tack it down or not? Our coop is 4 x 8 raised about 30 inches off the ground. The floor is insulated (the walls are not). The floor so far is OSB with a coat of Kilz paint. I've seen photos where is looks like the lino being used is placed on the base, then held down by the bottom of the wall framing. I've also read that it can get gouged up pretty bad, so leave it loose so it can be replaced. Gouged up by the chickens or by the housecleaner? We have two big cleanout doors on the back, so my thought was to use two pieces of loose overlapping lino, so they can each be sort of pulled up on the sides and pulled out the back doors like a chute to remove the majority of the bedding to a wheelbarrow. But I'm concerned about the loose edges - will the chickens scratching cause the edges to get torn up, or a lot of "stuff" to end up under the lino? Maybe the lino isn't even worth the worry. Any advice would be appreciated. Annie
I have vinyl in my coop, just tacked down on the edges. I plan to do the same on my second coop...All my birds are in pairs in cages inside the coop, with runs outside, but the vinyl makes cleanup a breeze! Juliette
I have used the vinyl stick on tiles and sheet vinyl. Won't do that again. Once you gouge it, and that is very easy to do, it will continue tearing. Yes, it cleans well, till it starts coming apart. The last coop we built has a painted floor (oil based, alkyd tough semi gloss paint) and I expect that will last much longer for us.
I used a vinyl floor in my 8x12 coop which has a pressure treated plank floor. It's a nice piece of WHITE Armstrong vinyl that I got off a scrap roll for $35 at a carpet outlet last year. When I first put it down I just laid it out and after a few weeks it started curling up at the edges a little and shavings were getting under it so I stapled it down with a staple gun around the edges. It made it through the winter and still looks new and white when I push the shavings aside. My hens scratch around in the shavings all the time and it's not gouged. If it does get bad, I can easily pull it up and replace it, but I think I'll get many years out of it. I like how when I clean the coop, it's really clean. Lisa Just installed: Clean enough to eat off the floor!
We are putting down lino bceause we were given a piece for nearly free that is the same size as our coop. Free lino vs paying for paint - free wins LOL. We will also be doing deep litter so I hope that helps the wear and tear issue.
Free is good, but I got a gallon of that paint I mentioned from the Oops! shelf at Home Depot, only $5/gal. Didn't even need one whole gallon.
Because of the building conversion I'm using, I've got some pens with old vinyl flooring, some with newer vinyl flooring, some with bare concrete (with bedding on it too, obviously) and some with painted OSB or plywood over concrete. Quite honestly, I do not see there as being ANY meaningful difference among them. (Except the oldest vinyl, some of it is deteriorating and breaking up, but I think that's a combination of it being 20+ yrs old AND having had some areas of somewhat-compost-y built up litter sitting on it for a little too long). Mind you, I don't hose the coop out. Anyhow I have not seen anything at all to make me feel like vinyl/linoleum is any better than just plain ol' primed-and-painted plywood. (And I have dealt with some tack rooms over the years where it has accellerated the rot of the floor b/c moisture crept in underneath, even though the people who installed it obviuosly didn't *think* it would). We have two big cleanout doors on the back, so my thought was to use two pieces of loose overlapping lino, so they can each be sort of pulled up on the sides and pulled out the back doors like a chute to remove the majority of the bedding to a wheelbarrow. Yeahhhhh.... well, you can try it if you want. I haven't tried it myself. But, I have a pretty strong suspicion that what you will get is some or all of the following: it is actually a lot harder to lift and pull the linoleum when it is loaded iwth bedding than you think it will be; all that flexing and pulling and bending will cause the linoleum to break/rip prematurely, esp. if you live somewhere with cold winters; the amount of bedding that slips down behind/under the linoleum while you're moving it will cause it to be loose and lumpy and not lie flat and the edges curl up; the more the edges are bent up, the more actual pooey bedding will get behind it, negating its usefulness; and yes, the chickens will peck and scratch at the exposed curled-up edges and ruin them. As you may gather, I would bet a lot of money that by the time a year is out (probably less) you'll have chucked it for a different plan... but, you can try and prove me wrong LOL Good luck, have fun, Pat
Try formica material. (what's on most kitchen countertops) I have wood shavings on top of it, but before I put the shavings in, the chicks pooped on the formica, and it very easily slid right off when I kicked it with my shoe. I screwed it down, not glue.
