What do i need for the floor of my coop?

[alexace123]

My coop has a solid concrete floor so i covered it with dirt is there anything i need to put on top of the dirt?

 

[kellysmall87]

Will they be sleeping on top of the dirt? Or do you mean you put dirt in the run section of the coop?
Chickens need something like sawdust to sleep on at night.

 

[mandelyn]

Well, they sleep on a roost, not on the floor.

You'll find that the soil will get quite stinky unless you scoop the poo daily. It may also get compacted, making it difficult to clean. I would suggest either sand (if it is dry, wet sand is worse than soil) or pine shavings. The pine shavings can compost right there if you do the deep litter method, or you can remove it and add fresh periodically.

Concrete is a good base to use though, prevents predators from digging in and reduces the places where rodents can take up residence. But you definitely want something other than soil on it.

Hay is prone to mold, Straw is dusty and picks up odors easily. Horse stall pellets are nice if you break them up, but sometimes the birds confuse it with feed. All 3 of those options are the top of the list for causing impacted crops if they do eat it.

Plenty of people mix bedding types. Depends on how you want to clean it. Clean the whole mess of it out twice a year and use in the garden, or scoop daily/weekly. Or just clean under the roost and let the rest compost.

I have sand in the coop that I scoop daily, takes just a second. The run is deep litter pine shavings, I add about 5 bags of pine shavings a year. Haven't had to remove any yet and there is no odor.

 

[4 the Birds]

+1

 

[kellysmall87]

Depends really... some of mine snuggle down in the sawdust and some roost. Depends on what the chicken wants to do. I agree, soil will get too compacted and it will all start to compost down and stink. I use sawdust and clean once a month (just add fresh on top until the clean out) and sprinkle DE on it occasionally.

 

[wsmith]

If you put dirt on top of the concrete, then be sure to use some sort of bedding over it. The bedding will mix in with the dirt and provide a good start for composting.
I use old hay, straw, raked up leaves, etc. I live in a fairly dry climate, and haven't had any mold or dust or odor issues whatsoever. I use the deep litter method, and it's been 6 months since the coop floor was cleaned out. NO offensive odor at all. I will be changing it out in the next couple of weeks. My main hen house is 10 X 12 and has a dirt floor.

 

[alexace123]

Some of them roost and some of the younger ones will just sleep on the floor and i was concerned if it got to cold for them at night. so thanks for the information.