What to do for a floor?

[Mahonri]

Lift it up, use wood and vinyl flooring. I love being able to sweep and mop and have the coop clean in just minutes.

I sweep, mop, put down DE and pine shavings and it's good for a week.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I'm not getting that... if you're making a raised wood floor (which sounds like the most practical thing in your situation - just make sure it is on posts or blocks that raise it 18" or so above the ground) there is no point in pouring concrete on it. It will be quite sufficiently predator- and chicken-resistant as is.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Sure. YOu'd put shavings (or whatever other bedding you're going to use) on whatEVER floor you had

For concrete it's best to have at least 4-6" depth.

Oh..... wait.... I read the last part of your post... the RUN is on the slab too? That's less than ideal. If you're stuck with it, I'd suggest putting heavy retaining boards all around the edges and then using sand or gravel. (You can try coarse woodchips if you want -- not fine chippings or shavings -- but if your area is prone to gullywasher type rains you will find they all float away over the retaining boards)

There is a drain right outside the coop where we could wash "stuff" too but I'm not sure it is a good idea for a bunch of wood chips to go there.

No, you clean the coop with a shovel and wheelbarrow, not a hose and squeegee

Same for the run, if this is the run we're talking about.

when we start giving them scraps to scratch around in do those just go on top of whatever bedding is there?

Yup!

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[tankernav1]

This is a picture of the coop we are building. It is sitting on a concrete pad. We were hoping it would be the best against predators since I was so afraid of the coons we have around here digging under. So I think I will put straw down on the bottom on the concrete, and pine chips up in the actual hen house. We do plan on letting them out to free range but don't know yet how it will work. We have 3 dogs and don't want them to chase them. And with us being gone some, I want it easy for our friends to watch them, just giving them food and water and not having to worry about them being out in our yard. Any suggestions?

 

[carey34]

I used a pallet on 4 spare cement block left over from my retaining wall, then I put a piece of plywood over it, I then found a box of peel and stick vinyl flooring at lowes for 6 bucks for the whole box. I figured for that price why not.

 

[Portalguy]

Quote:
Well I'm way behind you but I like how your coop looks. Do you have a better resolution picture (larger) so that I could see the roof and some other details?

Hope you let us know how you do with the coons. New construction is always interesting, but it's even more interesting to see how things go a year or two years on.

Cheers!
Rob

 

[tankernav1]

This is actually the picture from the plans. Not ours. Mine is not so "fancy" looking.

We bought the plans for $20 from Mypetchicken.com. We just thought the setup fit what we needed since the chickens may be in the coop a lot of the time. Then again, if all goes well they will be able to be out a lot. Actually getting ready to put them in it now for the first time. We've got to get them outside because they stink! and they are flying out of the box whenever I lift the screen to refill their water. The henhouse isn't really done but I think they can go out today. I will probably hook up the heat lamp tonight though.

 

[tankernav1]

Well, our babies are out tonight. We decided to leave them after putting them out there for the day. They are SO happy and my daughter's bathroom doesn't smell anymore!! I did put up the heat lamp. That was a bit of an issue because it is so predator-proof I couldn't get the cord out. Then we realized that there was "play" in our door. Of all things. There is not an inch of space for anything to get in and yet my door will move inwards about 3 inches. Uuugh. So I rigged it up with a bungie cord tonight. I will have to have my husband fix that right away this weekend. We all are nervous about "the first night out."

 

[finnleyjo]

It looks like we are going to be doing a wood floor with vinyl after all. My dh is a smart man to see it my way

 

[Portalguy]

Quote:
If I were the one taking care of it on a weekly basis, wood/vinyl would be ideal.

What I'm stuggling with now is:

1. Thermal mass properties of concrete, in a climate with a cold Winter.

One of the downstairs bedrooms in our house has just such a wood/vinyl floor. There is not a full basement and the cold air gets underneath. The room is impossible to heat in Winter; I call it a 'Radiant Cold' system as the cold floor sucks the energy out of all objects in the room, including the bed and anyone in it.

2. The vermin that are gonna live underneath, and the bacteria in the crevices. What you can't see.

Will update this thread when I finally decide. And I'll keep reading; there is a real wealth of info here, though I have not yet found anything that addresses my two points above.

Cheers,
Rob

PS I don't have any real money for this project; however I do some side work and am willing to work extra hours to pay for the bags of concrete and mix them one by one in a wheelbarrow, if it will save heartache later and help keep the chickens warm. Other folks who keep chickens in our area have had them practically stop laying in the real cold weather, when a souffle tastes better than at any other time of year.

PPS Supermarket eggs are practically tastless---has anybody else noticed this or is it just me?