Would a brick floor in the coop be a good idea?

[QChickieMama]

I have an empty 12x12 chain-link coop right now, so I'm re-roofing it and trying to dig out the mouse underworld. Also trapping the mice. Ugh.

Anyway, I have a pile of leftover bricks. Would they make a decent flooring? Has anyone done this and regretted it? Perhaps the mice would create a new underground world....can't prevent that.

Thoughts?

 

[CoopBoots]

Not an expert, but chickens are good at getting foot and leg sprains. I wouldn't put a hard floor anywhere they are likely to "land" from a jump or a fall, and I'd not make it a place they'd be standing for a long period. Example: I have an old roofed concrete pad that I put food and water on so there is a little less waste/spoilage, but there are no intentional perches in that area and they spend most of their time out on the grass and dirt.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I wouldn't use bricks. Sounds like a nightmare to clean with all the ridges and bumps. Having a smooth surface to scrape soiled bedding off helps immensely. As @CoopBoots alluded to, chickens benefit from soft floors, so adding bedding on top of the floor will not only prevent leg injuries but it will also help break down manure and soak up moisture.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've never tried bricks for a coop floor and would not want to. If your floor is bedding that the chickens can scratch in they will catch and try to eat any mouse that tries to live in there. With a brick floor mice can tunnel in there and safely raise families. That's one reason I like a dirt floor. With a wooden floor they can raise families under it unless the floor is raised enough that mice can't hide under there.

If it stays very dry it is probably not a problem, but poop will accumulate down on the bricks. If it gets wet and stays wet a few days it will soon start to stink.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have an empty 12x12 chain-link coop right now, so I'm re-roofing it and trying to dig out the mouse underworld. Also trapping the mice. Ugh.

Anyway, I have a pile of leftover bricks. Would they make a decent flooring? Has anyone done this and regretted it? Perhaps the mice would create a new underground world....can't prevent that.

Thoughts?

If your bricks aren't in great shape and you have no other use for them, you could dig a trench all around the coop about a foot to a foot-and-a-half deep. Stack the bricks in there, butted up to your coop, and bury it all. That should stop any tunnelers or diggers from getting in there.

 

[FrostRanger]

So my coop floor is actually paver stones and cinderblocks. The stray cats I feed do a good job of controlling rodents so I can't say anything about that but I haven't ran into any issues from the floor itself. I have a deep layer of bedding to soften any landings and I've had no issues with odor. What I've decided to do as well is place some slicker paper (it's a square piece of vinyl or plastic) on top of the bricks. I work at a hardware store so occasionally they're on pallets to do something or another. Once the pallet is unloaded we have no use for them so my bosses have no problem with me making use of them since they'll otherwise just be thrown away. What you could do is put either a heavy duty tarp or a sheet of vinyl on top of the brinks if you're worried about ease of cleanin. I worry too much about digging predators to go with a dirt floor personally. Yes, I could do a hardware cloth skirt but the stones are more durable and I already had them on hand

 

[QChickieMama]

I've never tried bricks for a coop floor and would not want to. If your floor is bedding that the chickens can scratch in they will catch and try to eat any mouse that tries to live in there. With a brick floor mice can tunnel in there and safely raise families. That's one reason I like a dirt floor. With a wooden floor they can raise families under it unless the floor is raised enough that mice can't hide under there.

If it stays very dry it is probably not a problem, but poop will accumulate down on the bricks. If it gets wet and stays wet a few days it will soon start to stink.

I've had this coop with a dirt floor for 12 years. I've tried the deep litter method of toss stuff in there and never clean it. The rain comes in on the sides and makes it stink.

The birds haven't been great about getting the mice at all.

They do like to take dust baths on dry days.

I think I'll skip the brick--I realized it would be a ginormous job--but what will keep the mice from living beneath?

 

[QChickieMama]

If your bricks aren't in great shape and you have no other use for them, you could dig a trench all around the coop about a foot to a foot-and-a-half deep. Stack the bricks in there, butted up to your coop, and bury it all. That should stop any tunnelers or diggers from getting in there.

Good idea but predatory tunnelers haven't been a problem.

 

[aart]

The rain comes in on the sides and makes it stink.

This issue needs to be fixed.