I desperately need some help.....preparing to build a 6' wide X 8' long chicken coop. I'm new at this so I need suggestions as to what kind of floor to put in. My first thought is concrete in that it may facilitate cleaning, but I suppose one could use limestone, dirt, sand, etc. Any recommendations shall be greatly appreciated.

Gerald

-- Gerald Boudoin (gerald_boudoin@internationaltesting.com), April 10, 2001

Answers

I would use dirt and wood chips or corn cobs. The chickens need the bedding and you can just till up the floor after you clean it out (about once a year is all it needs to be cleaned)

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

We find dirt with wood chips the best for our birds. Clean out a couple times a year really good, lime it and put new chips down. I add new chips now and then.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

Our hen house has sand for the floor. We toss them loose hay so they can scratch around in and the sand drains quick and easy. If you are talking of a meat bird coop, we used green treated wood. Lime is always good to use.

-- Pat (mikulptrc@aol.com), April 10, 2001.

Grant, Diane, & Pat

Thank you so very much for your assistance. This board is a wonderful source of informmation for a newbie.

gratefully yours Gerald

-- Gerald Boudoin (gerald_boudoin@internationaltesting.com), April 11, 2001.

I used a dirt floor for a chicken coop and will never do it again. I kept having too many rodent problems. I would think cement would be better than dirt, but if you have a raised floor up off the ground with enough room for cats or small dogs to get underneath it, I would think that would be even better!

-- Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania (KIRKLBB@PENN.COM), April 15, 2001.

Have heard that the dirt floor vs. the concrete floor argument depends in part on how deep your footings are. If they are down 3 or 4 feet under a concrete foundation, the rodents shouldn't bother a dirt floor unless your foundation cracks. A concrete floor will tend to crack over time and allow rodents in if the footings are only a foot or two down or nonexistant.

-- Fred Taylor (fred@mddc.com), April 16, 2001.