# Coop floor



## ben70b (Sep 16, 2012)

I think I'm gonna built a small chicken shed this spring, we have 20 layers and 4 guineas roosting in a corner of the barn where they stored oats years ago. We are able to lock em in ere to keep critters out but the barn is old and needs a lot of work and it's not an ideal setup. I wanna built a free standing chicken Shed, something not pemenently fastened to a foundation for several reasons, one is that we rent and two is no building permit. There is a large cement slab in the barn yard where it can sit. I would like to frame and sheet a wood floor in it so it would be more solid and 'movable' if need be. Other option is frame the walls and set em directly down on the concrete that way the coop has a concrete floor and is easier to keep clean. My only concern with having a plywood sheathed floor is keeping it clean and maybe the chicken droppings rotting the floor or moisture wicking into the plywood. Any ideas that work for yall?


----------



## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

i have sawdust on my coop floor then i can just shovel it all up. and its soft under foot.


----------



## ben70b (Sep 16, 2012)

My wife uses wood chips, straw, saw dust and various things of that nature, what I am wondering about is what y'all have underneath that, concrete, wood, gravel, or dirt, and what the pros and cons are in your opinions so I can better make up my mind what I want to do for a floor in the new chicken shed I intend to build.


----------



## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

my coop has a wood floor and that seems to work fine.


----------



## Chicka-Js (May 3, 2013)

I have a plywood floor but I covered it with a laminate flooring remnant. I put pine shavings about 8 inches deep on it. It cleans up well when I need to.


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 20, 2012)

I'd forget about the plywood floor and use the concrete. 

Plywood would just add an additional expense. Plus I'd be concerned about moisture (concrete draws moisture) between the concrete and plywood rotting out the plywood.

In the future, if you wanted to move it, just screw some temporary 2 x 4s across for the extra support.


----------



## ben70b (Sep 16, 2012)

That's kinda the way I'm leaning right now, I figure I can put some wedge anchors in the concrete and if I wanna move it I'll x-brace the bottom wall plates and cut out the anchors, the barn has concrete floor and the wife scrapes it off after she removes the straw/chips and in the warmer months she hoses it off, works pretty well for her. She may be a bit OCD tho. I'll be sure to post pics when I start building


----------



## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

My coop is not attached to a foundation. It sits on concrete blocks so it can be moved at some point if needed. OSB plywood flooring with vinyl flooring so no rotting the floor. Covered with woodchips, and I scoop their poops daily for composting (and help the wood shavings last longer and keep the coop from stinking). I change out the chips about every 1 1/2 weeks. That either goes into the wood boiler for heat during the winter months or around the trees and shrubs for mulch during the warm months. No waste at all that way.


----------



## profwirick (Jan 24, 2013)

when we build our shed I had to argue for a dirt and deep straw floor, but it has proven a happy, relatively odorless home for the feathered family. We did lay wire and concrete around the outside and inside on the perimeter that's not up against the garage. No problems with predators...yet. It's dry and they can scratch down to bathe.


----------

