Chicken Coop Flooring?

[Tim in New York]

Thinking of building a small coop on stilts and not sure what to make the floor from. Was gonna use plywood and paint it with porch/floor paint. But not sure that will hold up to the manure. Is it food safe to use pressure treated plywood?

Tim

 

[Mike M]

We have used prebuilt sheds with tongue and groove treated flooring without any issues.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I made a mobile home for my Kid's pet chicken. It had quarter inch hardware cloth for floor. When chickens fertilize the yard enough to moved it. Design flaw, mobile home wasn't dog proof. My chickens didn't free range.

 

[4520BW]

I used oak slats( 1 inch sticks that are used to dry lumber) and spaced them so the poop falls thru.

 

[coshoo]

Hey, Geo, you can call a movable coop whatever you want, of course, but the term used among the chicken folk is a chicken tractor. I built one last year, and used painted exterior plywood, and it worked fine. I think I'd stay away from treated stuff, because of the chemicals used, but I don't have any evidence it would be harmful. The oak slats sound interesting.

 

[Farmer Rock]

We just finished building a coop,and we used plywood with two coats of deck paint,and it works good,and the nice thing about it,is you can push everything out with a grain shouvel

 

[Janicholson]

If less than 10 chickens, go with the coop on a cart idea. if bigger, concrete and cleaning. Don't go to thousands with this info!! Jim

 

[wilson ind]

Place small section of kitchen flooring over wood floor. cleans easy

 

[Steve@Advance]

What about expanded metal?

If there will be baby chicks cover it with thin plywood until they are big enough to walk on it, then take the plywood out.

 

[Ole CC]

Ours is 4x8. Used plywood, covered with cheap linoleum, easy to clean and protects the plywood.

 

[Steve in VA]

Substrate can be anything but round up a used drop-in bed liner. That plastic will turn anything and can be hosed out. Usually can find them behind any Rino Lining/ Line-X store for free.

 

[JayinNY]

I used what I had on hand, 5/34? by3/4? broken fence rails. The farm had miles of wood 4 rail horse fence, the boards were either 16? or 8?, when they got broke to were they were to short I put them in a scrap pile, when I built my coop in 2004 I figured the broken yellow pine rails would work fine for the floor, and they have all these years. You could also go to the Amish and buy some rough cut lumber maybe?

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Great idea just pull the mat out and scrap/hose it off,sure beats digging around in the coop bent over.

 

[C.Amick]

I used two layers of the 4 by 8 sheets of the siding that Lowes sells. I turned the exterior (plastic wood grain) side up. It's been 4 years and is holding up well. The other option I would consider is the high dollar 3/4" house subflooring. It's waterproof.

 

[showcrop]

I built one 40 years ago of white pine. Chicken manure ends to be very dry. when there is air under the floor.