Coop floor?

[cruxmama]

Hi all! I have some 9-day-old baby chicks that will likely be moving from a tote in the house out to the coop sometime next week. Here is our coop, as it sits now:









When we first got it and put it together, the flooring was not attached in any way. They left it so that the floor panels could be lifted up, presumably for easy cleaning. As that would also allow critters to push up into the coop from the bottom, I decided to attach them instead, using a thick bead of industrial-strength epoxy underneath all the way around. I then painted the whole interior with several coats of a low-VOC exterior semi-gloss latex, filling in the cracks as best as possible, to hopefully protect the wood from the, uh, "elements" inside the coop, and minimize potential hiding places for mites. My next step will be to staple some 1/4" hardware cloth up underneath to keep anything from chewing through the wood from the bottom; even though the coop is staying up on the concrete porch, it is elevated about 6" off the ground, so I'm thinking that will be a good idea...

When I am done with that, I am debating... Should I, or should I not, throw in a piece of sheet vinyl on the floor? I am thinking if I do, I would put some painted quarter-round trim in to hold it in place all around the edges...

Pros:
- Might make the coop even easier to clean, as I could just sweep the nasty bedding out as needed, and if the vinyl is not glued down I could pull that out to hose it off from time to time too..
- Would minimize drafts from underneath.
- Would keep the chicks from getting their toes caught in the gaps between the floorboards (gaps are about 1/4" wide).
- Would keep nasty old bedding from falling through and getting trapped between the hardware cloth underneath and the bottom of the boards.

Cons:
- Might make the floor too slippery? Hi-gloss sheet vinyl, probably; but what about low-gloss sheet vinyl? Would putting a few inches of bedding on top of it take care of that?
- How important are those gaps in the floorboards for ventilation? Should I drill a few extra airholes in the wall panels up near the roof to mitigate if I put down the vinyl?
- From what I have read, the vinyl might have to be replaced once a year or so (remnants are cheap, so this is not a big deal).
- Might allow moisture to build up between the vinyl and the floorboards (though the boards being painted might make that not so much a concern?)

Your thoughts, fellow BYCers? I'm probably overthinking this, but I'm a first time chicken mama trying to do the best I can for my ladies!

 

[cruxmama]

Well, still been thinking about this and decided that we will be laying down some vinyl. I'll be drilling some holes for extra ventilation up under the eaves of the coop. Been going through thread after thread here in the forum and haven't found much to indicate how much ventilation is needed and if the vinyl will affect that, but I'm figuring better safe than sorry. Maybe I will come back and post an update here in a few months about how it all works out... My chicks had their first play time in the great outdoors today. They are quickly outgrowing their tote/brooder inside, so we need to get the coop ready for them asap! I think they will be happy with their house when they move in... I hope so, anyway!!

 

[Chewbagawk]

For my coop, I used linoleum and put 2-3" of pine shavings on top. It cleans very well, works as a great moisture barrier, and no one has been slipping on it. Vinyl flooring couldn't be too different, plus as you said you could remove it for cleaning.
As far as ventilation, it depends on how many chickens you will have in there. There is a certain square footage of ventilation per chicken, but I don't remember it right now.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Cons:
- Might make the floor too slippery? Hi-gloss sheet vinyl, probably; but what about low-gloss sheet vinyl? Would putting a few inches of bedding on top of it take care of that?
- How important are those gaps in the floorboards for ventilation? Should I drill a few extra airholes in the wall panels up near the roof to mitigate if I put down the vinyl?
- From what I have read, the vinyl might have to be replaced once a year or so (remnants are cheap, so this is not a big deal).
- Might allow moisture to build up between the vinyl and the floorboards (though the boards being painted might make that not so much a concern?)

Your thoughts, fellow BYCers? I'm probably overthinking this, but I'm a first time chicken mama trying to do the best I can for my ladies!

My coop has a plastic floor similar to vinyl and I love it. Mine is not completely smooth, has some texture to it. My birds don't seem to slip too much and like you said, the bedding should take care of it (I don't even have a thick layer). If you want ventilation, there are better places than the floor. I see you have an air vent already, but you can drill a few more holes for a bit more ventilation if you so wish. My coop has a window with a screen that I leave open all summer (with the screen on, of course, couldn't ever take it off), and crack in the winter. I also have a panel that opens up to a vent similar to yours. Maybe install a second window or vent? I have had my coop for 3 years, and the vinyl is in perfect shape. I've even power washed it and it is good as new. I don't think the moisture should be a problem as long as it's not in the coop. I really like this flooring, it is just so easy to clean.