"Grass Carpet"/Astroturf flooring in coop?

[FruitValleyFarmer]

My chicks are two and a half weeks old and I'm starting to plan their coop (a little late in the game, I know!

). I'm wondering about the flooring - I was planning on doing deep litter like so many others on here, but then I saw this grass carpeting (essentially Astroturf) at Home Depot and thought it might work. I'm considering it either over plywood or hardware cloth. The description online says that it wicks moisture, so I'm thinking it might dry out better if it was over hardware cloth. Or maybe hardware cloth in the summer and plywood in the winter to keep the heat better? Would I still need to put bedding over it on the floors (obviously I would need bedding in the nest boxes)? I would love to be able to just pull it out and hose it off! I've never built a thing in my life so I'd love to hear your guys' opinions on this. Thanks!

 

[sillybirds]

I imagine that astroturf would be difficult to clean, with poop and everything settling into it. I have heard of people using it with success in their nest boxes. I use linoleum for my coop's floor, and it works great.

 

[Tala]

I think it would be slippery when wet

 

[greathorse]

Makes no sense to me. It would be a mess to clean and would create a maintenance nightmare. Dont make life harder

 

[FruitValleyFarmer]

Thanks for your guys' input! I was thinking it seemed like it would be easy to clean, but I think I'll go another route. Thanks again!

 

[kcsunshine]

I have hardware cloth in mine now and I hate it. Hubby's getting ready to enlarge my coop and we're putting a solid floor with vinyl.

 

[CityChook]

I just have a plywood floor that has been primed/painted. It's super easy to clean, keeps moisture off the wood and aids in bug control. And best yet, it was FREE since I was already priming/painting the walls.
Personally, I wouldn't put astroturf anywhere inside my coop. Hard surfaces are easier to clean. Once you lay shavings over the top of it, they're never going to come out. And the shavings will take care of moisture problems for you.

 

[elmo]

I agree, astroturf would be awful. In addition to the cleaning problems, chickens scratch and peck at everything, I'd worry that they could catch a toenail in it or ingest some of it.