Recommendations for run flooring

[HunterRanch19]

Hey all!

The hubs and I are building a new coop and run for our little cluckers. We are putting it on the concrete portion of our backyard. Looking for recommendations on how to take care of the run portion - do we put some sort of tarp or hardware cloth down before putting the covering on it? And what sort of material should we use - a sand of some sort or maybe wood chips?

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[cavemanrich]

Different materials work in different weather conditions. No location in your profile,, so let me cover different climates.
Sand is good,,,, but in extreme cold, and if it gets wet,,, and freezes, Not Ideal.
On Plus side,,, easy to sift out gumdrops.
Wood chips good in most weather conditions. The bark chips are less sharp edges compared to wood chips. Weathered wood chips are just fine.
Straw good in most weather conditions. Ideal on top of snow as well.
Hay, all around good, but in wet conditions, sometimes does tend to rot early. ,, If there is good drainage/pitch to floor, will be fine.

You do not need to place any barriers between cement and topping. The cement will wick away wetness that remains after draining away.
Yes it is slow, but will.
Tarps keep wet cement from drying out as naturally it would, after precipitation.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[Shadrach]

We are putting it on the concrete portion of our backyard.

The question that springs to mind is why have a concrete floor in a chicken run?
Bare earth is a far better option.

 

[6-Hens-and-Me]

Hey all!

The hubs and I are building a new coop and run for our little cluckers. We are putting it on the concrete portion of our backyard. Looking for recommendations on how to take care of the run portion - do we put some sort of tarp or hardware cloth down before putting the covering on it? And what sort of material should we use - a sand of some sort or maybe wood chips?

Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!

When I first started raising chickens around 15 years ago we had a very wet winter, my hens free ranged around the farm, but because of this weather they didn’t want to leave their partially covered run,

Of course the grass got eaten, got wet and turned to a swamp so I went online and found rubber matts with holes in, these work fantasticly! Laid them all over their walk in run and it allows the ground to recover whilst still getting fertilised by the hens and roosters but the best part is despite the wet weather the grass can recover allowing the hens to enjoy it without scratching it up.

I found these work great in my situation and I always keep some in the barn now.
The best part is is it’s a much cheaper option to concrete, and lasts the same amount of time whereas wood chips, straw, hay biodegrade over time and can mould which is bad for the chooks.

Hopefully this helps let me know !!

 

[6-Hens-and-Me]

When I first started raising chickens around 15 years ago we had a very wet winter, my hens free ranged around the farm, but because of this weather they didn’t want to leave their partially covered run,

Of course the grass got eaten, got wet and turned to a swamp so I went online and found rubber matts with holes in, these work fantasticly! Laid them all over their walk in run and it allows the ground to recover whilst still getting fertilised by the hens and roosters but the best part is despite the wet weather the grass can recover allowing the hens to enjoy it without scratching it up.

I found these work great in my situation and I always keep some in the barn now.
The best part is is it’s a much cheaper option to concrete, and lasts the same amount of time whereas wood chips, straw, hay biodegrade over time and can mould which is bad for the chooks.

Hopefully this helps let me know !!

Large Anti Fatigue Indoor / Outdoor Rubber Entrance Mat – 1.5m x 0.9m​

Put this into google ( change the meterage accordingly ) they all fit together if you’ve calculated correctly

 

[HunterRanch19]

The question that springs to mind is why have a concrete floor in a chicken run?
Bare earth is a far better option.

We live in the suburbs, and our backyard is half concrete, half grass. Updating our coop and run to a larger one means we needed to move it to the concrete portion of the yard. We do have some predators, so this is how we can still manage to give our girls more run space and still keep them safe.

 

[HunterRanch19]

Large Anti Fatigue Indoor / Outdoor Rubber Entrance Mat – 1.5m x 0.9m​

Put this into google ( change the meterage accordingly ) they all fit together if you’ve calculated correctly

Thanks! I’ll check it out!

 

[HunterRanch19]

Different materials work in different weather conditions. No location in your profile,, so let me cover different climates.
Sand is good,,,, but in extreme cold, and if it gets wet,,, and freezes, Not Ideal.
On Plus side,,, easy to sift out gumdrops.
Wood chips good in most weather conditions. The bark chips are less sharp edges compared to wood chips. Weathered wood chips are just fine.
Straw good in most weather conditions. Ideal on top of snow as well.
Hay, all around good, but in wet conditions, sometimes does tend to rot early. ,, If there is good drainage/pitch to floor, will be fine.

You do not need to place any barriers between cement and topping. The cement will wick away wetness that remains after draining away.
Yes it is slow, but will.
Tarps keep wet cement from drying out as naturally it would, after precipitation.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

This is helpful! All good information to consider. We live in the suburbs near San Francisco/Oakland. Cold here is low 40s at night a few weeks in the year, but usually 50s-80s most of the year. Not too much rain.