AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hi guys..

I'm in the planning stage of my backyard chook project here in Central Victoria and am hoping to have 3-5 Plymouth Rocks soon. Having read almost everything in preparation for using a deep litter system in my chook house I have yet to find anything stating what the best flooring to use under the deep litter.. concrete - too cold!! Dirt?? Wood or wire?? So I wondered if any of you could let me know your thoughts on the best material to use for deep litter base flooring so I can incorporate it in my coup design...

Looking forward to hearing from you all soon.

Many thanks!!

Now this is ONLY my opinion
I have always insisted on cement =

Wood floors only last for so long as wood will deteriorate in time and can harbour parasites [mites and lice] in the cracks and these wood floors always seem to only last until abt a month after you retire and don’t have the money to replace it coz you spent all yr money setting up for retirement

Mesh under deep litter and or dirt will rust and break down requiring it also to be replaced most often sooner than a wood floor and may need to be replaced 2 or 3 times in yr lifetime - more frequently if you damage it when shovelling out the old litter

A cement floor under the litter makes for an easy clean out each spring and of course will always be level – dirt floors become uneven over time
The cement doesn’t really get any colder than the earth under it and is actually 2-3 degrees warmer at the central point [working on a 4sqm slab of 15cm depth] and the deep litter material insulates as well [it also helps to cool in summer]
I also recommend that being deep litter the cement is formed to a height of 60cm [2ft] and the min width of one brick all the way around the floor to keep the litter 'in' allowing that this deep litter area will not be exposed to the rain otherwise you will have a constant job of removing the wet litter
You need to make a drain hole in one side that can have a ‘plug’ in it – and the floor needs to have a gentle slope to this drain hole [obviously]
This is to allow fast drainage of water once you have cleaned all the litter out each spring – of course you must always wash out the pen [walls ceiling floors] once old litter is removed
The mesh can then be attached securely to the 'surround' this 'surround’ will also help to keep foxes from digging into the pen/shed and if the mesh is attached well to the top of the cement or even set into the cement it will stop foxes gaining access at that point = cyclone mesh is good for this as it sets well into cement and chook mesh attached to the inside edge of the cyclone mesh to keep smaller chicks/bantams in– I am assuming the pen will have a secure roof?

We have used the cement floors for numerous years now [after experimenting with other types] with good results. When we moved here recently we were grateful to have several sheds that have the cement floors and side walls 60cm up, only the shearing shed has wood slats [naturally] so we had to supply the birds in it with a dirt bath area due to this and we find these birds are more ‘fidgety’ than birds in other sheds.

As I said this is only my opinion and others will comment so I suggest you just read what everyone says then use the type of flooring which best suits you

Pretty much what she said ^^

Yeah, what he said she said ^ ^ ^

If I could build my ideal pen, it would have proper walls and proper roof and a cement floor, complete with something like the ideas presented regarding run off and barrier around the edge, etc, etc.

It would be like Fort Knox as far as access is concerned. No children, no predators, no worries.

Automatic everything. In the morning I'd get up and the conveyor belt will have delivered the morning's eggs to my kitchen table.

"Tell him he's dreaming"

If I could build...

off topic I know - but it begs to be said =

YR DREAMING

back to topic =
3 out of 3 agree - cement flooring

Hey guys,

A BIG thank you to you all for your replies and for confirming what I thought was the best option... cement!!

The design of the chook house will then be based on a mini garage I guess with concrete slab floor, wooden frame and colourbond walls.. possible insulation if needed... I did however also think about building a mudbrick house but haven't been able to find out too much about the practicallity of mudbrick so may need to research more in this area.

So back to the concrete floor.. do I just have the concrete and then the deep litter or do I need to incorporate some dirt sprinkled on underneath the deep litter to help with dust bathing? Also what is the best material for the litter? Is hay and sawdust the best mixture and if so what hay is best and where does one get sawdust from in Central Victoria and be able to guarentee it's not treated sawdust??

SO many questions!! Sorry about that!!!

P.S I am looking into the possibility of an automatic chook door that can be set on timer to let the chooks in and out every day so the conveyor belt for the eggs is a brilliant idea!!

Are you saying they will be confined to the coop 24/7?
they should have a run, which they will use for dust bathing.

the topic of litter has been discussed in depth a lot on here, do a quick search and you will find what you need.

Peter

no Peter - I read auto door so they will get time outside

I wouldnt recommend wood sawdust or chips as pine can be lethal to poultry

straw is good but tends to flatten and makes cleaning out a hard job

rice hulls is the favoured of many it is light and non toxic to the birds also edible and a whole heap better than eating wood as chooks WILL taste/eat a lot more than what is edible and good for them

chaff [lucerne wheat oaten] is good expensive but good as all is edible and nutritious for the birds

a combination of all these edible ones in percentages could be an option

Yes, thats correct Soozorps.. I am having a coop roughly 3x4mtrs and a run around the same size for about 3 chooks. The chooks will also be able to free range in the open when I'm around and maybe help me clean up my vegie patch when needed (!!). There maybe the the odd time that they will be left inside for a few days solid (occassional weekends away or extreme cold days) so I am aiming to have a coop big enough for them to not only have plenty of room to run about but also live in and be comfortable if needed.

Soozorps.. an extra thanks to you as your detailed feedback has been wonderful!! Thank you!!

woops my mistake.
sounds like you have everything well planned out.
I hope you can post some pictures of your progress in the comming weeks.

I use straw and it does flatten, but i dont find it very difficult to shovel out.

you might like to take a read of this thread?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3044