What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[daverave]

Hi,

 

The recent weather has played havoc with my chicken run - I did have wood chip on top of soil (or mostly clay), but that's mixed in! I'm in the process of designing something more permanent. I thought about paving slabs but come across plastic grids which are intended for use with gravel paths. I thought I would put a good few inches of wood chip on top and this would improve drainage. I'd also use membrane underneath the plastic grids. However, I'm concerned whether the grid might harm the chickens feet should they get through the wood chip. Anyone have experience with these?

[sjp]

I use it in part of one of my runs it's been down a couple of years with no problems I did fill it with soil or potting compost can't remember which before covering it with wood chip horse bedding

[daverave]

I'm thinking of putting pea shingle in the grid holes to improve drainage. My run is uncovered so I'm unsure about using horse bedding - would it need to be kept dry?

[Cat tails]

Horse bedding (Aubiose or equivalent) should be kept dry. In your case woodchips would be better. I understand you could get hardwood ones, which last longer.

[mrsrobinson]

Watch out with pea shingle - I have a pea shingle path down side of house and it's really difficult to clean up the poop spesh the soft ones! It's on my jobs list to replace with something more hygienic

[daverave]

Yes, have read about that with pea shingle. Perhaps I'll just use the hardwood chip and hose down/disinfect regularly. The plastic grid should (hopefully) stop the hens burying the chips into the soil. But I was concerned it might not be good for their feet.

[Princess Leia]

We have our Go on a bed of hardwood chips about 4 inches deep, with a 25mm square steel mesh about an inch below the surface, dished slightly so that it meets the skirt of the run at the edges. That was added a couple of years ago when rats tunnelled in and has been completely successful in that respect. The girls scratch around over the mesh quite happily, exposing the mesh occasionally so we top up with more woodchip. With the mesh being rigid it can't lift so there's been no issue with trapping toes, but a plastic mesh in the same position might lift enough to form a trapping point?

[daverave]

We have our Go on a bed of hardwood chips about 4 inches deep, with a 25mm square steel mesh about an inch below the surface, dished slightly so that it meets the skirt of the run at the edges. That was added a couple of years ago when rats tunnelled in and has been completely successful in that respect. The girls scratch around over the mesh quite happily, exposing the mesh occasionally so we top up with more woodchip. With the mesh being rigid it can't lift so there's been no issue with trapping toes, but a plastic mesh in the same position might lift enough to form a trapping point?

 

Great! I don't think it would lift. The grids are very rigid and would be weighted down by the coop, which should also prevent rats/foxes digging under.

[mollyripkim]

We have something similar to Princess Leia but have used plastic pallets as a base, topped with wire mesh and then a porous membrane. On top of that is a deep layer of hard wood chips. Its great as any water that gets in can drain away through the pallets to the dirt below and they are very sturdy to walk on.