Are you planning to make a coop for your backyard poultry? Are you upgrading the floor area of your chicken coop? And you are confused about which type of flooring for the coop is best according to price, quality, advantages, and disadvantages.
In this blog, we will discuss the best material for a chicken coop floor, because any wrong type of material will create trouble for you after some time. It’s better to choose the best material for the chicken coop floor so that it can work for a longer period.
Do You Need A Floor In Your Chicken Coop?
Not all chicken coop needs a floor such as those that use the deep litter method, have a proper way of cleaning, using a surface having the capability to drain well, and are properly designed to keep chicken coop safe from predators.
However, it is advisable to have a coop with a solid floor as it offers protection against predators. Additionally, a coop with a floor is easier to clean and helps control moisture, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy environment for your chickens.
Moreover, during winters, a coop with a floor helps regulate the temperature, providing warmth to the chickens and preventing them from getting cold and falling.
Best Material For Chicken Coop Floor
Concrete is One of the Best Material for Chicken Coop Floor
Concrete is the best option if you are worrying about safety because of the predators that burrow and get into the coop. Concrete is a good option but it has some advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of a Concrete Floor For Chicken Coop
- Prevent safety from predators
- Durable
- Easy to clean by pressure water
- Keep coop cold in summer
Disadvantages of a Concrete Floor For Chicken Coop
- Expensive
- Difficult to install
- Cold in winter
- The expense of using bedding
Wood is One of the Best Material for Chicken Coop Floor
Wood floor is the ideal option if you want to make a coop on a limited budget because it is less expensive than concrete, and it provides a great structure to the coop. You can move easily to your coop anywhere in your backyard.
However, wood floors have some disadvantages also, let’s jump at the advantages and disadvantages of making floors of chicken coops from wood.
Advantages of Wood Floor For Chicken Coop
- Easy to install and create the structure of the coop
- Less expensive
- Provide a traditional look to your coop
- Won’t hurt the legs and bodies of chickens
Disadvantages of Wood Floor For Chicken Coop
- It can rot out if you live in a moist area
- Break easily from the moist
- Replacing costs will become high
- Difficult to clean because dirt and waste can easily get into the cracks
A Wire is One of the Best Material for Chicken Coop Floor
A wire is another option for the floor of the chicken coop, it helps in protection from predators. But keep in mind do not use a chicken wire for the coop floor because chicken wires are weak and will not long last.
It can be easily ripped by predators. Always use hardware cloth or welded wire for the chicken coop floor. But we will not recommend wire for the coop floor because of some major disadvantages.
Advantages of Wire Floor For Chicken Coop
- Coop will be protected from predators
- Droppings may fall through the floor
- Easy to clean
- Good ventilation
- Keep coop cold in summer
Disadvantages of Wire Floor For Chicken Coop
- May injured chicken feet
- May keep coop drafty and cold in winters
- May keep coop too moist in winters
- Dropping may stuck in the wire
- Difficult to clean
Plastic is One of the Best Material for Chicken Coop Floor
Plastic is one of the best options if you have a small coop because if you have a large flock or large coop you will need multiple pieces together to make the floor, which will again be expensive.
Plastics are not durable and will not be used for long-term use and can become weak.
So if you have a small flock of chickens, then plastic flooring is not a bad option.
Advantages of Plastic Floor For Chicken Coop
- Good for only a small flock
- Easy to clean
Disadvantages of Plastic Floor For Chicken Coop
- Not good for a large flock of chickens
- Not durable for long term
Rubber Mats is One of the Best Material for Chicken Coop Floor
Rubber mats are not true flooring, but they can be used on any type of flooring like concrete, wood, and plastic. Rubber mats can especially use on wood and the lifespan of wood can be increased.
Rubber mats are easy to clean and can be just washed with pressure water, so it can be a good option to use rubber mats as a pair with any flooring type.
Advantages of Rubber Mats Floor For Chicken Coop
- Can be used with any type of flooring
- Increase the durability of the floor
- Easy to clean
Disadvantages of rubber mats floor for chicken coop
- Rubber mats are not true flooring
- Expensive
- Rubber mats can be used only with other flooring materials
Selection of Material for Coop Floor
Still confused about selecting the best material for Chicken Coop Floor? Dot worry, I will help you in choosing the best option for you. There are four factors of choosing the best material for the floors of chicken coop.
Location of Chicken Coop
First thing you should be clear about choosing the area for the coop, like if you choose the area for the coop where you keep them permanently then you should go for concrete flooring, and if you want to change the position of the coop time to time then you should go for wood flooring because it’s convenient and easy to create.
Weather in Your State
The climate is an important factor before choosing the material for the floor of the chicken coop because the climate has a direct relation with the health of chickens. If you are living in a cold state like Alaska, Minnesota, or Montana then it’s better to go for a wood floor with rubber mates because it keeps coop warm.
If you lived in a state like Florida, Texas, or Arizona then it’s better to go for concrete or wire flooring because concrete keeps the coop cold in hot weather.
Cleaning Hassle for Chicken Coop Floor
Cleaning is another factor before choosing the material for coop flooring,cleaning all depends on your cleaning capabilities. If you have a large flock and will require a large coop that will take much time and effort for cleaning, then concrete is the best option regardless of cleaning because you can clean the concrete floor with just pressure water.
Budget for Making Chicken Coop Floor
The last and another important factor is that before buying any of the materials for coop floors you have to make a budget. If you are on a strict budget and do not want to spend a high amount, then concrete is not an option for you. Go for wood or plastic flooring because these are cheap in price as compared to concrete.
