[Lindeggs]

I am new to this and setting up a back yard hen house and run before I get any livestock (ultimately six hens). 

The house is an old shed with a concrete floor.  The floor area is approx 2m x 2m (6ft x 6ft).

My question is what shall I use on the floor to make it easy to keep clean?  I have heard sand is a good base - easy to rake up the droppings, dry underfoot, doesn't go mouldy or harbour pests such as rats & mice.

Opinions/experience please?

Note: I am just talking about the floor of the actual hen house where they will sleep and (hopefully) lay.  The outdoor area is a large enclosure under feijoa trees.  This area is covered in leaves and has a well-drained sandy loam soil base.

[grumpydad]

i use hemcore in the coop, it is a horse bedding, very absorbant, i poo pick it every day, it will compost down very quickly, i use virkons, a liquid disinfectant evry couple of weeks on it, just a light spray, and change it monthly.
in the run, which is covered, i use easibed, another horse bedding, and do the same, but add fresh at one end, and gradually rake it to the other over the month, so it is never completely changed, but still sprayed with disinfectant.

[alisonwo]

I use aubiose, its from the hemp plant, goes a long way and is compostable, I sprinkle citronella oil onto it or spray it with same mixed in water to make it more pleasant smelling and to kill any ammonia smell.  I riddle it to get out the big lumps each morning with a small green garden plastic riddle from Wilkinsons, a bag costs about £10 and lasts for ages, I have 12 hens and am still using the first bag some 2-3 months later. alison

[Bonniebean]

I use Bliss in the coop which is already treated with citronella. The poo tends to stick to it so it is easy to poo pick each day. They also have it in the nest boxes and they seem to like it!

[Lindeggs]

Thanks for all those ideas!  I will google all the products to see if there are similar things available locally.  (I have just updated my profile to reflect my location - New Zealand)

So basically the requirements for a good floor covering seem to be:
- Obviously not poisonous for the hens
- Something that the poo will stick to, making it easy to pick up
- Something that is easily compostable after use
- Value for money!

What other criteria should I look at?  I have heard that straw isn't so good because it can harbour mites and also mould.  Is that correct?

[Sassy]

This  is possible with straw but I still use it in the nest box. Good housekeeping is always best. Hay is definitely a bad idea as the chooks can eat it and it can cause a blockage in their crop. It is also bad for mould spores.

A lot of the way you choose to manage your chooks depends on how many you have and  their coop area size.

I only have 5 including a cockerel and use dust free shavings and poo pick daily takes about 90 seconds if that.

[alisonwo]

Hi Lindeggs I clean my girls out every day as well, aubiose as I said earlier under the perches which are all plastic make with sink piping, elbows etc, much easier to clean with the garden spray and use straw in the nest boxes, which are also plastic and easy to wash out and refill.  Dust free shavings are popular but they don't compost well and take ages to rot down. Don't use hay very bad for the girls, spores etc.  Must look up Bliss though if that already has citronella in it.  Something has pellets of eucalyptus in it as well, but I can't remember the name - now who am I? 

[Haychee]

I use wood shavings which I get for free from the local farmers market.  I just pick out the poop every few days and top up where needed.  They smell nice and the chickens seem to like them.