Deciding what to put on the floor of your chicken run is one of the most important choices you’ll make when setting up your flock’s home. The right flooring material can make all the difference in keeping your chickens healthy clean and happy. In this detailed guide, I’ll walk you through the pros and cons of various chicken run flooring options so you can make the best decision for your flock.
Why Flooring Material Matters
Choosing the correct flooring material for your chicken run serves several key purposes
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Health: The right flooring keeps chickens clean and dry, which keeps them from getting foot infections, lung diseases, or parasites. Proper drainage is essential.
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Sanitation: Floors that are easy to clean lower the amount of ammonia and smells that can bother chickens’ lungs.
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Comfort: Chickens will be happier and more active if they can walk, scratch, dust bathe, and look for food on floors they like.
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Durability: Flooring must withstand constant chicken traffic, moisture, and waste without deteriorating.
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Climate suitability: Flooring should account for your specific climate and drainage needs.
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Pest control: Discouraging rodents and insects leads to healthier chickens.
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Cost: Flooring materials range widely in price. Consider your budget constraints.
Taking the time to select optimal flooring saves work and keeps your chickens thriving in the long run.
Top Chicken Run Flooring Options
Here are the most popular flooring choices for chicken coops and key factors to weigh for each one:
1. Deep Litter
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Materials used: wood shavings, straw, dried leaves, sawdust, etc.
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Pros: Provides insulation and cushioning; composts waste naturally; chickens enjoy scratching through it
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Cons: Needs regular maintenance to prevent dampness/compaction; higher risk of pests/parasites
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Best for: Cold climates; low-maintenance chicken keepers with composting systems
2. Sand
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Type used: Play sand, coarse builders sand
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Pros: Excellent drainage; easy to clean droppings by raking; natural scratching surface
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Cons: Can become dusty; needs replenishing over time; doesn’t add nutrients back to soil
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Best for: Dry climates with good drainage; low-maintenance option
3. Wood shavings/chips
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Types used: Pine shavings preferred; avoid cedar.
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Pros: Absorbent; comfortable footing; moderate cost; low dust
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Cons: Compact over time; higher maintenance than sand; can attract pests
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Best for: Any climate; flock owners who enjoy “hands-on” coop care
4. Pea gravel/crushed stone
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Types used: Pea gravel, crushed granite or limestone
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Pros: Inexpensive; excellent drainage; easy cleaning between stones
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Cons: Uncomfortable for chickens’ feet; provides no insulation; stones harbor waste
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Best for: Hot, dry climates with drainage issues; used sparingly in high-traffic areas
5. Poured concrete
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Pros: Easy to disinfect; prevents rodents/predators from digging in
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Cons: Expensive; lacks drainage; uncomfortable and unnatural for chickens
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Best for: Commercial operations only
6. Dirt/compacted earth
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Pros: Extremely inexpensive
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Cons: Quickly turns to mud; nearly impossible to clean or disinfect; parasite risk
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Best for: Temporary or small-scale runs only
Key Considerations For Your Flock
Choosing flooring gets easier when you consider the unique needs of your flock and coop setup. Keep these factors in mind:
Climate: Prioritize drainage in wet climates. Opt for cooler choices like deep litter or wood chips in hot, dry regions.
High-traffic areas: Only put sand or gravel in parts of the run where chickens tend to gather.
Predators/rodents: Avoid loose substrates that allow digging; poured concrete deters burrowing pests.
Number of chickens: Larger flocks require more frequent flooring replenishment and cleaning.
Coop size: Calculate necessary amounts of sand, gravel, litter based on square footage.
Drainage: Ensure the floor doesn’t puddle or become muddy. Install gravel or sand bases if needed.
Ventilation: Poor air flow turns floor litter damp and smelly quickly. Maximize airflow.
Maintenance: Realistically assess how much time you want to spend on coop chores like raking, replenishing, and full litter cleanouts.
Budget: Weigh expense of materials like sand versus free options such as local leaves.
Multi-purpose runs: If also using space for tractors or meat birds, minimize loose litter.
DIY skills: Poured concrete takes expertise to install correctly. Other choices are simpler.
Seasonal Considerations
Flooring needs may change with the seasons, depending on your climate:
Winter: Deep litter provides vital insulation from frozen ground. Maintain depth of at least 3 inches.
Summer: Switch to sand for maximized drainage during rainy seasons or humidity.
Dry seasons: Monitor litter moisture closely and add fresh material often to prevent dust.
Wet seasons: Turn/replace litter frequently to avoid compacted waste and mud.
Extreme cold: Add flat stones for chickens to stand on to avoid frozen feet.
Extreme heat: Mist sand to create cooler, loose dust bathing spots.
Top Tips For Healthy Floors
Follow these tips and best practices to keep your chicken run floors clean, dry, and healthy:
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Remove droppings and wet litter daily.
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Add fresh litter frequently to maintain depth.
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Turn/aerate litter weekly with a rake or pitchfork.
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Level any low spots that can puddle water.
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Use a garden rake to regularly stir sand, keeping it loose.
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Clean entire coop and replace all litter 1-2 times per year.
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Avoid using feeds containing fish meal, which smell bad in litter.
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Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth for pest control.
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Isolate sick chickens immediately to prevent disease spread through litter.
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Compost old litter safely before applying to gardens.
The flooring you choose for your chicken coop and run plays a major role in keeping backyard flocks healthy and thriving. Take the time to carefully assess your needs and weigh the advantages of each main material against your specific climate, coop setup, budget, and maintenance preferences. With this detailed guide covering all the essential factors, you’ll be well equipped to select the ideal flooring to keep your chickens clean, comfortable, and kicking up their heels. The right flooring takes a little extra work on the front end but will pay dividends in the long run with lower-maintenance flock care and happier, healthier chickens.
Chicken run flooring options
There are a few options when choosing suitable flooring for a chicken run. For example, if the run is on a lawn and portable, it can be moved around the garden allowing the grass to recover in worn areas. If it rains, a run that stays in one place or where there is no lawn might turn into a muddy mess. This makes it difficult to clean and leaves chickens with very muddy feet and legs. Here are a few of the options that are widely used:
- Sand
- Wood Chippings
- Pea Gravel
- Wood Shavings
Coarse sand is relatively inexpensive and droppings are easy to clean from it, most simply by using a cat litter scoop if you have a relatively small area. Some of the sand can wash away, or get into the soil below, unless contained, but as the sand disperses it can be topped up. Many chicken keepers see sand as an easy option and rake the droppings into the sand rather than ‘poop scoop’ so that they break down over time. They then they remove the top layer every six months and top it up.
However, as the climate changes and the UK experiences heavier or more frequent rain showers, some keepers complain that in uncovered runs sand works into the mud too easily if a thin layer is used. It is also easily dragged around on wet shoes or wellies, so the use of sand has some keepers a little divided.
Wood chippings become increasingly popular due the clean, light appearance, free drainage, being almost dust-free and most importantly, chickens love to scratch around in them!.
Hard and soft wood chips, which are sometimes called “play chips,” are easy to clean up and don’t get squished into the mud quickly. One of the key reasons they are used in animal enclosures and hen runs is that they are excellent at preventing muddy feet.
Wood chips are natural and will break down over time, so they only need to be added to once or twice a year, depending on how deep they were laid. If the chicken run is relocated the chippings can simply be dug into the soil (if the chippings are not being moved too) as they will break down over time and provide nutrients to the soil.
The chippings are produced using the white wood of trees and shouldn’t be confused with bark chips; bark chippings or mulch should never be used in runs or enclosures as it can go mouldy and produce spores which can lead to respiratory illness in chickens. It is advisable to rake or turn wood chips from time to time, especially in damp areas, to avoid the potential for mould development.
A rounded gravel such as pea gravel can be used, but using a weed membrane underneath is not recommended. Droppings will be washed through to the bottom by the rain or trampled in which can become quite smelly; it is far better to allow water free drainage through to the soil below.
Some chicken-keepers believe that their chickens don’t like walking on pea gravel, but it is a longer lasting option to wood products – especially if there are no plans to reposition the run.
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FAQ
What is the Best Flooring for a chicken run?
Whether you’re a seasoned chicken keeper or just starting out, understanding the best flooring for your chicken run will keep your birds content and your chores manageable. Choose the Right Flooring Material: Selecting appropriate flooring like sand, straw, or wood chips is essential for chicken health and maintenance ease.
What is the Best Flooring for a chicken coop?
Chicken runs often end up just a forgotten bit of enclosed space. A floor for a chicken coop or run should be made of something that lasts and is easy to clean. I have most types of flooring around here, I have tried most of them over the years. I have sand, wood-chip, wire, solid wood, linoleum and dirt in various coops around my fields.
What is a good ground cover for a chicken run?
A rubberised sheet or plasticised kitchen floor type covering would be an improvement. Which ground cover is best for a chicken run? Dries quickly and doesn’t hold water are best for chicken runs and coops. Ground covers for chicken runs include: Grass, if you can keep it alive.
How do you clean a chicken run floor?
Daily cleaning routines keep the chicken run floor safe and sanitary. Remove droppings and wet spots promptly to avoid ammonia buildup. Rake the flooring material (like sand or wood chips) to ensure even distribution and to break up any compacted areas. Add fresh material as needed to maintain a comfortable, clean environment.
Can you use wood chips as flooring in a chicken run?
Disdvantages of using wood chips as flooring in the chicken run. Be careful which brand you use – some are dustier than others, and some are said to contain mites. Look for the larger chunks of wood such as you might sometimes see on children’s play areas. Some brands offer coloured and scented chips.
What kind of flooring should a chicken eat?
Choose the Right Flooring Material: Selecting appropriate flooring like sand, straw, or wood chips is essential for chicken health and maintenance ease. Health Benefits: Proper flooring prevents diseases, providing dry and clean surfaces that reduce bacterial and parasitic growth.
What is the best thing for the floor of a chicken run?
But concrete is the best floor for a chicken coop. It absolutely prevents rodents and predators from digging in, offers no place for lice and mites to hide, and is the easiest type of floor to clean and sanitize. The chickens would be comfy and cozy with 4 to 6 inches of shavings or wood pellets on top.
What do you put on the ground in a chicken run?
In a chicken run, you can use various materials like wood chips, sand, gravel, straw, or even a layer of grass. These options provide a comfortable surface for the chickens to walk on, help with drainage, and encourage natural behaviors like scratching and foraging.
What is the best thing to put down in a chicken run?
Organic materials tend to break down quickly and plain sand is a popular choice for its durability. Whatever you choose, make sure the chickens may easily scratch and dig. Scratching for bugs and worms and digging holes for dust baths are an important part of a chicken’s day.
What is the best ground cover for a muddy chicken run?
Put a layer of sand/rubber chippings or gravel down in the run area to help with drainage. Bark chippings can go mouldy so be careful if using these and change regularly. Provide a dry sandbox under cover to allow the hens to dust bath.