Chicken Coop Flooring: 10 Flooring Ideas (with Pros & Cons) (2024)

What chicken coop flooring to use is a MAJOR DECISION for a chicken keeper. The one you choose can either make life easier for you or put your chickens in danger.

This guide will help you weigh your options and help you pick the best flooring for your hen house.

1. Strong As Concrete

If you’re thinking of a permanent DIY chicken coop, then also consider concrete flooring.

Concrete is one of the most popular chicken floor materials. Why? Simple, it is a heavy-duty, low-maintenance flooring option – it will most likely outlast your chicken coop!

Chicken coop on concrete also prevents burrowing predators like rats and raccoons from entering inside the coop. You don’t have to worry about pests too! Concrete chicken coop flooring is smooth and solid that lice, mites, and ticks don’t have a hiding place.

Since it’s a solid structure, it’s easy to sweep or wash out the concrete slab. It also means that it’s weather-proof.

However, prepare to spend upfront for this ground-level flooring. It may be expensive, but it’s worth the benefits of raising chickens on a safe, sturdy structure.

Another thing about concrete is once it’s there, it’ll stay there. If you’re unsure about the location or permanence of the coop, try a different flooring.

This is not your average hammer and nail project. You may need professional help..

2. Au Naturale Dirt

Still looking for chicken coop flooring ideas? There are times that going “au naturale” or chicken coop dirt floor is the best route.

Dirt is everywhere. Just pick an even plot that drains well and isn’t flood-prone.

You can leave it as is or add some cedar shavings.

It is a chicken’s natural terrain, so you won’t need to worry about sore feet with this flooring option.

One of the biggest downsides of using dirt is contamination. Dirt floor can harbor different kinds of parasites. Intestinal worm eggs thrive in the ground, mostly moist soil (1).

Deworm and check on your chicken’s feathers regularly if you choose dirt flooring.

3. Paint The Floor

This option is more of a liner than actual flooring material. Painting your floor is not only for style purposes and does have its downside.

Painting wood prevents moisture from getting inside the wood pores. It makes the wood last longer.

As we said, parasites don’t like smooth surfaces. You don’t need to worry about lice, mites, and termites living on your painted floors.

If you choose glossy paint, it makes the surface smoother. When you clean your coop, all the poop and dirt just wash away easily.

Depending on the paint you choose and how you applied it, it can chip off over time. It’s not healthy for your chickens to peck at the chipping paint.

Even when it’s dried, some pain can release poisonous gases. Be sure to choose a brand that is poultry safe.

4. Readily Available Plastic

We use plastic in pretty much everything. You can use those plastic kennel crates as chicken coop flooring.

Hard plastic makes durable flooring while being easy on the feet.

Since the plastic crates have holes, the poop just falls to the ground. It’s also easy enough to scrub down for deep cleaning.

This flooring option is easy to find. You can get this cheap at animal husbandries or even pet stores.

These don’t usually come in big sizes, so it’s only ideal for small coops.

The thing about plastic is it becomes brittle with changing temperature. It can be dangerous to use for raised coops. You don’t want chickens suddenly falling because the floor cracked open.

5. Don’t Get Tired Of Rubber Mats

Rubber mats aren’t a primary flooring option but rather a liner. Kind of like when you line your cabinets before putting stuff inside.

Rubber matting is easy to take out, wash, dry, and put back. No more crawling into tight spaces to clean nooks and crannies.

Rubber is tactile and sticks to the floor on its own. It’s a padding that’s easy on chicken feet, also avoiding slips and walking noise.

The only downside of using rubber mats as coop flooring is that it can cost you quite a bit if you’re getting big sizes. But it will last very long.

Consider it an investment that will save you time and effort.

6. Rubberized Roofing For Flooring

Liquid rubber is another lining option for your main chicken coop floor. If rubber mats are too expensive for you, an alternative is to buy rubberized roof coating.

The idea is, like the painted floor option mentioned earlier, more effective.

The smooth texture makes cleaning a breeze. Apply several coats, so you don’t have to worry about moisture build-up.

Unlike paint, the rubberized coating doesn’t peel easily. I mean, we use it for roofs; it’s heavy-duty!

You don’t have to keep checking if the chickens are pecking it off. Just be sure you put some bedding over the rubberized coating. It will make your chickens feel more at home.

Choose a non-toxic, nature-friendly coating so that your chooks and you don’t get sick.

7. Everywhere Gray Sand

Sand will work similarly to kitty litter. One thing to note is to use construction sand with pea gravel. Don’t use play sand or beach sand.

Sand drains well, absorbing wetness and controlling odors.

It’s okay for some chickens to eat small pea gravel from the sand. This way, you don’t need to spend on grit.

Just like kitty litter, you just have to scoop out the dried poop and change the sand every few months (2).

Sand is readily available. Go to your local construction supply store and get a few sacks.

Since sand drains wetness well, it dries up quickly. If it’s too dry, then it starts to act list dust in the air. Make sure you wet it once in a while so that your chickens don’t develop respiratory ailments.

Sand is heavy. Consider this if you’re using it as bedding in raised chicken coops.

While it’s heavy in large quantity, sand is also light and can get blown away. Build a perimeter around your coop where you want the sand to stay.

8. Practical Vinyl/Linoleum

Vinyl and linoleum are popular flooring materials in houses for many reasons. So why not use them in chicken coops? I mean, they are houses too.

The difference, you may ask, is vinyl is synthetic (made of PVC chips). Linoleum is natural (made of wood chips and plant resins).

Both of these materials are light. But they can also withstand the usual wear and tear.

These compacted materials have many layers. They don’t warp or crack with changing temperatures.

They have smooth surfaces which makes for easy breezy cleaning.

Here’s how you can install vinyl for your chicken coop’s flooring:

Good quality vinyl and linoleum will cost you but also last you.

These materials can cause chickens to slip and injure themselves.

Since vinyl flooring is synthetic, it is harmful even to humans (3). Even the glue for installation is toxic. Chicken keepers opt to staple the sheets or panels to the main floor.

9. Handy Dandy Wire

Wire and batten is a common flooring solution in raised chicken coops. But, it isn’t suitable for your chooks and chicks.

The wooden battens and wire are inexpensive and easy to source.

Wooden frames are sturdy for chickens and even people to walk on.

All you need to do is hammer a few planks together to create a frame for the coop. Then, roll chicken wire to create a screen floor.

However, this type of flooring is usually just made of wood and wire. It doesn’t keep chickens warm during the cold months or dry during rainy days.

Also, walking BAREFOOT on wire sounds painful, right? Well, imagine chickens having to walk on it all day, every day. Ouch!

The design makes droppings fall straight down. But the layering makes this hard to achieve. The wire needs stripping to clean the wood.

Chicken wire is not durable. A bear can rip through it with one swipe of a paw. Bye-bye chickens. Hardware cloth is tougher.

10. Wooden It Be Nice

Wood is the most common material for chicken coop flooring. But the most important thing to do is treat your wood.

If you’ve done this, you’re golden.

A wood floor can be cheap or even free.

It keeps chickens cool in the summer and warm in the winter. You can add a layer of straw or wood shavings for extra comfort.

You can build a wood floor by using several planks of wood and tools like a hammer and nails.

Note that if you use planks, droppings can build up on the gaps. Maybe consider layering with plywood.

Also note that rats can chew through the wood and breach the coop. Snakes can also get squeeze through plank gaps. (again, plywood layer)

Well, I’ve mentioned this several times, but here it is again. WOOD NEEDS TREATING (4).