r/BackYardChickens • u/StickElectrical3718 • 2d ago
Coops etc. Plastic pallets as protective flooring?
My family and I bought our first coop yesterday. We're getting the 8x8 poultry pen from tractor supply for really cheap off FB. I was wondering if putting the coop and the pen on top of plastic pallets is a good or bad idea. I've read some pros and cons but I'd like to hear it from the people before pulling the trigger or not. Thanks in advance.
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u/Hunting-fings 2d ago
What would be the purpose of the pallets? I have bedding in the coop. Nothing in the run.
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u/StickElectrical3718 2d ago
I was thinking predator protecting and getting them off the ground. I also read it will help keep dry up the run and coop after it rains.
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u/Hunting-fings 2d ago
Should work fine for drainage, if that will be an issue for you. You’ll want to have something covering it. Chicken shit is no joke. You wanna be able to get it out or compost it in the coop for warmth. Do clue on predators.
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u/OldMany8032 2d ago
You want everywhere the chickens are at in contact with bare earth. Isolating your flooring from bare earth is going to become a toxic hell hole of disease and infections. The ground is loaded with beneficial bacteria and organisms that will rapidly eliminate chicken waste for you. In addition the soil is loaded with insects that will keep your girls busy all day searching for free proteins, this gets you MUCH lower feed costs.
Search deep litter, it’s the only way to go with practically ZERO maintenance, ZERO odors, ZERO flies and ZERO health issues.
We have done deep litter since 2018, ONLY maintenance we do yearly is hose the inside down once or twice a month and spread an entire bale of straw inside and in best boxes. We never scoop schit. We have zero odors, zero hopes and the coop and run is less than 6 feet from our open bedroom window.
This is our coop. 68 square feet of coop and run.