hardware cloth coop floor

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I am building my coop and really liked another members pull out drawer design for a coop floor but am using 1x1 hardware cloth instead of slats of wood. Will chickens be able to walk on this without a problem and will the poop fall through or will it get hung up? Anybody use this? I'm new to chickens and chicken poop.

Also, I have fallen victim to chicken obsession and want to keep 5 or 6 hens for laying. Will my 3&1/2x4 foot coop house them? Ill be keeping. 1 red sex link, a buff orphington, a Rhode island red, a black australorp and a white rock. I really want to keep a black sex link as well. I just don't know if I'll be overcrowding. The coop sits on a chicken tractor that I 'll move regularly but the run is 3.5x 8. I will let them free range on the weekends.

 

[chfite]

It seems to me that a 1" x 1" opening in the mesh will be too much for the chickens. I guess that poop will fall through an opening that large.

I made the mistake of using 1/2" hardware cloth for the floor of my first coop, thinking that poop would fall through. It doesn't, and the mesh makes cleaning the floor difficult. Almost any tool gets hung in the mesh.

The rule of thumb is 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. 3.5 x 4 would be 14 square feet. So that would be 3 chickens. The run works out to be 28 square feet for almost 3 birds. I think you can get by with less space in the coop, if the run is sufficient.

Crowding can create problems with pecking and such.

Chris

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

Looks like 4 would be the maximum number of chickens if I keep the smaller breeds then. Should have built a bigger coop. I 'll try the floor first, if I need to change it out, it wont be too difficult to do.

 

[Folly's place]

I think the floor is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. The birds should have a solid floor with litter for comfort. I hope they will also have roosts, but still... Also, predators can get in through 1" openings, and/or pull feet through from under the coop. That's really ugly! I'd recommend a solid floor every time. Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I think the floor is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. The birds should have a solid floor with litter for comfort. I hope they will also have roosts, but still... Also, predators can get in through 1" openings, and/or pull feet through from under the coop. That's really ugly! I'd recommend a solid floor every time. Mary

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

There is a solid pull out drawer underneath the hardware cloth. The coop run will be completely enclosed by 1/2x1/2 inch hardware cloth and its in a suburban backyard with very few predators other than cats. I have had ducks and a goose for 3 years now and they have been completely safe.
Yes I will have roosts. Doesn't sound like anyone has tried this before.

 

[Biologrady]

I think hardware cloth is going to be too tough on their feet...little scrapes are openings for bacteria and you want to avoid bumble foot starting. Also if you get cold or warm weather the metal mesh is really conductive to heat. Can you compromise and maybe just put mesh under their roost?

 

[countrycakelady]

HI, I too am a new chicken mama, I have 14 girls. My dh had this hairbrained idea that we HAD to put hardware cloth for the floor.......I stood my ground and said NO. I am so glad I did, my girls have been in their coop for almost 2 months now...and they are so clean! I am doing deep litter, just today, did a quick 'tidy' and added 2 small buckets for freshening,also put in about 3 cups of Sweet PDZ for added freshness...LOVE THAT STUFF! I also have poop boards underneath their roosts...it is awesome! My coop smells good, not nasty or anything...so glad that I did not do the hardware cloth floor.

 

[kmb383]

I use 1x1 hardware cloth below the roosts only. It isn't easily accessible for them to walk on how it is placed so their feet don't get hurt but it makes poop collection easy! 1x1 is not predator safe so I built this inside the coop with outside access doors for collection. During the day I open them to add ventilation in the summer but close them at night as weasels can fit through that size. As, raccoons can fit their hands through.

 

[markthesharkk]

...

Did you use the 1 by 1 hardware cloth after all? If so how did it work out? This sounds just like the coop im building, a 1 by 1 cloth over pullout trays for easy cleaning. It sounds like no one has actually tried it. I see where the 1/2" cloth would not work. But the 1 by 1 hardware cloth sounds too practical to not try it.