Why do you put hardware cloth/wire under roosting poles?

coop-er said:

Once again.....what is the reason for the wire?

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Poop falls through. Chickens do not fall through.

ChaoSS said:

Poop falls through. Chickens do not fall through.

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I guess the confusion comes in with the tractor vs stationary coop. I understand the value in it for a tractor coop, but I am seeing a lot of stationary coops with roosting poles, and directly underneath them-wire/mesh, and under that is a floor. So I could not figure out why the wire was there. You are cleaning up a mess either way, why not just let the poop fall to the floor? Why is it falling through a mesh? Seems to me it is only serving a purpose in a tractor coop.

coop-er said:

I guess the confusion comes in with the tractor vs stationary coop. I understand the value in it for a tractor coop, but I am seeing a lot of stationary coops with roosting poles, and directly underneath them-wire/mesh, and under that is a floor. So I could not figure out why the wire was there. You are cleaning up a mess either way, why not just let the poop fall to the floor? Why is it falling through a mesh? Seems to me it is only serving a purpose in a tractor coop.

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Keep the chickens from walking in their own poop?

The old Guys that's building My "Hen House '' said They wanted to use the wire under the roost areas for air flow, keep out everything and keep chickens safe .He also said "easy to clean" .Compost pile is right off from ''Hen House''. No bending or lifting. The rest of the floor will be covered with Wood Shavings. House will be16x20 x8 with 3 Windows and vented roof and 2-4x8 roosting places. The floor is done and 2 walls are up. If anyone can think of anything please let Me know ASAP

The last two photos I posted are of the coop I built last year. The two little 'doors' below the windows tip up + have pull out trays for poop collection. Inside, you can see the hardware cloth below the roost. I originally used 1/2"x1" because I was concerned about the little silkies + bantys hurting their feet. After several months, I swapped it out for 1"x1". This size works best for the poop to fall down without constant wire brush cleaning. Originally, with the smaller size, I could leave the outside doors opens + be safe from critters but with the larger size hardware cloth, this is not acceptable since weasels can fit through 1"x1". But it's still very secure + I can open the doors during the day for ventilation.

kmb383 said:

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Nice coop

Thread is about 3 years old, but for anyone still wondering, I can think of two situations where wire was used beneath roosts. One was to cover a droppings pit, which was common about 50 years or so ago. This is a modern rendition of a coop with droppings pit:

http://www.portablelivestockshelters.com/albums/album_image/8362447/7521601.htm

Imagine solid chicken manure about a foot deep. Also imagine some potent fertilizer to put on a cornfield, and also imagine a potent dose of ammonia in a coop like that during some times of the year.

Second reason, was to put wire between roost bars and a droppings board, to keep birds from falling or getting knocked off a roost and walking around on the droppings. In that case, 1" x 2" wire (or chicken wire) was placed about 6" or so below the roosts.

Goal of both was to keep birds separated from their droppings. Modern houses do something similar in that many of the cages are placed above long conveyor belts (vs. over a droppings board) and are run daily. Manure is conveyed to the end of the building where it dumps into a covered storage pit.