Cornish X raised on welded wire, or farmer vs farmers wife

[phalenbeck]

This years Cornish X are on welded wire on top of a 2x4 base hoop house. The idea is they can poop through the wire, or it can be hosed through. They soon will be living on wire 4 inches off the ground. Perhaps the air under the wire will help with baldness. So they live on wire in there coop. The farmers wife thinks other bedding should be on top of the wire, but the friendly farmer thinks this will be cleaner, easier, and cheaper. The farmer says this is his greatest idea yet, and done commonly. Anyone see problems with raising meat birds on wire?

 

[cmchickens]

I would think it would cause sores on their feet. But I have never tried it.

 

[bowhunter862]

I have considered this but never done it. I've very interested in how it turns out. Keep us informed. Question tho: How do YOU walk on the wire to feed and water the birds?

 

[phalenbeck]

I have them on 50% wire, and 50% wood chips. No signs of cuts and/or foot problems so far. My hoop house is 4x8 so no problem with stepping in. They seem active and growing fast at 2 weeks. Poop is falling through no problem. Platform for water and food will remain. All wire in a few more days. This seems like the friendly farmer has hit on something, and the farmers worry wife was over concerned. Much better that tractor on the ground, or lots of bedding. Will report again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Raising chicks on wire is pretty common commercially, especially broilers that poop a whole lot. My brooder and grow-out coop has ½” welded wire bottoms, though there are some places where they can stand on wood. I raise dual-purpose large fowl, not broilers, but the poop falls through or is scratched through until they are maybe 12 to 14 weeks old. Then it starts to build up on the wire. I don't know when you will experience that with broilers they grow so fast.

Not all wire is equal. Some is pretty smooth but some have short little spikes at the welds that can cut the feet. I haven’t seen a problem with that with mine, but if it is a big concern to you, get some plastic coated wire. Nothing sharp to cut the feet with that.

A place for them to get up off the wire and stand on something solid helps them rest their feet too. Maybe just stand a 2x4 on end just off the floor. This is more for other than broilers too. The main thing is to keep their feet dry. Wire is good for that.

I know you are talking about meat birds that have no long term future, but one risk with wire for chickens that will live longer lives is that they need to develop an immunity to cocci. To do that, they need to be in contact with the bugs that cause cocci for about three weeks. Those bugs go through a life cycle that includes a couple of days in damp ground with poop. You won’t get that with wire, so for other chicks you need to either provide enough surface area for poop to build up a bit without getting wet (that’s hard to do the way they scratch it) or do like I do, bring dirt in from the run every 4 to 5 days and feed that to them to keep those bugs in their system. The meat birds don’t have to build up that immunity, they won’t live long enough, but other chickens need to.

 

[phalenbeck]

Thanks Ridgerunner. I shall keep 25% on hard surface and woodchips with 75% on wire. Never thought about the need for cocci immunity, or the need to eat some poop. I also assume that some semi-free range behind a temporary fence should help too. This batch seems clueless at 2 weeks about what to do on grass. Last season I had a batch raised by a silkey broody that acted almost like real chickens. Do not know if it was of having a mom, or just the batch. Given the opportunity I will always try a broody, but timing does not always work out.

 

[phalenbeck]

My Cornish X are now a month old, and been on wire holding them 3 inches off the ground, in a tarp covered 4x8 hoop house. I have added a few 1x3 boards for them to sit on, and a small platform, but mostly on wire. I finally moved it today as poop was building on the ground, after 3 weeks. I also sprayed down the tractor, and rinsed the birds. I will raise meat birds on wire from now on. They are cleaner-poop falls through, no ill effect from wire, they are not matting the grass, I am not changing a ton of bedding. They MAY be cooler on hot days. Less bald chests and bottoms. I cannot find the down side for my small batches 20-25 and will never raise them on the ground, or bedding again. Far as I am concerned welded wire off the ground is the only way for the friendly farmer, and the farmers wife and her concerns were all wrong.