I have a Ware Chick-n-Hutch that I just put my 2wk-old chicks into today as I was having respiratory issues with having the brooder in my bedroom. I'm in SC so not at all worried about the temperature, but I'm wondering if I need to put straw on the floor for them to walk on. The hutch has 1"x0.5" turkey wire on the floor, which is plastic-coated and in good shape. I am kinda worried about their little toes falling through the holes all the time and causing foot problems for later on. Granted, creating a flat surface completely defeats the purpose of having the sliding tray to clean out. One of my chicks is sick in isolation right now so I'm trying to keep the others away from manure as much as possible. They're now very widely separated by our whole house (the sick chick is still in my bedroom). Will they be ok in the hutch for a week or so while we build the big run? They'll be 3 weeks old next Monday when we're slated to be finished building.
I'd but some straw in there just to be safe. It's easy enough to change such a small amount of straw when it get dirty.
