Bedding question

[cmom]

The wire is a great idea, but is that chicken wire or hardware cloth under there? Predators can easily rip right through chicken wire, but not hardware cloth. Just a thought to keep in mind!

Some of the coops have 1" x 2" welded wire under the roosts and some of the other coops have 2" x 4" welded wire under their roosts. The coops that have the smaller welded wire in them, I use mostly as grow-out coops. The permineter of all of my pens are chicken wire but with the electric wire around them, nothing tries to get in because if it touches the wire it will get a good shock. When I touch the wire my heart will skip a few beats. The inside wire between the pens is 5' 2" x 4" welded wire with 2' chicken wire around the bottom so if the males want to fight they can't get their heads through the wire.

 

[cmom]

I live in North Central Florida. We do get some frost and freezes in the winter. I don't heat my coops and if it's really cold and maybe windy. I will close the vents on the windy side.

I have a friend who lives in Alaska. Her coops are insulated but not heated. She tries to get breeds with smaller combs such as Rose Comb breeds.

 

[Abriana]

Some of the coops have 1" x 2" welded wire under the roosts and some of the other coops have 2" x 4" welded wire under their roosts. The coops that have the smaller welded wire in them, I use mostly as grow-out coops. The permineter of all of my pens are chicken wire but with the electric wire around them, nothing tries to get in because if it touches the wire it will get a good shock. When I touch the wire my heart will skip a few beats. The inside wire between the pens is 5' 2" x 4" welded wire with 2' chicken wire around the bottom so if the males want to fight they can't get their heads through the wire.

Sounds pretty tight!

 

[cmom]

Sounds pretty tight!

I haven't lost a bird to a predator in several years. I had a fox once that dug under a gate to one of the pens and killed some birds. Since I have put concrete under the gates.

 

[Leigti]

Are use pine shavings in the coop. And I have a poop board with PDZ which makes clean up really easy. I wish I had a wood chipper I would suggest whatever you run through the chipper put in the run for the chickens. It will help prevent mud. I personally would not put it in the coop and less you were doing the deep litter method.