Brooder floor

[Fentress60]

I happened into a home made brooder. Nicely made, 4’by3’, but the floor is 1/2 inch hardware cloth, with a droppings pan that you can pull out and dump. I know this is an accepted if not a traditional approach, but 1/2 inch seems kinda big. I rarely brood chicks, usually work with hens, but this floor seems uncomfortable if not dangerous as compared to A solid floor with pine shavings. Any thoughts?

 

[WallyBirdie]

I happened into a home made brooder. Nicely made, 4’by3’, but the floor is 1/2 inch hardware cloth, with a droppings pan that you can pull out and dump. I know this is an accepted if not a traditional approach, but 1/2 inch seems kinda big. I rarely brood chicks, usually work with hens, but this floor seems uncomfortable if not dangerous as compared to A solid floor with pine shavings. Any thoughts?

I like solid flooring, personally. Can you line the bottom and put shavings on top?

 

[Fentress60]

I can cut a piece plywood and put it on the floor. I did not know the person who made this, it seems a shame to not use it the way it was intended, but how can hardware cloth be comfy for the chicks. Doesn’t support the scratching instinct either.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Hardware cloth can be "rough" on tender feet, not my choice. Guess whomever made it was thinking easy cleaning. I prefer solid bottom which I line with potty pads for the first week for easier checking of poop. Then switch to a light layer of pine shavings, I use Horizontal Nipple on my waterer, saves having to change out water all the time and no spills.

You could do as @WallyBirdie suggested but hardware cloth can "sag" with weight, depending on the gauge.

How much distance from the wire to the pull out tray? Depending, you maybe able to remove the hardware cloth and use the tray as the floor. The gap space where the tray slides out, you maybe able to put a "flap" of the hardware cloth so no one gets stuck or falls out. Also the wood on the tray looks "shiny", do you know if it was coated and if so with what. Hopefully nothing toxic, will make for easy cleaning.

 

[Wainbowmudd]

I wouldn’t use it as a floor

 

[WallyBirdie]

I can cut a piece plywood and put it on the floor. I did not know the person who made this, it seems a shame to not use it the way it was intended, but how can hardware cloth be comfy for the chicks. Doesn’t support the scratching instinct either.

Honestly, chicks and bedding are fairly lightweight. You can probably get away with something simpler- like plastic or cardboard or even layers lf newspaper- if you don't mind changing it out regularly. I'd go with cardboard (mainly because I have a lot of it on hand). Just something so the chicks aren't directly on the wire and can play in the bedding.

 

[Fentress60]

I thank everyone for your feedback. I’m going to go with some common sense here and not put my chicks on hardware cloth. As someone who is use to their chicks being on pasture with a mother hen, the hardware cloth looks absolutely mean. Thanks again.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Other than the wire it looks like a nice solid unit, so good pick up!

 

[CluckerFamily]

Instead of 1 solid plywood floor, you could do three pieces so that you can remove one panel when cleaning so that everything falls to the pan.

 

[Chicalina]

I would use a bit of old lino. Or cut up some cardboard boxes and then just chuck them when soiled and replace. Shavings on top of course