Can i put silkies in a wire bottom hutch

[BlaineWillard]

i built a big hutch 8ft long x 4ft wide it is off the ground about 3 ft with a wire bottom in it. Is this a good place i could put my silkies in? Will they go broody in a hutch like this?

 

[welasharon]

I am no expert but that just seems so uncomfortable for their feet!
sharon

 

[Chickadee93]

The wire bottom could be easily fixed if you put a strip of linoleum or wood over it. Such a big coop that you could use with a simple fix.

 

[featherbaby]

I think they would get their foot feathers caught in the wire and break them. Breaking a blood feather is not a good thing. If they got really tangled up, they could fall and break a toe/leg. I wouldn't do it. Put a thin sheet of plywood covered with a vinyl remnant or painted with glossy outdoor paint in the bottom. Problem solved.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Yes, you can. I use wire stilt pens that are covered with a tarp, to condition the silkies I am going to show. The wire is 1/4" hardware cloth and I havent had a problem with bumblefoot or their foot feathers breaking off. It keeps their foot feathers nice and clean. I also use the wire pens to break broodies. The air under their chest/stomach area helps to break them. That usually takes 7-12 days.

 

[BlaineWillard]

but do you think they will go broody in there? I built a nesting box on the end of it.

 

[BlaineWillard]

i also put hay over the wire inside the coop and used pine shavings in the nesting box. I only have 2 silkie hens in there right now i am looking for a rooster and a couple more hens. How many silkies do you think will fit in a 8ft long by 4ft wide coop?