chick-n-hutch

[macbryant]

I just recentely got my chick-n-hutch and have a few questions. They are making a real mess and i was wondering anything to make it a bit cleaner. The floor is just wire do i need to put shavings, any suggestions would be nice

 

[spook]

Um, where are you located? North ,South, inside, outside, do you have chicks, or hens? Are they huddling, or just being chickens, do you have roosts?
Ok, now that is out of the way, perhaps we can help- Thanks

 

[macbryant]

I live in alabama and i have 2 hens. They are laying fine. I let them out everday for about 3-5 hours to range but i was just wondering if i put shavings on the floor would it be better. Thanks

 

[the1much]

shaving on a wire floor makes the mess way worse !!
dont ask,, i just know

 

[spook]

Well, personally I would, but that is just me. I am not one for allowing anything to stand on wire, but many do, so I don't want you to think I'm saying your mean, or anyone else. Of course the cold locations you certainly do not want to allow your girls to feel a cold draft, they can only insulate what their feathers can hold for heat, with a draft, it changes the temp of the air between the feathers.
I am most certain someone from down your way will give you a better educated answer- Right now, I'd call 40 bikini weather!
Enjoy your birds, eat those healthy eggs and have fun!

 

[the1much]

isnt the sides of that thingy "chick-hutch" have solid sides that go all the way to the ground?
if you put shavings under the wire it makes that clean-up way easier,, but if you put it on the wire.. the shavings and the poo will stick to the wire and will make it WAY harder to clean.
my chickens arent on wire,, i would think it messes their feet up real fast,, but my baby quail are,, but they almost have to be, their poo sticks to their feet so bad

 

[orchidchick]

It should have a pull out tray under the wire. If you put a light layer of shavings/and stall dry or DE you should be able to pull that out every couple of days and just toss it into the compost. If some of their poo is sticking to the wire, a wire brush is good for getting it off.
If it didn't come with the tray, maybe you can order it from Ware manufacturing.

I started with one and use it for a brooder now, using paper towels over the wire when the chicks are little. It was too small for four!
But the sides, and the roosts, are all able to be moved around; everything is just wingnutted on. So you may be able to change it up if you aren't happy with it. I took the solid sides out for more ventilation and moved the roost up higher as they got older when I moved it into a predator proof run. The other thing you could consider is to get a linoleum remnant and just lay it over the wire and just figure out some way to keep a couple of inches around the perimeter of the coop so the shavings didn't fall out of the wire where the sides don't reach.

Enjoy your girls!

Orchidchick

 

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
My wife and I got concerned about the outdoor temps being a little too cold for our roo and hen, so we got one of those Chick N Hutches for our basement and keep them in that on the COLD nights. We currently are using a piece of the cardboard box it came in to cover roughly 90% of the wired floor. A linoleum remnant is very handy - we have the floor and sides of the upstairs "coop" oudoors lined with linoleum and it's terrifically easy to clean up.