Coop Floor

[thedancingelephant]

I have seen some coops that have a wire floor so that the poop falls through to the ground. But some have said that the chickens don't like walking on this. Would it be good to put the wire under the roosting section and wood for the rest? Will this help with keeping things clean and good air circulation? I would cover the wire section in the cold times but I live in Florida and the heat is a greater issue.

 

[lisa_anne]

I have a similar question about wire bottoms - what did I do wrong? The poop does not fall through. I think the mesh holes are too small?

 

[buffbrahmaboy]

Under the perches I built a 'droppings pit' out of dimension lumber. The frame on the floor is 2X6 to keep out the shavings, then two removable 2X2 trays with plywood bottoms, a 2" upper frame to stop them from pecking the poop, covered with 2" welded wire mesh.

At the front just above the mesh is a removable 2X6 that the chickens use as a launching/landing pad to the roosts. The chickens don't like walking on the mesh (a good thing) but when they get knocked off a perch or accidentally land on the wire they don't seem to be harmed. They just make a lot of noise until they get re-oriented. I put a thin layer of shavings in the trays and dump them out about every second month. Easy. If I had to do it again I might use a 1” by 2” mesh, but that would be harder to keep clean.