Coop flooring in new build

[Breakfast for dinner]

So adding a coop to the run and needed some expert opinions. I’ve asked the contractor to provide a removable tray(s) for cleaning and after a little research it seems some people will place a type of wire mesh as the actual floor (over said tray). Guessing this is to keep the chickens from walking in poop. My concern was thinking they might get toes or nails caught in it. What says this group?

If it helps we clean the current one daily and will continue doing so,however if we go out of town it may go a couple/few days from time to time.

TIA- David

 

[21hens-incharge]

How big are you having the coop built?
Is it a slide out poop tray under just the roosts?

My thoughts.....
Chicken poop ain't exactly tiny. Holes big enough for dropping to fall through would be a foot hazard.
I certainly would not trust walking on wire or crawling on it if t had to go in for any reason....like an egg in the far corner or a stuck, sick or injured hen needing help.

 

[BDutch]

I know people who make hardware cloth under the coop (under a layer of sand,/ bedding) to prevent all kind of predators to dig under the coop and get inside the coop that way.

But that’s not what you mean. A mesh or hwc over a tray doesn’t seem very useful to me.

Keep following if anyone has s good idea.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wire isn't good for animals to walk on and can lead to bumblefoot. You'd need to put bedding over it to help protect them, thereby nullifying the point of having wire in the first place.

Slide out trays in general do not work the way people think they will - if they're big enough to be useful they're big enough to get heavy and unmanageable. Someone on this forum called them poop squegees: as you pull the tray out you end up knocking poop off instead.

How big are you having the coop built?
Is it a slide out poop tray under just the roosts?

This would be very good to know! Not sure how big your build is, but make it big enough for easy human access inside and you'll find everything from cleaning to accessing the birds to be easier.

 

[BDutch]

Rosemarythyme is right. Poop trays are not working most of the time for every day/weekly cleaning.

I have a poop tray in my ready-made small coop, underneath the roosts. I only get it out twice a year for a good cleaning. I lay cardboard in it, with a thin layer of shavings. And shake the poop of the cardboard once a week until it gets too dirty. Then I cut another carton box.

 

[Breakfast for dinner]

Nice! Thanks for the thoughts and responses.

Coop is being built off the ground and will be 6’ deep 4’ wide and approximately 4’ high. Nest boxes will extend out from the coop. Based on my thoughts and these confirmations no wire will be installed. The slide out tray will be under the roosts only. Cardboard is a good idea.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's a pretty decent size, so just make sure when you're planning it all out, that you have some way to access every corner of the interior. You may need to pry a chicken or eggs out of the furthest back corner at some point, or treat for pests, so while crawling in might be an option, it's probably one you'd rather not resort to.