how will this work?

[issicus]

so I am thinking about getting a few chickens for eggs, again, and i want to keep them in a cage because I had problems with dogs getting them or running off or not being able to find the eggs.

so I am thinking about using something like the picture . all the feces falls through the screen making it easy to clean. maybe make it so the wood is directly under the mesh and can be removed for cleaning. as for the size I am thinking 3x8' floor and 3' tall. this would be for 3 hens.

all of the ones I have seen on the net have some kind of enclosed area is that required? I live in hawaii so cold isnt really an issue. what do you think?

I dont have a flat lawn so I cant use one of those tractors.

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Hi Issicus - what island do you live on? I'm just curious! I love Hawaii.

The only reason you should enclose them at night is to keep them safe from predators. And do you plan on having them walk directly on that wire bottom? I have read that walking on wire is not good for their feet. I have hardware cloth on the bottom of my protected run but also have a few inches of mulch and then hay on top of that. They need to be able to scratch and dig around.

 

[chfite]

In my experience, the feces will not fall through the wire to the point that you don't have to clean. Cleaning the wire is a hassle. Everything catches in it. I decided on a smooth floor and deep litter; and find it works much better.


Chris

 

[issicus]

I live in puna on the bigisland there are mongoose and rats here, im not sure if they will try to steal eggs though.

so its not easy to clean . ****, it seemed like a good idea.

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

I love the Big Island! I've been there 2x's. Hope to get back again. Have you researched the deep litter method? I think that would be a good solution for you. And lots of hardware cloth!!