I just bought the wood and wire to make a coop for my quail. I planned on making half of it the wooden house, and half the wire. I saw some threads that recommended to put some wood in on top of wire, for them to stand on. What do you think?
I use the bottoms of pet cages and put bedding in them to make it easier to clean and a comfy place for them to get off the of wire, so yep, it's a nice thing to do.
This Is A Wire Floor With Hay On Top. It Lets Them Get Of The Wire, And The Grown Quail Use It For Nesting.
Personally I would recommend against making the floor itself wood. Wood is impossible to sterilize and breeds bacteria making living conditions unclean, it will also trap ammonia from waste which can damage the birds respiratory system, not to mention smelling horrible. A scrap piece of wood you can toss when it gets dirty and replace would work in a pinch. Laying a few inches of hay or straw over wire in part of your cage would be much preferable, you can clean by scooping everything out and spraying it down. Using a pan, such as a large shallow cat litter pan or an oil drip catch pan and filling that with dirt or bedding would be a good option as well, and appreciated by the birds to scratch and bathe in. With any livestock I can't stand to have wooden flooring. Cheers, Jessie