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[ArkanzanWheeler]

So chain link fencing is out, what type of wire mess stuff do you all recommend?

 

[Wooden_Pony]

Quote:
We are going to buy 1/2"x1/2" weld wire for our coop.

I grew up calling it rabbit hutch wire. You should have seen the funny looks I got when I walked into our HD and asked for rabbit wire.

After reading on here that racoons have grabbed people's hens through chicken wire I will spend more money to buy the weld wire.

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

I have some of mine on hardware cloth floor.. they do fine.. I guess because its so small.. but its not life long either..

I use 1' chicken wire for my larger chickens that roosts and hardware cloth for smaller ones. (not on the floor for the sides..)

 

[ArkanzanWheeler]

I am looking for something that I will not have to replace, once I build this it is going to stay just like it is. For the nesting boxes I was thinking of just setting plywood in there on top of the wire to make it more stable and so the hay would not fall through too much. I might just have to go to the hardware store and look around to see what ideas I get. I want something small enough that the baby chicks can walk on it without a problem also, is 1/2" holes too big or will it need to be 1/4"?

 

[Wooden_Pony]

I am looking for something that I will not have to replace

Weld wire is what you want then, it is heavy duty as well not easily broken like chicken wire.

I want something small enough that the baby chicks can walk on it without a problem also, is 1/2" holes too big or will it need to be 1/4"?

It comes in differnt sizes. Are you using it for the floor of the "House" as well?

If you are then you could always just lay a piece of plywood over the whole floor until the chicks get bigger.​

 

[ArkanzanWheeler]

Yes I want to use it for the whole floor, I would rather not have a big floor to put in if I have babies. That is why I was wondering how small it needs to be for baby chicks to walk on.

 

[littlelemon]

I have a welded wire floor, and I did what someone on this forum suggested. I bought a big heavy-duty rubber mat to cover most of the floor. I have straw over the mat. The floor under the roosts I left bare for droppings to fall through-though straw does get kicked over there. I cut the mat into thirds so I can lift them out for easy cleaning. I like it and I think the birds do too

 

[ArkanzanWheeler]

If I can not use just the wire floor then the rubber mat does not sound bad. It might also help keep things warmer in the winter...

 

[arlee453]

My little coop has a 1/2" hardware cloth floor. They don't seem to mind it too much, but really are only in there at night (on the roosts).

They spend the majority of their days out in the run. Since they are still fairly young - 4.5 wks - I put the plastic tray that I used under the brooder in there at first with pine so they would feel at home when they transitioned out of the brooder pen (it's the type of pan that goes under rabbit cages).

I'm debating now whether to leave it in there under the roosts to make cleaning up easier, or to take it out and let the droppings go down through the wire to the ground below.

I did make my wire onto frames so I can remove the frames and do thorough cleaning from time to time.

 

[BeckyLa]

I have a 1/2" square hardware cloth in the bottom of my banty coop. The birds do just fine on it. Now I have 2 babies & mama locked in that area until the chicks get old enough to join the flock. For the new tiny banty babies I have put 2 old kitchen cabinet doors (though cardboard would work just as well) on the floor for them to walk on and to spread the food on until they learn to eat from the feeder. They are doing fine. Once they're about 3-4 weeks old I'll remove the floor, just leaving the wire, and begin to let them in with the flock since mama will protect them. I use the wire even in winter and they do fine. Now if you're in the Boston mountains of Ar then you'll want to put down a temporary floor over the wire and add shavings to keep them warm. Winter can be rough in the Boston mountains.