Screening Size

[tlharv]

Hi all,

I'm building my coop out of whatever I have lying around, and was going to use 1/2-inch square hardware cloth as the "floor" of the roosting area, hoping that poop would fall through and not build up. Is that too small a grid size? Should I use 1" poultry netting instead? I can still change it at this point. I'd post a photo but don't know how.

Thanks!

 

[tlharv]

Ok, I uploaded a photo...

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

1/2" is too small.
If I were going to use wire, I'd go with 1 X 1 welded wire minimum

Poultry netting isnt strong enough

 

[sillybirds]

I agree with Bear Foot Farm... 1/2" is way too small. 1" is probably even on the small side. Have you seen some of their poops?!

I'd go with at least 2".

 

[patandchickens]

There is no size of mesh that all poop will fall thru but chicken feet will not. So you will have to do a bit of work yourself no matter what

Some people use mesh floors ok in warm climates. However if your climate ever gets down to the 40s or below, you are not going to want cold breezes blowing up your chickens' backsides and will need either to cover the mesh with cardboard or plywood for the colder part of the year, or just build a plywood floor to begin with.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[tlharv]

During our winters, it's not unusual to have temps dip below 20F. We also get about 2-3 snow dumps per year (I live in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone). Other than the summer, we get a lot of rain!

Looking at my coop photo, the goal was to have a dual-level structure where they can scratch on the ground during the day (rain or shine) and then go upstairs at night to roost, and it's all under one roof. I'll attach an extended covered run to the outside of the structure so they have a place to roam during the sunny days.

All of that said, what constitutes a "draft" that I hear is so unhealthy for chickens?

 

[patandchickens]

Draft = cold breeze at chickens. First, it chills them (increasing food consumption, decreasing resistance to disease); second, it can encourage frostbite.

I would not want 20 (or even 30) degree air blowing up into my chickens' bottoms.

You know, if your roost poo falls thru to the run then you will have to clean out the run more often, which is *more difficult than* cleaning a droppings board or solid floor under the roost.

If you really want to try the mesh floor, sure, go ahead and do it. Just remember that it is not necessarily saving you work, and be prepared to put down something solid (cardboard or plywood) over the mesh if the weather requires.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[consdrs]

I "had" 1x1 hardware cloth under my roosts and before the droppings board. some of the poop fell through. most did not. I recently removed the wire mesh. what a difference!! now its just roost and droppings board. no more trying to force the poo through the wire mesh. just lift roost, scrape into bucket and done. I caused my self way too much trouble. there is a pic of my roost "before" on my page.

 

[tlharv]

Based on what I've read, just putting plywood down and covering it with linoleum (I even have some left over from a project) is the better way to go. How often do you wind up cleaning it out, and what's the best method? Just scrape it into a bucket and empty it in a compost pile?

As much as I like the idea of having the poop fall through a screen, I can imagine how hard it would be to clean the screen.

 

[patandchickens]

Enh, everybody has their own style of coop sanitation. There are a lot of ways to do it that work. Experiment, see what seems best to you, then do that

Have fun,

Pat