What is the soonest you can put chicks on wire?

[veggiecanner]

How old can coturnix chicks be when you put them on wire instead of cloth.
I clean their cage in the morning and by night they are a mess with poop.
I have 40 8 day olds in a 2 foot x 4 foot wooden box.
some one needs to come up with a brooder with a clean out system.
Yesterday all the birds were moved to another containor, every thing removed from the box and then I used the shop vac to get ever bit. This morning it needs done again.
While I was moving them I went through and removed dried poo off their toes. Yuck.
Last time I put grass hay it was better as it kept them clean , but did not hide the smell.
Since their in my house hall way, that is not good.
.I can't buy wood shavings, But I might be able to make some with a wood planer I have.
What is the thickness I would need. I have never bothered to look at those bails of wood bedding.. I would use pine board scraps to make it. Is that ok?
I need to figure this out, I have 2 more incubators full of these things trying to raise or the freezer before fall.

 

[Reedgirl20]

I usually move mine over at 4-5 days old but put paper towels over part of the wire to give them somewhere to rest for the first day or two until they get used to the wire. Have never had a problem with doing it that way.

 

[veggiecanner]

What size is the wire? I have cages with !/2 x 1 wire. Is that too big?
It is 14 guage rabbit wire.

 

[Reedgirl20]

I use 1/2 by 1/2 hardware cloth. That is probably the biggest I would use for babies.

 

[Hollow Point]

I put day olds on the 1/2 x 1/2 hardware cloth without any problems.

 

[TwoCrows]

You can switch them over the moment they begin to start feeding from the feeder. I usually start babies with 1/4 inch hardware cloth and as they grow, somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks, I move them to 1/2 inch. When ever the poop stops falling thru 1/4 inch then it is time for 1/2 inch.

 

[TonysChickens]

I immediately put them on 1/4 hardware cloth now, elevated a few inches inside a big tub. After about 5 days, I find the 1/4 is not letting all of their poo down and switch them onto 1/2 hardware cloth. I've just started doing this recently and find no issues. They are so much cleaner now because of it. Their feet is no longer gunked up with poo either.