When can young chickens walk on this floor of the run?

[thistlewick]

Our chicken tractor has a brilliant flooring of the run, this soft rubber covered chicken wire to prevent digging predators -- just was wondering how old and how big the chickens feet need to be to make this a non-issue for them?

The people who built and sold us the tractor are a company who have been building chicken tractors for over a decade, so I know this flooring is fine, just was wondering WHEN I could move my lovely babies in?

It's nice on the grass but I can still push my fingertips down about 2 inches if I press through the holes.

ALSO -- this is their ladder up to their coop -- my ladies (and 1 cockerel) are 4-6 weeks old in range, and can fly quite well. Is this too high for them still?

Any tips on WHEN I can put my ladies in here would be great and much appreciated!!

 

[Evadig]

I think you could put them in there now, it's not like they're going to fall through as long as it's laying on the grass. But the chicken wire isn't really going to stop digging predators.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I've never seen that as a floor but I suppose it makes it more predator proof than nothing. Do you have snakes? I only have garter snakes but they do love mice and I'd imagine chicks the size of mice.... rats and determined predators can also get through that. I'd put them in there at this age but knowing they're not exactly risk free and need some added protection (you, a dog, etc.)

 

[thistlewick]

The thing is, interestingly, out here on 24 acres you'd think we'd be overrun with predators. But the opposite is true. I live in a very rural area and there is enough food here to go around. I have cameras up around the entire perimeter around my house and have seen in the last 4 years here 2 raccoon sightings, 1 fox sighting, 1 coyote sighting and hundreds of deer. A toad recently has come up on my back porch to poop. lol

Honestly, I'm worried far more about the hawks when I start free ranging.

https://smokymtnchickentractors.org/

This is the place that made the coop. They have been making them 11 years and claim they are fully predator proof. I have no reason to doubt them as their reviews are top notch. I have considered the fact that a skinny snake could in fact make it through the chicken wire (its not regular sized chicken wire even though it looks like it is, its smaller, my small index finger only JUST fits through) but not a big black snake, which is what we have around here.

I have the chicks (they are 4-6 weeks old, so not small as mice anymore) in a smaller coop and pen with NO flooring other than grass and in the 3 weeks they have been outside, the FIRST night we had a raccoon look at it, see the flashing eyes (we have those solar powered eye things) and just straight up nope out. He's not been back in 3 weeks.

I know nothing is 100% predator proof, but I trust the coop makers to not be liars. They use their coops themselves, have a YouTube channel, etc - it's just not in their best interest to lie about it.

Eventually, they will be out in the pastures, getting moved around and grazing and free ranging - but really I just was worried about the small 4 week old feet not quite being able to navigate the floor of this.

We are going to attach the pen/coop thing we have them in now to the small door on the other side of the tractor to expand the space while they grow up in the bigger tractor as well.

This is our biggest chick, Penelope - I think she's about 6 weeks old. Cream Legbar, very docile <3 All the first 5 we got that are this big are definitely big enough but I just worry about the little ones.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Awe, she's super cute! CCL's are my favorite breed. Sounds like they'll be living their best chicken lives, go for it.... My sitch is very similar, in 20years of free ranging, I've lost only 1 and I really don't know what predator it was. Maybe Eagle (we're on a River.) Have fun!

 

[paintedChix]

Curious how it worked over summer & fall.

I'd never seen any "floor" on the run of a tractor before.

It wouldn't work for me growth now too thick & heavy. I'd have to "scalp" the yard just to put it down, totally defeating the purpose of the tractor.

Do you have pics of inside the tractor? The website doesn't seem to have any.

 

[thistlewick]

Curious how it worked over summer & fall.

I'd never seen any "floor" on the run of a tractor before.

It wouldn't work for me growth now too thick & heavy. I'd have to "scalp" the yard just to put it down, totally defeating the purpose of the tractor.

Do you have pics of inside the tractor? The website doesn't seem to have any.

We used them all up until September - then we converted a shed for the pullets.

We kept 3 Cockerels in the largest tractor, added one of our little pens we used for the chicks so they could get at some dirt. And put that tractor up under the a shed that is far away from the shed that we converted for the hens.

So since September, 17 pullets have a hen house but they free range all day and only lay and sleep in there. We've since chosen one of the Cockerels to give to the girls and it's been a smashing success.

The tractors are built really well, but there are a lot of things, knowing what I know now, that I'd change.

The converted shed, their first night.

It's messy AF now lol