Wire flooring

[needlessjunk]

I got a good deal on a brand new in the box coop on Craigslist. Put it together today and with a bit of ingenuity its together and will work for my backyard flock. I was feeling lazy about building another coop and my since my husband is not handy I do all the building. Anyway my question is about the flooring. It came with a slide out poop board that is covered with 1 inch welded wire. Is this a good idea? I feel like I would rather put down just a piece of sealed plywood in the bottom of the poop tray then have them walk on wire. To me 1 inch holes are big and look uncomfortable, but I'm also use to ducks. Other than that I'm content with the coop. I did put a coat of sealant on it, more screws and better latches. I may switch out the hardware cloth too but at that point I may be better off just building a new one.

 

[Primo]

I guess I don't understand what a slide out wire poop board would accomplish. What is under this wire? Can you explain further?

 

[Fetterolf Farm]

Hi, I used chicken wires on their flooring (stapled to 2x4 coop sides) which is essential to keep predictors from entering through underground; I also covered the chicken wires flooring with 1 foot of soil mix, which I take out the surface to fertilize the trees, weekly, and replace. This keeps it dry, chicken comfortable, and my trees fertilized.

 

[needlessjunk]

I guess I don't understand what a slide out wire poop board would accomplish. What is under this wire? Can you explain further?

It's a poop board that catches all the poop that slides out. On top of that is a wire grate.

 

[TalkALittle]

As long as you have an access door that will allow you to easily clean out the litter, just cover the wire with plywood and put your litter on top of that. You are correct. Wire is not an optimal flooring and will only get caked with poop.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens are often kept on wire. My brooder and grow-out coop both have a ½” mesh hardware floor so the poop falls straight through. At about 15 weeks of age the chickens get large enough and the poop gets large enough that it will not fall on through so that sort of limits how long I can keep chickens in there but it works really well. The poop is easy to clean up when it falls through. It also keeps the brooder very dry which is a big health benefit. I don’t know if your 1” mesh will start trapping poop or not as they age.

One thing to look out for, not all wire is created equal. Due to manufacturing processes some wire has sharp stubs sticking out, either from welding or the galvanizing. Those sharp stubs can slice up chickens’ feet. Usually if the wire has any stubs they are all on one side so check to make sure the side the chickens are on is smooth. A plastic coating on the wire eliminates this problem but finding the plastic coated wire can be really difficult.

If you look at a full sized chicken’s feet you will see how much they spread out. I personally would not worry about 1” wire mesh being rough on their feet as long as it is smooth.

 

[Cassiopia89]

I just purchased a coop with an attached run and the floor of the coop is hardware cloth. Do you put sand down underneath this area?

 

[Mini Meat]

I am not a fan of keeping animals on wire. Just my preference.

I keep my quail in rabbit cages with wire floors I put down a layer of alfalfa sticks (to help hold the bedding) then a thick layer of pine shavings and leaves mixed. As the older material breaks down and sifts out the bottom, I just ad fresh bedding on top. It is sort of a hybrid deep litter and self cleaning. The birds a happy and it smells nice (even with stinky quail).

I keep a tarp on the ground below and take the spent litter and manure to compost.

 

[chiques chicks]

I am not a fan of keeping animals on wire. Just my preference.

I keep my quail in rabbit cages with wire floors I put down a layer of alfalfa sticks (to help hold the bedding) then a thick layer of pine shavings and leaves mixed. As the older material breaks down and sifts out the bottom, I just ad fresh bedding on top. It is sort of a hybrid deep litter and self cleaning. The birds a happy and it smells nice (even with stinky quail). 

I keep a tarp on the ground below and take the spent litter and manure to compost.

I may steal this idea. I build my own cages, but they are built like rabbit cages, for my quail. I haven't had issues yet, but I like the compost and filter idea.

 

[Cassiopia89]

Good idea-do you have a lip on the shelf to keep it all in?