Wire on floor of coop?

[SusanME]

Hi! I've got almost two week old Rhode Island Red chicks (a dozen), and I'm starting to plan a coop and tractor(s) for them. I was intrigued by the Chickshaw design... except the floor is all wire. I thought I remembered hearing that it's not a good idea to have wire as the only flooring for a coop? I'd love your thoughts on this. Not sure if the plans would work with a solid floor- obviously, it would be a lot heavier. Thanks!
https://abundantpermaculture.com/diy-mobile-chicken-coop-plans-chickshaw-2-0-by-justin-rhodes/

 

[SamuelMcF]

I am actually not a huge fan of this design. Just doesn't seem very "comfy" to me. Where they have a big run and are able to spend most of the day outside having the wire bottom is not a huge issue but I think a solid floor is better. Better footing for the hens and also a small coop like that is not hard to clean as long as it is done regularly.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

I know this is an older post but just wanted to pipe in here. I'm going to be making a chickshaw after much research. The whole point of the design is to be no cleaning maintenance and easily portable. The chickens are only in there at night and they'll be mostly perched on the cross pieces inside just for perching on. That is very different than a chicken locked in with a wire floor and nowhere else to stand 24/7.
If it was made with a solid floor you'd have to clean it constantly.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I know this is an older post but just wanted to pipe in here. I'm going to be making a chickshaw after much research. The whole point of the design is to be no cleaning maintenance and easily portable. The chickens are only in there at night and they'll be mostly perched on the cross pieces inside just for perching on. That is very different than a chicken locked in with a wire floor and nowhere else to stand 24/7.
If it was made with a solid floor you'd have to clean it constantly.

Hate to point it out but with a wire floor you'll be cleaning constantly too. Any wire mesh that's small enough to protect against predators (1/4"-1/2") will get poop clumped up on it. Any wire mesh big enough for poop to fall through is also large enough for snakes, rats, mice, weasels to get in.

If you really don't want to clean, deep litter on dirt is probably the closest to "no clean."

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Hate to point it out but with a wire floor you'll be cleaning constantly too. Any wire mesh that's small enough to protect against predators (1/4"-1/2") will get poop clumped up on it. Any wire mesh big enough for poop to fall through is also large enough for snakes, rats, mice, weasels to get in.

If you really don't want to clean, deep litter on dirt is probably the closest to "no clean."

Again, yes that is the point. The floor is 1" wire. To keep poop from collecting. You want the poop to fall through.

The point to the Chickshaw design is to move the chickens regularly with electric netting around it. The electric netting is your predator protection.

If you aren't using this method of raising your chickens, then yes there is other designs out there better suited to other situations.

 

[Folly's place]

Electric netting won't keep rats or weasels out, and wire mesh isn't a comfortable floor to jump down off any roost either.
Deep bedding, cleaned out occasionally, is the least trouble, and comfortable for the birds too.
Mary