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chicken coop question? 10 points to best answer!?

I bought plans for a chicken coop and it says to buy 1/2" wire mesh to put on the bottom (It is a raised coop) and I am not sure that that is a good idea. Just because it will hurt their feet and get cold in the coop in the winter time. so I think that I will just put plywood on the bottom. What do you think?

Public Comments

1. The reason for the wire mess is for the bird dropping to fall from the bottom of the cage making the cleaning of the coop easier and more sanitary for the birds. Just make sure you have proper perches for the birds to roost on.
2. Thank you for giving a darn about the chickens! Most people do not. My simple suggestion is to double up the wire mesh so that they have more to stand on. The previous answerer was right, the mesh is for the poo to leave the cage and it is necessary. : ) I've seen coops with heat lamps for winter. Good luck! Here is an article I found, maybe it will help. Here is an article I found
3. No, a wire floor is not natural for them and chickens are proned to leg problems if not cared for properly. Your coop does not have to have a raised floor, mine doesn't. They just need to have wood shavings, dry leaves, straw or hay to walk on, scratch and keep warm. Perches too help keep them off the ground when their feet get cold and as evening settles in. If the birds are too cold, they will head back into the coop. A plywood floor will get so encrusted with chicken manure that it will be near impossible to clean. Wire mesh would also get filthy. Trust me their dropping aren't small. Keep it simple. Think about how they would survive if wild, off the ground in the cold, probably a tree branch. One thing I would suggest is that you line the edge of your coop with bricks, or some barrier to keep other animals and rodents from digging under the pen. Also, if your birds have a closed in secure coop to sleep in they will huddle together for warmth and a light will not be necessary. I do give a darn about my girls. I raise them organically and have a great flock of happy, healthy hens.
4. My dad and I have had chickens for many years. We have light weight coops and attached pens. We build them with no floor and allow the ground to be the floor. We move the coop every week to the next patch of grass. If you want your coop off the ground 1/2 inch wire is good as the others have said. We grow our food roosters on it and they are fine on wire as long as you have enough roost for all the birds. Chickens are fine in very cold weather as ours would get a little comb frostbite when temps. went down to single digits F.
5. I am a poultry owner that does use the advantages to wire mesh, to a certain extent. But, I wouldn’t make a coop, that my birds were living in all the time have a wire bottom. My reasons are similar to yours, it gets cold in the winter, and it isn’t good for their feet. Chicks are animals that like to scratch, scratching wire isn’t good, and birds that live on wire are more likely to have feet/leg issues. Wire mesh is a standard idea though that comes down to commercial chicken farming, and cleanliness. Those guys with thousands of chickens, have to keep them clean, but don’t have time to do the job. Therefore, they use wire mess. And the birds are kept in a stable environment so they don’t get cold. And the birds are kept in such small cages that many of them can’t walk. However, I did say that I do use wire mesh to a certain degree. If used correctly it can be like a blessing to the chicken world. When brooding my chicks, I use a very fine mess for the brooder box, so the poop falls to the floor. Chicks poop a lot, and if it isn’t cleaned it sticks to their feet, and can cause bumble foot, and the bottom of the foot to peal of in a bloody mess. And trust me those chicks don’t have to step in that much poop, sometimes it still happens with a wire floor. I always attempt to hatch out/buy chicks in warmer weather so they can spend most of their time outside. Also, wire mesh cages, with a wooden area can be very useful (I use rabbit hutches sometimes) for my broody hens while they are hatching chicks, or raising chicks and it is a rainy day so they have to stay in. If you must use a wire floor, make sure that your wire floor is on tight. Do not double unless wire is thin, as it will collect poop, and make the wire floor pointless. However, keep in mind these advantages/disadvantages Droppings: Wire Floor: Fall through the ground, keeping your birds cleaner. You will need to clean under the coop though. Therefore coop must have poop trays under it, or be light enough to move, or to tall enough to shovel under. Dirt Floor: Poop falls on the ground, birds will step in it. Birds will dig holes in the dirt, and you will have to refill the coop whenever you notice it needs more dirt, or just needs some clean dirt. Feed: Wire Floor: Chickens scratch when they eat. They are going to knock that feed, and it is going to fall through the floor and be wasted. Dirt Floor: Chickens scratch feed and knock it out of the feeder, and can eat it right of the ground. Health Wire Floor: Chickens can harm their feet, by scratching wire floor, or just by being on it to long. Put at litterbox of soft/dry dirt in coop, so that birds can dustbath to rid themselves of mites. Dirt Floor: You will need to make sure it is clean. Birds should be able to dustbath naturally. Rain: Wire Floor: Chickens will stay dry. Dirt Floor: If you don’t have a roof, and aren’t on good ground consider yourself flooded, or very muddy. Winter: Wire Floor: Very cold. Dirt Floor: Cold, but not as cold. In both cases you can toss down straw to help keep birds warm. However, cleanup on dirt floor will be a lot easier. Cleaning: Wire Floor: Stays pretty clean, but when it gets dirty, boy is it a pain. And you still have to shovel the poop. Dirt Floor: You have to shovel the poop, and haul in new dirt everyone in awhile. Will not be as often as with wire floor. Is it preditor safe Dirt Floor: An animal can dig right through the bottom, and enter your coop, so make sure the place you keep them at night, it well shut. Also, keep an eye on your dog, and groundhogs. Wire Floor: I notice chickens feel safer in wire, but they aren't. I have had birds get ripped through it. So don't let them sleep on it at night. If you have perches in the outdoor wire area, and your cage is well made (doors, and no holes) I would see no issues with letting them sleep outside. Plywood bottom...good/bad idea. If you use it you can’t just toss down a piece of plywood. The birds are going to get it wet, so paint it first. Then bed it down, like the rest of the coop. And then you are going to have to shovel it out when it gets dirty. So make sure the coop is big enough for you to get in there with a shovel. Always make life as easy as possible when it comes to cleaning. Good luck, Jamie/Rhode Runner
6. I think you are right, it will hurt their feet, and it's no fun to scratch with wire on the bottom. However, it does keep rats away, why not put some ply down and wire underneath it. Put loads of sawdust or bark chippings on the ply and a nice big border around it so they can still scratch about and that, it'll make it easier to clean too.