Chicken wire on coop floor?

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Chicken wire on coop floor? Or is this a really bad idea?

My husband is redesigning their coop, and he thought it would be more predator-proof if he had chicken wire wrapping the entire wooden structure (it's an 8x8x8 cube), including the floor.

I was worried that they would obsessively scratch the floor and injure their toes catching on the chicken wire on the floor.

Has anyone had any experience with this?

 

[ChicNmom]

If I did something like that I would use hardware cloth with the small mesh and then add a lot of dirt over that and then maybe some mulch.

We ran the hardware cloth about a foot below and then extending out from the exterior of the coop along with large rocks to hold it in place.

 

[Sammster]

When we built our new coop a couple summers ago, DH covered the "underside" of the floor with hardware cloth as a predator barrier. So, the side that faces the ground.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Is the floor solid or dirt? I would not put chicken wire or any wire mesh on top of the floor where the chickens will have access to it, even if it's covered by bedding or dirt. If this is an open-air-style coop, anything you put on or in the ground, including galvanized and stainless steel mesh, will rust and basically deteriorate into spikes and be very hard on their feet. Go for a predator apron instead.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I would do an exterior skirt since chicken wire can mess with their feet if it isn’t covered well.

 

[Seaslug]

Our coop is inside our run. The run is covered with hardware cloth, including the top where there is not roof. The coop is under solid roof. But we did put hardware cloth across the bottom of the coop and covered it well with builders sand before putting bedding over top. First, we know that the coop is safe for the birds. No gaps like there could be in the hardware cloth around the run. Unlikely to rust as that area of the run is the driest area. Second, we put treats and food out in the run, so there is limited scratching done in the coop. We felt it was the safest option for our situation after a mink got into our run.

 

[aart]

more predator-proof

What kind of predators have you had trouble with @Chubbicthe2nd ?

Is the floor solid or dirt?

Very important question.
Pics of coop would help too.

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

What kind of predators have you had trouble with @Chubbicthe2nd ?


Very important question.
Pics of coop would help too.

I'm not sure what you mean by solid, it's packed dirt with gravel.

 

[TeePants]

Is the floor solid or dirt? I would not put chicken wire or any wire mesh on top of the floor where the chickens will have access to it, even if it's covered by bedding or dirt. If this is an open-air-style coop, anything you put on or in the ground, including galvanized and stainless steel mesh, will rust and basically deteriorate into spikes and be very hard on their feet. Go for a predator apron instead.

Do predator aprons work for rats? Rats are kind of the main thing we have here - there are raccoons and what not, but inner city the rats outnumber everything else…

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'm not sure what you mean by solid, it's packed dirt with gravel.

Okay, so dirt, not solid as in wood or concrete. I would not recommend chicken wire on or under a dirt floor.