What to put on the bottom of a travel cage?

[9SpiceyChickens]

Me and my AMAZING chicken, Sephora, do 4h. We show, so we have a foldable dog wire crate for that.
We also have a wodden chicken carrier. Its pretty simple, and has no splinters- I triple checked.

My question is this- what can we put on the bottom so once we are done, we can fold-it-up(poo included) and throw away?
The chickens also shouldn't have nails that pierce through it or anything slippery. Also, if there is a material that was on the stronger side, so we wouldn't feel the poo.


Thank you!

 

[sylviethecochin]

A lot of people use puppy pads. Or you could cut up some terrycloth and double-layer it.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

You could try a brown paper bag.

 

[AltonaAcres]

I use:
Straw, Pine Shavings, Towels, Rags, Paper towels, it totally depends on where we're going, and how long we'll be there.

 

[4-H chicken shower]

Hey, I show for 4h too but I have a cage with a plastic removable bottom so I don't have to worry about that.
Good luck !!!

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

A lot of people use puppy pads. Or you could cut up some terrycloth and double-layer it.

I might use a puppy pad...

You could try a brown paper bag.

I feel like the chickens would slip, IMO.

We have bumpier terrain around here, BTW.

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

I use:
Straw, Pine Shavings, Towels, Rags, Paper towels, it totally depends on where we're going, and how long we'll be there.

Once we get there, about 20 minutes away, we take them out and practice with them, or they'll go into a foldable dog crate.

 

[I Love Layers]

I like to use straw. You just dump the cage out when you get home and it gives the birds something to pick through. That is for long trips though, 5+ hours. On shorter trips I will use shavings.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I put foam tiles (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DV439T9/?tag=backy-20) on the bottom of my crates for padding. They are sturdy, the chickens don't pick at them, and if the bird scratches all the bedding to one side it's not left sitting on the hard floor of the crate. The tiles can be cut to any size to perfectly fit in the bottom of your crate. Then I lay a small towel on top of the foam tile, and have the towel go about 6 inches up the sides of the crate and clip it in place. Then I put a layer of shaving down (2-4 inches) to act as padding and soak up all the droppings. When it's time to clean the crate, I just unclip the ends of the towel, fold it over and pick up all the shavings with the towel. The foam tile is still clean, the shaving are shaken out into the compost pile, and the towel can be washed and reused endlessly.