Best Flooring for mews?

[porch]

I’m in the process of constructing my mews (an indoor and outdoor) and would like your opinion on the best flooring to use. Here’s my specifics:

Indoor and outdoor will be each be 8X8X8
I will have a RT
I live in NJ
The base of the floor will be earth with a wire bottom
The area is bright and gets sun but limited full sun

I’m leaning towards cedar mulch because I think it would be easy to clean (just scoop up the bad and put down new much) and change it all out as needed. Kind of like a horses stall. (Do I have to worry about Aspergillosis with cedar mulch? I think not but I’m not certain)

OR

Pea gravel – because it seem like it too might be easy to clean – but I think the mutes would be hard to clean off of the gravel (I wouldn’t want to be throwing away gravel and replacing it so it would require hosing.)

Any thoughts, suggests, comments, etc. are greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[johnh]

My mew is pea gravel and it works great. It drains well, and spraying it with a hose and raking it works to work out any mutes. You need several inches of it though. I think the ideal situation would be a floor that's up off the ground covered in pea gravel. That would drain perfectly.

The only draw back I've heard is that it can dull talons if the bird developes a habit of running on the floor or jumping down and up to perches. None of my birds have had that problem though.

[raptrlvr]

The floors in my mews are just earth, It drains well and drys fast and to clean you just take a heavy rake and rake the mutes/castings up. I had the game warden come by my house and he didn't gig me for it so I have just left it that way.

[redtailnut]

All wood chip/mulch will harbour asper, go for the pea gravel, make it deep enough so their is some movement if the bird bates sometimes all our demo birds are on gravel in the mews their talons are like razors.

[m4tt]

dont EVER use mulch/chips.. EVER

and yea go with pea gravel..

[hawkstir]

Don't mean to upset anyone, but wasn't this discussed in another thread about a year ago.

[SkyRider]

Flooring was, but not an overall mew if I remember correctly.

As for your dimensions, the weathering area sounds good but if I can make a suggestion for the mew. I've never been to New Jersey, but I'm sure you get snow. You may want to consider sloping the roof. Mine drops from 8 ft in the front to 6 ft in the back. You may only need a 1 ft drop but it all depends on how heavy your snowfall is. I know a sloped roof was a life saver here.

[hawkstir]

Good point Skyrider. As a building design professional I know that in NJ you have to design for about 30 lbs per sq. ft. ground snow load. A flat roof will req. stronger framing than a sloped roof. The steeper you can make it the better. It allows the snow to slid off or get blown off by the wind. It also helps to orient the ridge to run parallel with the prevailing winds to prevent drifting on the leeward side leading to unbalanced loading. If you have concerns and need help, PM me and I'll help you size your framing.

[porch]

Guys, thanks for the great feedback. Looks like I'll use pea gravel - and will make sure my roof is sloped.

[hawkstir]

Porch, another thing to consider. If your doing an attached weathering area, don't have the snow and ice dump off the roof onto it.

[jondarp]

porch said:

Guys, thanks for the great feedback. Looks like I'll use pea gravel - and will make sure my roof is sloped.

What does your sponsor think you should use?

[porch]

Good point Jon - Unfortunately I’m still looking for a sponsor. I’ve contacted the local NJ Falconry Association, posted a request on this board, and am pursuing other avenues.

I recognize that I maybe putting the cart before the horse in this respect but I am having some extensive construction done to my home now and while that is ongoing I am having the mews constructed. I have received the necessary construction, pluming and zoning permits for construction of the mews already – and they are being built next week. I’m confident that my mews will be sufficient but the bottom line is if my sponsor wants me to make a change to the design – I’ll make it.

[jondarp]

Porch,

It does sound like it would make sense to "kill two birds with one stone" (no pun intended) and get your mews construction done at the same time as your house construction project. However, it might be helpful to you if you could at least run your mews design by an experienced falconer in your area, even if it is someone who doesn't turn out to be your sponsor.

I had a good carpenter help me build my mews, but he knew nothing about falconry, so I relied also heavily on the advice of my sponsor during the construction. Getting some input from a falconer (or falconers) in your area could prove to be very helpful and possibly save you a few headaches down the road.

In any event, best of luck to you. You're starting down an exciting path, one full of challenges and great experiences. I'm a new falconer myself (starting my second year as an apprentice) so I'm not that far removed from you in terms of experience.

I know some of the falconers from your state. They are a nice group of people and very competent falconers. No doubt, you will be in good hands when you find your sponsor. In the meantime, keep asking questions and absorb as much information as you can.

Regards,

- Jon