Foundation for pre-fab coop // keeping a small-ish run clean

[chickadee777]

Hi! I'm new to keeping chickens. I have six Buff Orpington chicks who have been doing great. They are going a bit stir crazy and ready to get outside. I'm working on getting my coop delivered. I ordered this one:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...k-in-chateau-chicken-coop-14-chicken-capacity

Been a bit of a battle because the delivery has been delayed and the freight company can't make it down my road due to low power lines, but I should be able to have it dropped off at my local TSC and load it into my van. In the meantime, I let the ladies out to forage in the grass in a nylon screenhouse for a couple hours a day.

I have questions about the best foundation. I live in Vermont, so we get a lot of snow in the winter and mud in April. I've heard of some people putting their coops / runs on 4x4 runners. This is a heavy 400+ pound coop and run, and not sure if that's my best option. I'm wondering if maybe I should put some gravel down to help with drainage. If so, would that need to be done before I build the coop?

I also plan to use hardware cloth as a predator barrier. I've heard of people digging up the ground around the run and burying it, and that's what I plan to do. So not sure how to make sure I have proper drainage through that process. I did pick the driest, sunniest spot on my lawn to install the coop, so that should help.

I will have to keep this coop and run in one spot. How would I keep the run nice and sanitary since it will not be moved around?

Thank you for reading and any input you have!

 

[Percheron chick]

Not what you want to hear but I would refuse delivery and not buy it. Think about it. The entire coop is 5.6 square feet. One chicken is one square foot. You have room for 5.6 hens standing feather to feather. No more room then a commercial caged battery hen. In Vermont winters they will want to spend most of the day inside. You could modify it and convert the run into a coop but that will incur additional costs plus needing a run.

 

[chickadee777]

Not what you want to hear but I would refuse delivery and not buy it. Think about it. The entire coop is 5.6 square feet. One chicken is one square foot. You have room for 5.6 hens standing feather to feather. No more room then a commercial caged battery hen. In Vermont winters they will want to spend most of the day inside. You could modify it and convert the run into a coop but that will incur additional costs plus needing a run.

Thanks for your frankness. For some reason that dimension was not entered accurately in the top section. The answer on the Q&A is: " The coop it self is 37.4’’ x 60’’ (3.1’ x 5’), which is 15.5 square feet"

 

[Percheron chick]

Thanks for your frankness. For some reason that dimension was not entered accurately in the top section. The answer on the Q&A is: " The coop it self is 37.4’’ x 60’’ (3.1’ x 5’), which is 15.5 square feet"

That's still too small. Based on their calculations, 15.5 sq ft for 16 hens, each full size hen only needs 1 sq ft of housing. She takes up that much space just standing still. If you use the conventional number of 4 sq ft/hen, 15.5 sq ft is adequate for 4 hens. With 6 hens, they have 2.5 sq ft /hen.
I would still return it. Buy 4 6x10 chain link dog run panels. Cover it. Set them up with a dog house for some protection and go from there. Panels can be repurposed for the run so you aren't wasting any money. I can find them from $0-75/panel on CL and marketplace.

 

[chickadee777]

That's still too small. Based on their calculations, 15.5 sq ft for 16 hens, each full size hen only needs 1 sq ft of housing. She takes up that much space just standing still. If you use the conventional number of 4 sq ft/hen, 15.5 sq ft is adequate for 4 hens. With 6 hens, they have 2.5 sq ft /hen.
I would still return it. Buy 4 6x10 chain link dog run panels. Cover it. Set them up with a dog house for some protection and go from there. Panels can be repurposed for the run so you aren't wasting any money. I can find them from $0-75/panel on CL and marketplace.

I appreciate your input. Unfortunately, I'm already battling with my HOA about having chickens at all, and have to have something aesthetically pleasing to keep everyone happy. Also, I live in a very rural area and can't find any used runs / panels in decent shape within a few hours' drive. So, I have to consider all those factors and make the best decision. My chickens are still little and it's possible that not all of them will make it to being fully grown, so I may end up with only 4 anyway. But I am going to try my best to keep all of them.

I am still wondering how to best handle the foundation situation. Also wondering which is the superior hardware cloth for predator-proofing, 1/2 or 1/4 inch.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am still wondering how to best handle the foundation situation. Also wondering which is the superior hardware cloth for predator-proofing, 1/2 or 1/4 inch.

1/2" And yes you should plan on sitting it on PT runners or concrete blocks, or it'll start rotting from moisture. I don't think the weight is an issue if you set up the runners/blocks first and assemble the coop on top.

I do have a question... are you planning on free ranging full time, or adding on a run? You might be able to cheat on coop space, but run space is less negotiable, and at 47 sq ft (113"x60") you barely have room for 4 if they all get along. Certainly no space to add anything to keep them busy.

At this point I think if you reduce your plan to have a total of 4 hens you might be able to get away with the space you have. You really don't have room for 6 without doing additional work. The coop also appears to be underventilated and will need to add more ventilation up higher, I only see the one window on the side. But it says there's a window and vented door, I just don't see it?

What I would suggest is to add on a run, and consider converting this entire unit to a coop.

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[chickadee777]

1/2" And yes you should plan on sitting it on PT runners or concrete blocks, or it'll start rotting from moisture. I don't think the weight is an issue if you set up the runners/blocks first and assemble the coop on top.

I do have a question... are you planning on free ranging full time, or adding on a run? You might be able to cheat on coop space, but run space is less negotiable, and at 47 sq ft (113"x60") you barely have room for 4 if they all get along. Certainly no space to add anything to keep them busy.

At this point I think if you reduce your plan to have a total of 4 hens you might be able to get away with the space you have. You really don't have room for 6 without doing additional work. The coop also appears to be underventilated and will need to add more ventilation up higher, I only see the one window on the side. But it says there's a window and vented door, I just don't see it?

What I would suggest is to add on a run, and consider converting this entire unit to a coop.

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

Thank you so much for your reply! I had asked TudyBot about hardware cloth last night, and it said 1/4", but I trust that you have lived experience, which AI lacks. So it sounds like I'll go with 1/2" and that should keep out our local wildlife, which includes outdoor cats, racoons, foxes, bears, etc...

(As an aside, that was my first time interacting with a bot. I was sort of curious how it would respond and find the whole thing both mildly entertaining and creepy.)

There is a section of run underneath the chicken coop, so the whole footprint for the run is 60.5 square feet. I probably won't be able to make it much larger, due to the HOA restrictions. Is there another way I can create a happier space in the run, perhaps by adding some roosts?

They won't be able to run free in the yard. It's quite a small space and kind of socially hostile here. I am fortunate to be able to have chickens at all, and they are technically permitted as therapy animals for my kids and me because no "farm animals" are allowed. So, if they become cramped, it's more likely I would sell a pullet or two, as much as that breaks my heart (I'm quite attached to the whole flock).

It looks like the perimeter of the run doesn't have any wood along the bottom. Do you think it would be important to add that feature? I've attached two user review photos from TSC showing with and without.

Is there any benefit of PT runners vs. concrete blocks? Would I need to do anything to prepare the ground beforehand? I live in Vermont with plenty of moisture: snow in the winter and mud in the spring. That being said, this section of the yard has good drainage and has never gotten puddles.

What material would be best to use if I need shims to level the structure on uneven ground?

 

[Sueby]

So it sounds like I'll go with 1/2" and that should keep out our local wildlife, which includes outdoor cats, racoons, foxes, bears, etc...

Hardware cloth will not keep out bears, only good electric will.

 

[chickadee777]

Hardware cloth will not keep out bears, only good electric will.

Oof, that's a tough one. With my kids, electrical hazards are something I'd like to avoid. Do you just turn it on at night?

 

[aart]

I'm already battling with my HOA about having chickens at all, and have to have something aesthetically pleasing to keep everyone happy. Also, I live in a very rural area

Hard to imagine "HOA" and "Rural" in the same place.