It's good! No wait...I should check BYC to see if I could do this better...
I have come to learn that BYC is an expensive addiction. Just when you think you're done with your coop/run/DIY feeder, some one older and wiser (or younger and just plain more experienced) will say
"Are you sure it's predator proof?"
"What about this?"
"Here's pictures of mine!"
And you go back and re-do the whole dang thing.
My coop has already given in to being a project like this. Here's the story of the coop!
The Beginning
This dog kennel has served me so well. 5 chicks are too small, for about 2 weeks, then suddenly the dog kennel is too small! This is where my chicks started their lives. I have to say, even in a kennel, the deep litter method is fantastic.
After finding some slightly warped wood in the alley, as well as some other pieces of scrap, I sketched out what I thought would be the best design EVER and went to home depot to get the wood for my coop.
Word to the wise ladies - do not let the HD Carpenter employee who thinks you're cute try and suggest a design. While perhaps his structural improvements are valid, he doesn't know a THING about predator proofing. It was nice that my HD helper did 20% of the work, however, the coop would have been useless had he done anymore - stick to country folk, BYC and others who've actually built coops for advice!
Construction Begins
3' x 3' end
Does that look crooked? Absolutely not!
After putting my frame together I started to tack on my Hardware Cloth (PS - thanks to everyone who recommended screws over nails, washers & screws, hardware cloth over chicken wire, and to measure twice and cut once!). It looked good on the end, but 1/4 of the way down the long side, I knew this would not meet the recommeded BYC predator proof standard....or mine for that matter! A little scrounging, a little measuring and....
Poof!! Look how sturdy that looks! The inlaid 2x4's are nailed to a 2' 11" piece of scrap wood. The long back is screwed into the top and bottom of the frame. Hopefully you can see the support system in this next picture
This is as it sits in my backyard now. I work M-F 9-5, so I mostly build in the evenings and weekends. With 3 sides with Hardware cloth, all I have to do is figure out if I'm buiding an enclosed coop or leaving it all open. Thanks for looking and check back for updates!
I have come to learn that BYC is an expensive addiction. Just when you think you're done with your coop/run/DIY feeder, some one older and wiser (or younger and just plain more experienced) will say
"Are you sure it's predator proof?"
"What about this?"
"Here's pictures of mine!"
And you go back and re-do the whole dang thing.
My coop has already given in to being a project like this. Here's the story of the coop!
The Beginning
This dog kennel has served me so well. 5 chicks are too small, for about 2 weeks, then suddenly the dog kennel is too small! This is where my chicks started their lives. I have to say, even in a kennel, the deep litter method is fantastic.
After finding some slightly warped wood in the alley, as well as some other pieces of scrap, I sketched out what I thought would be the best design EVER and went to home depot to get the wood for my coop.
Word to the wise ladies - do not let the HD Carpenter employee who thinks you're cute try and suggest a design. While perhaps his structural improvements are valid, he doesn't know a THING about predator proofing. It was nice that my HD helper did 20% of the work, however, the coop would have been useless had he done anymore - stick to country folk, BYC and others who've actually built coops for advice!
Construction Begins
3' x 3' end
Does that look crooked? Absolutely not!
After putting my frame together I started to tack on my Hardware Cloth (PS - thanks to everyone who recommended screws over nails, washers & screws, hardware cloth over chicken wire, and to measure twice and cut once!). It looked good on the end, but 1/4 of the way down the long side, I knew this would not meet the recommeded BYC predator proof standard....or mine for that matter! A little scrounging, a little measuring and....
Poof!! Look how sturdy that looks! The inlaid 2x4's are nailed to a 2' 11" piece of scrap wood. The long back is screwed into the top and bottom of the frame. Hopefully you can see the support system in this next picture
This is as it sits in my backyard now. I work M-F 9-5, so I mostly build in the evenings and weekends. With 3 sides with Hardware cloth, all I have to do is figure out if I'm buiding an enclosed coop or leaving it all open. Thanks for looking and check back for updates!
