The whole outside will be covered with hardware cloth, and I am now considering the ground as well. There is no way to lift this coop as it's very heavy now, so I will do my best to cover as much of the ground area as I can with cloth
Wow, 80 views and 2 comments.
Thanks Backyard Chickens for all your help in the past. I will be sure to check back in the future if/when our new home/city allows chickens.
So, after talking with a friend of mine, he was surprised I was getting chickens in the city I live in. I stated that I checked the City Code and it does not mention anywhere that chickens are not allowed. It did say turkey, so thinking I was in the clear, I built my coop (as some of you might...
Yea, it's not by choice. I've lived in the city all my life, but my heart is in the country. We bought this as a starter house.......10 years ago (ugh), and kind of got stuck in the housing market crash and couldn't sell it if we tried. So I make the best of it, and inject as much country living...
So, I basically live within this circled area. Highly dense human population (much to my chagrin). I have seen in the 10 years living here, stray cats, raccoons, opossum, red tail hawk, and a screech owl.
I know, many more critters can live in the city that we never see, but I am not fully...
Yea, I mean, I hate to cheap out when it comes to the lives of our chickens, but money isn't actually flowing right now...lol.
We live dead center in a city, and I know there are predators in a city, but not sure really how big they are. We have raccoons, opossums, cats, and that's about it...
I haven't fully researched the sizes of the welded wire I have access to right now, just wondering if there are alternatives to the hardware cloth. I need a ton of it, so really looking to defray the costs. Plus the welded wire is easier to work with.
Since nobody is responding in my build thread, what about welded wire behind chain link? We are using dog pen for the perimeter of the run and was thinking of using the welded wire along the sides with HC over the hoop top. Trying to save some $$
Now that we are thawing out (ok, it's snowing today and 4-6 inches expected....ugh), but by a week or so I am hoping to get this coop/run secure. I am battling with the expense of using hardware cloth behind the chain link. I know that chain link itself is not strong enough, but could I add...
So, I am sure the word "cheap" is different to everyone, but this coop was made with about 90% recycled materials. I've probably spent approx. $150 in total for paint, the wood shingles, screws, PVC (for the hoop roof this spring) and some studs/plywood. Roof is leftover shingles/paper/drip...
Due to the mild weather in the Northeast, I got to start some run work. Going with the hoop method. Also closed the gap on the right side by placing the PVC vertical. I will cover with hardware cloth all around. Still not sure about the gaps around the gate though?
Just a non-update update...lol.
Decided to hold off getting the chickens until Spring for now. Weekends are getting busier, and money is getting tighter (just put new engine in van, and waiting on a furnace install) and I still haven't secured the run. Thought waiting until Spring will give us...
Yea, that's what I figured I would do. Just lifting it into a trailer may take an act of God.....lol
In related "run" news, I was sitting out by a fire Saturday night and an opossum peeked out from behind my passenger side front wheel. :( Also, a stray black cat padded through the yard as...
There are numerous topics on this topic already on the boards.
I live in Rhode Island, and winters get pretty darn cold here too (and lots of snow coming this year). I have no plans on insulating (just adding extra hay/bedding. I have a large 6 pane window basically the size of one side of the...
I know this is an older post, but curious on how the zip ties have held up over time? I am considering using this technique for my run, but heard zip ties can dry out/freeze and break over time. Any input?
Yes, the run will be covered. I have no door on the coop, with no plans on one, so run security is more crucial. Backyard is not secured. We do have a moveable gate across the driveway, but the chickens could probably fly over it.
That's another thing, how am I going to take the coop with me...
Really struggling with the run now. I took the advice of glg1992 and measured out the space to move the pen to the OUTSIDE of the coop. Sadly, it's about 4 inches too wide and hits a large tree on the left (looking at the space). Now, I have the space to the right of the coop, but this thing is...