Almost done with new coop and run.

[TexasWineGuy]

DD,

Some questions:

Many of the folks on this site suggest NOT using the traditional "Chicken Wire" on the coop or run, as they say the local nightlife critters will eat right through it.

It looks like you have a combination of Chicken Wire and some smaller mesh Hardware Cloth wire. Can you comment more on why you used this specific wire on this build?

Also - what's the triangular structure for?
Great build. Looks like you're going big from the start.

TWG

 

[daydreamtime]

We did do hardware cloth on the bottom because we have raccoons and opossums. We don't typically get things that try to climb through higher than what the hardware cloth is set at but there will be electric wire on the outside perimeter about the height of the transition once we have it wired for electric. We lost a couple a chickens to raccoons when we were new to it and installed electric wire on our small coop and had no further issues. Until the hawks.We have something on the top to keep the hawks out, we had a hawk living in our garage, sneaky thing. The triangle thing is a chicken toy for hanging treats.

 

[TexasWineGuy]

When you placed the Hardware Cloth, did you go below ground level?

TWG

 

[Cryss]

Fantastic! You could easily have 50 chickens in that coop! How big is the run?
Just keep in mind that raccoons are excellent climbers.

 

[aart]

but there will be electric wire on the outside perimeter about the height of the transition once we have it wired for electric

Put it at ground level to stop them from climbing at all, and others from digging under or chewing on walls.

Coop looks mighty tight for FL, copious ventilation not cut in yet?

 

[daydreamtime]

Put it at ground level to stop them from climbing at all, and others from digging under or chewing on walls.

Coop looks mighty tight for FL, copious ventilation not cut in yet?

I was considering that. It has windows on the side to can't see, it's vented under the roof, and fan ventilated through the roof.

 

[daydreamtime]

When you placed the Hardware Cloth, did you go below ground level?

TWG

The landscape timbers are protecting the concrete in the ground that we put around the perimeter.

 

[TexasWineGuy]

The landscape timbers are protecting the concrete in the ground that we put around the perimeter.

Are you stating that the entire perimeter has a concrete base? If so, can you tell us how you constructed that? Width, depth, rebars?, etc?

TWG

 

[daydreamtime]

Sure. We made a rectangular wooden support around the bottom of the hardware cloth and we poured quickcrete in and let it dry and then moved to the next section. It's about 5 or 6 inches deep and 4 or 5 inches wide. No rebar.