Am I a genius or an idiot?

[aart]

Point well taken. I'm thinking a 12 inch slant roof so snow slides off, not sure of materials yet. I'll keep in mind to stay lightweight.

12" rise over a 10' span (if that's what you mean),
is not near enough slant to shed snow.
Even if you go 12" over 5', not going to shed snow.
You'll need a roof rake to protect light weight roofing materials.
Trying to think how and with what to construct a solid roof on chain link walls.
<scratchinghead>
Sorry to rain reality all over everyone's romance, but....
Dimensions are in inches.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Hi Cryss,

I like your writing style and will read your whole post and all the replies, I think - looks like fun! - but tonight I am very tired and have a sick bird to take care of, so I just saw your post and thought you might like to see some of my pics, not sure if it may help or inspire

saw that you mentioned "predator-proof" and that was one of the things on my mind, too

a friend of mine has lost her entire flock (that she loved for years) to one raccoon getting in through a whole it pryed open - they have all night, every night, to work on it when we are asleep - ugh!

anyway - here are the highlights of my setup:

1. hardwire cloth everywhere - no opening larger than 1/4" (1/2 by 1/2 wire mesh) - the gauge is debatable but I have not had anything get in with 19 gauge, it is I think - one online source said a raccoon bit through that, but I cannot find it anymore and I think it is very rare - you can go with lower gauge, but it is expensive and hard to work with (bend)
2. cemented the hardwire cloth in the ground together with corrugated roofing material to keep birds out of sight of passing predators - 2' tall - it is best to go 2' deep to avoid tunneling and I did not manage this - I, too, had to build alone, and there were tree roots in the way... - mice and snakes (through the mouse holes) have finally made it in after 5 years - 2' deep cementing would probably have kept them out - now I am considering a wire mesh floor for this summer due to a copper head snake face off in the run one night (venomous snake that lives around here)
3. "skirt" the outside of the fence with 3' of hardwire cloth on the ground to avoid tunneling of foxes, raccoons, etc at the wall - or rubber stall mats (in front for me) to keep grass down and hinder tunneling (wire, cemented in, is better)
4. my back is 6', my front is about 8' - next time I'll make it not as tall for easier building, but this height allowed me to get a free door and fit it in nicely
5. hardwire cloth is secured between pieces of wood - either between 2x4s or between a 2x4 and a strip of plywood - I cut the plywood in strips and painted it with water resistant varnish - don't use just staples, the raccoons can pull them out
6. the corrugated metal on the top left was a mistake: next time I would use plastic or something with smoother edges - I had foot injuries when my Guineas flew up there and grabbed the edge
7. open area on right is now covered with tarp until I can rebuild the roof - this was also a mistake: rain made the run muddy and filthy - better to have the roof all the way across and let them go free ranging for sunshine
8. the roof has many pieces of 2x4 fit in between gaps to make the edges meet, so that everything is flush and tight - once you get started with a skill saw and an electric drill and screwdriver, the wood becomes the easiest thing in the world to build with
9. the 4x4s are cemented in - that was a major pain in the a**, to make them align - I dug one whole 6 times I think, 2 feet deep - ugh! - better lay this out with string and bubble lever and diagonal string before digging - take my word for it!
10. I put electric fence all around, too, later - hot and cold wire strung from a 50 mile horse fencer - 4 times around at different levels of the coop and one time around the run at the bottom - that was before we got these two white predator discouragers (last picture) because coyote got one of my free ranging birds at 11:30 am one day - they are Maremma Sheepdogs and specially bred to be Livestock Guardian Dogs (LDGs) and they work like a cinch (but cost a lot in feed and vet bills - are fun, too, though) =]

Best of luck with your new construction and adventures!

 

[Cryss]

Hi Cryss,

I like your writing style and will read your whole post and all the replies, I think - looks like fun! - but tonight I am very tired and have a sick bird to take care of, so I just saw your post and thought you might like to see some of my pics, not sure if it may help or inspire

saw that you mentioned "predator-proof" and that was one of the things on my mind, too

a friend of mine has lost her entire flock (that she loved for years) to one raccoon getting in through a whole it pryed open - they have all night, every night, to work on it when we are asleep - ugh!

anyway - here are the highlights of my setup:

1. hardwire cloth everywhere - no opening larger than 1/4" (1/2 by 1/2 wire mesh) - the gauge is debatable but I have not had anything get in with 19 gauge, it is I think - one online source said a raccoon bit through that, but I cannot find it anymore and I think it is very rare - you can go with lower gauge, but it is expensive and hard to work with (bend)
2. cemented the hardwire cloth in the ground together with corrugated roofing material to keep birds out of sight of passing predators - 2' tall - it is best to go 2' deep to avoid tunneling and I did not manage this - I, too, had to build alone, and there were tree roots in the way... - mice and snakes (through the mouse holes) have finally made it in after 5 years - 2' deep cementing would probably have kept them out - now I am considering a wire mesh floor for this summer due to a copper head snake face off in the run one night (venomous snake that lives around here)
3. "skirt" the outside of the fence with 3' of hardwire cloth on the ground to avoid tunneling of foxes, raccoons, etc at the wall - or rubber stall mats (in front for me) to keep grass down and hinder tunneling (wire, cemented in, is better)
4. my back is 6', my front is about 8' - next time I'll make it not as tall for easier building, but this height allowed me to get a free door and fit it in nicely
5. hardwire cloth is secured between pieces of wood - either between 2x4s or between a 2x4 and a strip of plywood - I cut the plywood in strips and painted it with water resistant varnish - don't use just staples, the raccoons can pull them out
6. the corrugated metal on the top left was a mistake: next time I would use plastic or something with smoother edges - I had foot injuries when my Guineas flew up there and grabbed the edge
7. open area on right is now covered with tarp until I can rebuild the roof - this was also a mistake: rain made the run muddy and filthy - better to have the roof all the way across and let them go free ranging for sunshine
8. the roof has many pieces of 2x4 fit in between gaps to make the edges meet, so that everything is flush and tight - once you get started with a skill saw and an electric drill and screwdriver, the wood becomes the easiest thing in the world to build with
9. the 4x4s are cemented in - that was a major pain in the a**, to make them align - I dug one whole 6 times I think, 2 feet deep - ugh! - better lay this out with string and bubble lever and diagonal string before digging - take my word for it!
10. I put electric fence all around, too, later - hot and cold wire strung from a 50 mile horse fencer - 4 times around at different levels of the coop and one time around the run at the bottom - that was before we got these two white predator discouragers (last picture) because coyote got one of my free ranging birds at 11:30 am one day - they are Maremma Sheepdogs and specially bred to be Livestock Guardian Dogs (LDGs) and they work like a cinch (but cost a lot in feed and vet bills - are fun, too, though) =]

Best of luck with your new construction and adventures! View attachment 1241133
View attachment 1241134 View attachment 1241135 View attachment 1241136 View attachment 1241137 View attachment 1241138

Ok, I just gotta ask....are those dogs playing tug-o-war with a...ahem...red bra?
Sorry
Thank you for your detailed discriptions and photos. Wow! And l thought I had a lot of predator proofing in place! I didn't dig in wire but i do have 2' of apron 1X2 wire around the run. I also have a 2' apron around the coop which is inside that run just in case something does get in the run. Actually half pf tbe coop apron is the 1X2, the other half is 1/4 inch hardware cloth because I ran out of the other. The run is chain link. The entire bottom 4 feet is covered with 1/2 inch hardware cloth, the remaining top 2 feet is covered with the 1X2 wire. The run "roof" is the 1X2 wire which is only 2' wide so l formed it by laying six 12' long strips side by side, cutting every single square along one long edge of each, then attaching each now exposed wire into the corresponding hole of the strip lying next to it. 12 feet. 6 strips. Very very sore hands and bloody fingers. You can see most of what l did in my link to my pics in my OP. But you said the S word. Now I gotta dig.
Safty first.

 

[Cryss]

12" rise over a 10' span (if that's what you mean),
is not near enough slant to shed snow.
Even if you go 12" over 5', not going to shed snow.
You'll need a roof rake to protect light weight roofing materials.
Trying to think how and with what to construct a solid roof on chain link walls.
<scratchinghead>
Sorry rain reality all over everyone's romance, but....
View attachment 1241082

Uh-oh. Party's over.
Seriously, thank you for pointing that out. See? Thats why I asked for opinions and advice. I'm a problem solver but not a builder. I don't know what l don't know.
Back to the drawing board.
But....I'm a problem solver.

 

[Cryss]

What sort of predators are you dealing with?

Budget always comes into play at some point. Are you comfortable sharing what yours is?

I will definitely try to keep my suggestions on the less expensive side as that allows more chickens.

Name the predator, I've probably got it. Raccoon, fisher cat, cats, fox, snakes, hawks, owls, eagles, black bear... I'm in the woods. I have neighbors close enough to hear a rooster crow but enough woods between us we don't see much of each other.
Budget? I blew that on the stuff I have to this point. That was before I knew about chicken math and how prefab coop are just too small and not great designs. But I'm resourceful.

 

[21hens-incharge]

OK good to know that you have the big predators. Scary as all get out!

So small budget lends to salvaged materials. My coop was built with reclaimed metal roofing and reclaimed shipping crates for the long sides. I am all for reclaimed items.

Take your time, get a drawing done on graph paper, make a plan.
Once you have a plan you can start gathering what you need. STICK to the plan. Deviations makes for difficult work a rounds later.

Here we have places that specialize in seconds, overbuys and reclaimed lumber. Look for those as sometimes great deals are there. I got siding for 7 bucks a sheet, normally 35 a sheet.

Wondering if a lean to style would fit your needs with the special needs bird.

This link will take you to a Wichita style coop. Not a fan of the size of this one but it has some nice features. I like a walk in coop for a ton of reasons.

OK so you are not a builder so take your time. Measure a bunch.

Will you have help in building a coop?
What are the dimensions of the current run you want the coop onside? I think you posted it but there are a lot of posts to search through to find it.

 

[aart]

Uh-oh. Party's over.
Seriously, thank you for pointing that out. See? Thats why I asked for opinions and advice. I'm a problem solver but not a builder. I don't know what l don't know.
Back to the drawing board.
But....I'm a problem solver.

Glad you could accept my critique, truth can hurt and some just don't want to hear it.
Someone here made rafters attached to chain link panels...wish I could remember who it was. Was just a mesh roof tho. You could probably add plastic corrugated roof, but you'd have to keep the snow cleared off. Not sure you could make it secure enough for a coop tho. Gonna be hard to do without building skills.

I'm a problem solver(as well as a problem spotter) too.....googled and found some stuff that might spark a solution. There's even a bunch of BYC links(sometimes easier to search BYC via Google, hehe).
https://www.google.com/search?q=cha.....69i57j0l2.5196j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Cryss]

OK good to know that you have the big predators. Scary as all get out!

So small budget lends to salvaged materials. My coop was built with reclaimed metal roofing and reclaimed shipping crates for the long sides. I am all for reclaimed items.

Take your time, get a drawing done on graph paper, make a plan.
Once you have a plan you can start gathering what you need. STICK to the plan. Deviations makes for difficult work a rounds later.

Here we have places that specialize in seconds, overbuys and reclaimed lumber. Look for those as sometimes great deals are there. I got siding for 7 bucks a sheet, normally 35 a sheet.

Wondering if a lean to style would fit your needs with the special needs bird.

This link will take you to a Wichita style coop. Not a fan of the size of this one but it has some nice features. I like a walk in coop for a ton of reasons.

OK so you are not a builder so take your time. Measure a bunch.

Will you have help in building a coop?
What are the dimensions of the current run you want the coop onside? I think you posted it but there are a lot of posts to search through to find it.

My run is 10x10x6. The current coop is inside that area and is 7x3.5 , (pretty much the same length and width as that video) and the top of the roof point is 4.75 but the door to get in to do anything is about a foot lower. I also want a walk-in style. Because l dont want to remove this coop (I'll use it for separation situation needs) there really is no room for a second coop inside, especially a larger one. Even one exactly like the current one would either block my entrance into the run or block acces to the egg gathering door. I have only two choices...1. build outside the current run attaching it to the left side. This would mean cutting away all the protection wires there and removing the 10x6 chain link panel to make that attachment. I'm already planning to remove the parallel panel on the right so I can extend the run. 2. Turn the entire current run into a coop. Enclose it with siding (or some sort of wood sheets) from the inside, and add a roof over the outside. A lean to type roof is what l envisioned.
It has been mentioned that the panels may not be able to support such a roof. My brain instantly said "Ok, dont attach the roof to the current run panels. Just build a lean to over top held by posts positioned outside the run." The roof of the current run already has 1x2 wire covering it. I'm thinking thats pretty good ventilation! It just needs snow and rain protection. I'm just kinda rambling my thoughts here, ideas.
I will have a little bit of help from hubby who is more intimidated by building tools than l am. Also my Son-in-law who has a construction background but now has some physical problems along with time constraints but is willing. My grandson is helpful but has a full time job and goes to college. My hope is that if I can design something well and can gather the materials MAYBE I can get the 4 of us together all on the same day to bang it out. <dreamer
I've been meaning to check out a habitat for humanity store where they sell second hand stuff. I think they have things like doorsand windows. Gonna try to gather pallets. Wanna call local dump to see if they allow salvaging.
Oops, gotta run. Time to go to work!

 

[aart]

"Ok, dont attach the roof to the current run panels. Just build a lean to over top held by posts positioned outside the run."

If you can do that, you've got the main support and roof for a whole new coop, just add walls(well and a few other things, but that's the hardest part).
If you can get help to sink posts and build rafters and roofing,
you can probably do the rest yourself.

 

[Folly's place]

This has been a fun thread, and I'm chiming in now. I think that 'predator proof' in bear country must include electric fencing, with a strong charger attached. HowardE information here, and Premier1supplies.com has materials and excellent advice, in their catalog, and on the phone.
On a larger scale, I did something similar; rebuilt the run to incorporate it into one larger coop/ run combination. Love it! It's taken me years to get to this point, but 'chicken math' is an evil addiction, for sure.
The Habitat Restore is a very good resource. Doors, windows, miscellaneous stuff.
Definitely a steeper roof angle!
Overbuilding is never wrong...
Mary