Anchoring Wichita Cabin Coop

[SunnyFLChick]

Hello everyone, I am busy at work planning out my first coop in many years. I am using the Wichita Cabin Coop for inspiration, but I have a question:

Has anyone ever anchored their WCC to the foundation? The instructions (which I know are really guidelines) indicate to just set the coop on top of the stone foundation, unless I misunderstood. The coop and run will be heavy enough for every day use I know but I am in FL where the potential for a hurricane is never far away. I can't be the first one to think about the need to anchor my structure. Has anyone else done this?

Also, in another area...is 1/4 inch hardware cloth too small. Is 1/2 better?

Any thoughts on these matters would be appreciated!

 

[sunflour]

I don't know about hurricane issues with your coastal location. But we built by the same plans, used 6" x 6" treated lumbar for the foundation. They were notched on the ends to fit together in a rectangle. The coop/run framing was then attached to the foundation. We have had storms with wind gusts up to 40 miles an hour, but that is minor next to a hurricane and depending on how close you are to the ocean, the flooding would be a big issue. If you don't get any responses from members in hurricane risk areas, I would consider rephrasing and reposting your question…..ex: need advise for coop in hurricane area….or hurricane safe coop?

Regarding the hardware cloth, 1/2 inch is working fine for us. Even carpenter bees that flew in the door while we were painting ours could not get back out thru it. And my chickens eat anything that can fly or crawl in thru the 1/2 inch. BUT, we used a commercial grade hardware cloth that my builder friend ordered so we could get it wider than what I could find in local stores.. It is a heavier gauge than I could find at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Good luck with your coop!

 

[SunnyFLChick]

Thanks very much for the feedback! I may repost per your suggestion.

I was considering a wooden foundation so it could be attached. Glad to hear that someone else did this. Luckily we have a lot of elevation on our property (especially for FL) so I don't think flooding will be a problem. We haven't had a storm since we've moved to this house but I'm trying to plan for it anyway.

Thanks again!

 

[Cluckies]

We also get strong winds here in MN (no hurricanes, but possible tornadoes) so my husband anchored our WCC with ground augers through the2x4's and 2x6's and a piece chain on each corner. shouldn't go anywhere... The wood sits on top of cement 4 inch pavers ontop of cinder blocks that are buried. we used 1/2 inch Hardware cloth on our coup.

.