Below ground coop?

[elmo]

Wouldn't it be awfully easy for a digging predator to just dig right into your chicken cave and help itself to dinner?

 

[UGAchick]

Seems like it. What exactly is a "digging predator"? I have seen no evidence of said menaces in the yard, but have never had chickens in a cave in the backyard.

 

[GwenDellAnno]

Someone else on BYC did this. Here's the thread with pics.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=99638&p=1

Why not!!

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Fox, certainly. They live in burrows. And raccoons, too:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=165146&p=2

This thread has a picture of a hole dug by a raccoon under a fence.

 

[UGAchick]

Well, I would be devastated if something got to my chickens, but it does seem like for every situation, there is a predator who could get in if sufficiently motivated. I have a fenced yard with a 120lb dog who chases anything living back over the fence. I have never seen a fox in my neighborhood, let alone a burrow in my back yard. However, there is always the first time. There was a raccoon in the neighbors yard a couple weeks ago. I am just wondering if there are any inherent design flaws that make this a really bad idea.

Pooling water and burrowing predators are problems, but I don't think either will be a problem in this particular case.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Im curious on how the chickens would react.
It seems that it would be going against their very nature. They roost up high, they don't go "down underground", and if forced to go into a hole in the ground, wouldnt that stress them extremely?

 

[UGAchick]

Quote:
That seems possible. I was going to put the roosts up as high as I could (but still just above ground level). I am not sure that they will like it though. I was thinking more from a temperature point of view, perhaps they would like it if it were nice and cool in our 100 degree summers. But you make a valid point....

 

[sly like Coyote]

Quote:
It looks like he used untreated wood and neglected to cover with a good barrier before backfilling. If so, that particular structure isn't going to last long; the wood will rot away in a hurry, especially in a wet climate. It also looks like he might have built with 'slats' instead of a true wall, and he seems to only have significant structural support for the roof. Not good; it'll get pushed in all directions with substantial force as the ground absorbs water, freezes, etc.

I wouldn't worry about predators - if you've built solid enough to withstand the forces pushing on the structure, it'll be much more than secure. The main disadvantage is that it's a ton of effort and has to be masively overbuilt compared to the same structure built above ground. I'd point out that this particular building in burmed, not really underground.

If you're really considering doing this, check out a few very basic how-to manuals on underground building. Mike Oehler has written a couple of solid shoestring budget underground building books like this one. He's also go one that's designed as a greenhouse to trap heat, but would be more appropriate in terms of scale, effort etc for a coop. Just make sure you're familiar with the basic priniples before building anything subterranean - that's a ton of effort to put in just to have it fall apart two years down the road.