Building a new area for the birds - Please Help me do it right.

[Brahma Chicken5000]

You could put tin over the jungle gym roof. You might be able to use it for the coop floor I honestly don’t know how that would go. Good luck with your build.

I personally would shorten the height of the legs. It’s important to note that you probably want to keep the base because it has a great place for a feeder and a waterer (as shown by the red arrows).

 

[Enchanted1s]

My original plan was to make the structure 10 foot, with a 12 foot roof. NOW, that I got this free playhouse - I think I need to change my plans. I now have eight, 8 foot, treated 4x4's. I think these 4x4's would make an excellent base for the structure, so I am now thinking of making it 8 foot, but still keeping the roof at 12' - giving about 2 foot of overhang for shade on three sides.

Part of me wanted to go ahead with my original plan and use the play house as a separate structure in another part of the property. It would be great for isolation if needed. BUT - money is SOOOO tight, I guess I better try to utilize the free wood on this project.

I am just about done digging my hole! I hope to at least have the skirt, foundation and base plate done Monday.

 

[GeoGreyWolf]

I dont own chickens, but own ducks. For the base of mine i did hardwire mesh, river rocks and then top layer with sand. A few years ago we had something dig under and kill two of our ducks, so this time around using it to deter predators from digging under.

 

[Enchanted1s]

I dont own chickens, but own ducks. For the base of mine i did hardwire mesh, river rocks and then top layer with sand. A few years ago we had something dig under and kill two of our ducks, so this time around using it to deter predators from digging under.

Yep - that's why I have been digging (what looks like) a grave all week! We have less than an acre and I would guesstimate that we have about 100 holes from ground digging critters on any given day. Apparently, they don't like to dig near the leach field? because there are almost no holes on that side of the property. This is where the chickens and goats are, but I fear that at some point they may start digging there too, so I am trying to do all I can...

 

[Enchanted1s]

Questions - I would like everyones opinion. Am I over doing it on the ground protection for the coop? My plan is - Dig down as far as the roots will allow - for skirt, I was going to use ½ hardware cloth 4' width starting at the lower part of the several layers of wire fence that I have attached to the split rail fence at the property line - run that under ground to the footer.

The Footer - I have 2" thick 6x16 cement blocks. Then the 4x4 from the playground.
Putting the HWC under the blocks - back up and attached to the 4x4
Leaving the center of the coop earth and filling with leaves & clippings.

I'm not a carpenter by any means, but I usually get r dun. I REALLY appreciate your experience. I have put way too many projects on hold for these chickens!

 

[bajabirdbrain]

For what it is worth, this is what we did. Chicken wire(hardware cloth would be better) first, then pea gravel to level the ground with wire to the inside of the paver then run wild to the outside and pinned down with spikes and fender washers. Grass has grown back thru the wire and is virtually invisible. Put the pavers on top of the pea gravel and then put my 2x4 bottom plate on the pavers. 4x4 posts at each corner. I made 2x4 panels 8'x8' or 7' high so that the roof would slope a foot from one side to the other. Corner bracing and just screwing the panels together has been just fine. Only mistake(so far) I made was that the chickens in their run were scratching out the pea gravel under the pavers. I fixed this by pouring a concrete apron on the inside, just a couple inches high at the paver and then taper down to groundlevel 6-8" out from the pavers. This had a side benefit as the apron increased the width of my digging predator apron bu 6-8". Corrugate plastic roofing made the run secure and dry.

Hope this helps.BB

 

[Enchanted1s]

@aart or @ChickenCanoe or @anybody - Where can I find some info on deep liter method? My coop is coming along much slower than I would like, but the part I hate the most is done! The foundation is down. I have been convinced that DLM would be a better option, but how do I do this right?

I have it skirted with hardware cloth. How much depth should I leave for litter? What exactly should I put for the litter? Just leaves and yard rankings ? THANKS !

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Now you are at the fun part.
I use deep litter for the coop. About 4 inches of pine shavings but sometimes it isn't that much and when it breaks down, I muck it out and start over.
For the runs, I only do straw or leaves.
I wouldn't dig down to create space for it. You need to keep the ground as high as possible and put the bedding down on top of that. Chickens dig and compress the soil so to prevent rain from standing there you want it to be higher than the surrounding soil.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Well, I am putting the surrounding ground level with the top of the cement blocks. I was thinking the dirt inside the structure also level with the top of the blocks or just a bit higher. That leaves a 4x4 + a 2x4 laid flat (about 5-6 inches for the leaves etc. If I fill the hole with dirt then there won't be any room for a deep layer of yard rakings - Right?

Am I missing something? I am planning a 12' wide roof over the 8' wide structure. We are in the desert SW - we do get some flash flooding, but in general - a pretty dry climate. Just trying to understand this DLM. THANKS ALL

 

[Enchanted1s]

I've been debating on what I was going to do with the run. Yesterday, I found a deal on some 'chain link fence with posts' on Craigslist. Turns out it was Gate Panels. I show up to the first one and it would have been awesome for the birds! It was 10 foot tall! and 12 foot wide. All one piece and no way to take it apart! I had no way to transport it the 40 miles home. I could have had it for $20! It wasn't a total waste. I was able to get the two smaller ones. They are 6 foot tall and 10 foot (almost) wide - big, heavy, commercial gates. They even had all of the gate closure hardware and some heavy duty chains.

Total over kill for a bird coop, but the price was right! So, I guess I will do an almost 10 foot run on the structure.