Building My First Coop / Run

[Lorije1]

I am the "anti-carpenter" - whatever a carpenter excels at, I don't!!

I am in Florida - home of extreme heat, severe thunderstorms and Hurricanes Erin, Opal, Ivan, Dennis.....

With that said - I have an existing shed built from privacy fence planks but it is full of "very important" stuff (junk). What I am planning to do is add a new section of shed for the coop, using the side of the shed as the back, the adjoining privacy fence as one side so all I have to do is build 2 sides. I have dug out the bottom and plan to line it with hardware cloth and then put down 16" square cement stones for flooring. I will also line the existing plank walls with the cloth (some gaps in the boards). I figure the new 2 sides will be plywood and this is where I get into questions.
1) Are the plywood sides to be treated lumber and what thickness?
2) Should they also be lined with the hardware cloth? or just where I cut the windows?

The North side of the run itself will be formed by the privacy fence. I plan to cover the bottom 2ft or so with the hardware cloth, as well as burying some all the way around the fenceline for a digging deterrent.

So - the East side is taken care of by the coop, and the North side by the privacy fence. Is regular chicken wire ok for the remaining 2 sides? Or should I use the hardware cloth? There is a large pecan tree just outside of what will be the run and it will provide shade. Since it will cover about 80% of the run, do I still need to put a cover on the run for the "air raid" predators? I am actually probably going overboard for land predators - the coop and run will be inside my fenced backyard which is inside a larger 4 acre fenced yard with my dogs.... but I do figure I will have rats and they will attack grown hens too, huh?

Sorry for all of the questions> I am trying to hurry since the feed store is selling out of pullets pretty fast and the next shipment will be mixed.

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

First of all...

I will see if I can help you with some of your questions. I know it seems to be a little overwhelming right now but you will be OK. There are a lot of helpful folks here.

1) The sides of the coop does not have to be treated as long as it is protected....paint, vinyl siding etc. Some use it, some don't and some are against it.
A common thickness would be about 7/16 or greater so it's not easily ripped apart by a predator and it makes the coop much studier.

2) The hardware cloth would really only be necessary at the window openings and ventilation openings(You don't need to cover the plywood with hardware cloth). You will need to put ventilation in the coop for air exchange and to keep the humidity from getting too high. Chickens produce a lot of humidity. Here is a good article on ventilation. This lady knows what she is talking about.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Remember when you attach the hardware cloth to use screws and washers or wood strips to secure it. Staples will not hold the hardware cloth to keep predators out.

I would not recommend using chicken wire "only" for the purpose of housing chickens. Chicken wire will keep the chickens in but is easily destroyed by predators. It may cost more however your birds will thank you for it. And no you are not going overboard in protection from land predators. If it's feasible you can cover the roof of the run with hardware cloth. Others here have used chicken wire, hanging CD's, ribbons to deter air predators. There are plenty of opinions and ideas on this.

Yes, rats have been known to attack grown chickens.

It sounds like you are on you way to a nice coop/run. We all had to start somewhere so don't be intimidated about all that there is to know. That's what we're here for. Keep in mind that these are some of my/others opinions/ideas and not meant to be written in stone. Every one does things a little different with one goal in mind, the well being of our flocks.

Good Luck!!! We want to see pics when you're done.

 

[Lorije1]

thanks! It has rained the last couple of days so not much progress (read that "none") made . I did go buy my rolls of hardware clothe and some screws / washers (had planned on using staples!). I am off work tomorrow so I am hoping it will be a very productive day. I am afraid after this weekend I will either have to take my chances with "random" Easter chicks from the feed store, or wait until the next shipment whenever that might be, and take my chances with breeds.

 

[fiddleblue]

I was a little confused as it seemed first you were saying you'd use plywood for the remaining two sides of the coop, then you mentioned chicken wire for those sides. The coop is composed of two parts, the henhouse and the chicken run. For the henhouse, I'd make it totally out of wood or some other hard material such as galvanized sheet metal or plastic. For the run, I'd make it open, for the remaining two sides, so that you can see in and the chickens can see out and feel like they are outdoors. I'd definitely use hardware cloth for the lower 3 ft (and above that for any areas the chickens can get to, eg if they can leap up to a tree branch that's adjacent to the wire run wall), then 2 by 4 inch welded wire above. No chicken wire, too flimsy and easily broken. I WOULD put a wire ceiling/roof on the enclosure, just because you never know what predator might come in. A hawk can fly right down. A racoon can climb over fences. I used the 2 by 4 inch welded wire for the ceiling of my run. Squirrels can scamper over it, and I've seen racoons walking on the wire ceiling at night, but they can't get in.

 

[Lorije1]

yeah... that's pretty much why I am here... I am clueless and new to this.

Sorry for the confusion.

I have used an extra section of old privacy fence for the 3rd side of the house, will have to get my dad to come over and help me with the doors.

How high does the yard fence need to be if I don't have a cover? the rolls of hardware cloth I have are 36" and I figure on 2 rows - so with that it would be maybe 5 1/2 ft with the overlap?

I have seen several posts about wild birds carrying disease and such.... if for a few years a bird feeder has been on a branch over where my chicken yard now will be, is that a problem (the feeder has been moved)?

Should have some fine feathered friends moving in soon! Wooo Hoo!