Check out my new chicken coop

[teach1rusl]

Looks cute and cozy.

Hope you take folks' suggestions as they're intended - helpful rather than criticism. Actually, my first thought was why don't you put a piece of sheetmetal or plywood on top of the run to keep the snow out of there...lol.

 

[DirtyPete]

There is no way a coon is going to get through this wire. I have it attached with 1" 18 gauge staples, I tried to get a section off during construction with no luck.

I'm also in the burbs with very few predators around, maybe an occasional possum or coon at night. I used some of this wire on a chicken tractor that I built this spring and it kept them out. This line of defense will only be needed when I'm out of town for a couple days and need to keep the safe.

I have three birds. They seem happy enough after being in the coop for a couple weeks as I finished up the cage portion. I was worried about the space too, but they haven't ventured outside the garden bed since winter hit.

Thanks for the feedback though.

 

[chickendude]

Quote:
Sorry to tell you this but a coon will get through the chicken wire with ease. Trust me and everyone else. Even in the burbs the coons get big. I hope you heed these words of good advice. If you don't you may regret it someday.

 

[BHep]

I second that. I have had racoons rip through chicken wire, no problem. Also had them grab the chicken through it and rip their heads off. I was just heartbroken. Learned my lesson.

 

[Judy]

Hate to tell you guys but there is such a thing as "chicken wire" that is extremely strong. I have some that is galvanized, I forget what gauge but it's just as strong as the hardware cloth I have elsewhere. I was thinking when I looked at his pics that it looks like mine. I don't know that it's called chicken wire, but it's certainly nothing like the flimsy stuff that I used to fence the chickens out of the garden.

My concern would be that it looks like 1" holes, which a coon could reach through easily. My other concern is that is not much space for 3 birds.

 

[chickendude]

ddawn you may be correct. But it looks like regular c wire to me.

 

[Moabite]

Hey DirtyPete, what kinda chicken is the red and black hen on the right in the first pic? Just wondering 'cause she looks a lot like my hen, Emma, who lays olive colored eggs.

 

[Muscovies]

That is a nice coop thank you for showing the pictures

 

[elmo]

Quote:
A solid fence won't keep out raccoons, though. They can climb over that fence in less time than it will take you to say "Oh, no! A raccoon killed all my chickens!"

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Hey, I grew up in St. Albans, and I could tell you stories about the raccoons battling my dad for years over the sweet corn he kept trying to grow in his garden every summer. One of the ones he trapped weighed at least 30 lbs. They're strong and vicious predators. Don't underestimate them. They grab chickens through the holes in the wire and pull them out, bit by bit. It's ghastly to come out in the morning and have to clean up what's left.

Two other things concern me about your coop design. Your flat roof means that snow is going to build up there, so you'll need to sweep it off regularly so it doesn't collapse. The other thing that concerns me is ventilation, very important in a climate as cold as Vermont. If humidity builds up inside your coop, your chickens are much more likely to get frostbite than if the air inside the coop was dry. Chickens' respiration adds a lot of moisture to the air, as well as any poop that builds up inside the coop. Your winter vents need to be up high at roof level so they don't let cold air blow in over the chickens as they roost, causing them to suffer wind chill.