Chicken Coop for the wife

[Bullcreek417]

My wife decided a couple of weeks ago that she would like to have a few chickens. I found this website while I was researching chicken coop designs. I have decided on the Wichita Cabin style coop. I have increased the size a little. It is going to be 14' x 6'. We are going to keep 4 to 5 hens. I figured I would do a build a long on the coop as I go and if any of you have any pointers along the way feel free to chime in.

We have 5 acres and there isn't a level spot on it. The first thing I am doing is pouring a foundation wall for the coop. I have it formed up and we will pour the foundation this weekend if the weather warms up enough. Here is the progress I have made so far.
Once the foundation is poured and the concrete has cured we will fill it with gravel. I figured I would put a few inches of sand on top of the gravel.

 

[shannondee12]

That looks like a great start! Welcome to BYC. Can't wait to see how it progresses.

 

[WoodenCoyote]

Make sure to post lots of in-progress pictures, it looks like a great build. What are you planning to do about predators?

 

[Bullcreek417]

On the uphill side we will have pavers outside the foundation. I am not worried about the other 3 sides with the concrete and all of the fill that will be in the foundation a predator would have a hard time getting in from under the foundation. As far as wire is concerned I will be using 1/2" hardware cloth. Its funny you ask about predators. We have a family of grey foxes that live in the woods behind the house. My wife actually throws out the scraps for them several times a week. I'm sure they will spend a lot of time investigating the chickens which is why I will not cut any corners when it comes to the safety of the hens.

 

[JanetS]

Your wife should maybe think about not feeding the foxes anymore. Predators are a BIG problem with chickens. I had no idea until we got ours. We have bobcats and hawks in our area.
We can't free range our chickens.

Your coop is looking good so far. Hardware cloth is a great choice.

 

[aart]

Oh, this is going to be a great build, I can tell by the substantial concrete forms, nice job!
Drainage/dig proofing all in one....a nd kudos too on HC!

Wondering tho, why you didn't got to 8x16 just to save on cutting down standard sized lumber?

Your wife shouldn't just think about stop feeding the foxes, she should definitely stop feeding them....you may end up trapping and killing foxes once they start eating your chickens.
Read some posts on the predator forum to start tempering the romance of chicken keeping.

Don't mean to sound like a DebbieDowner........just honest, constructive criticism.

 

[Bullcreek417]

The reason I went 6 x 14 was so I would have a 1' overhang on the roof all the way around using 8' rafters and 4x8 sheets of plywood. I can deal with the foxes one way or another. Our chickens will not be free range. We are going to fence in an additional area around the coop where there can do their thing supervised during the day. My main focus is to get the coop done and then worry about the additional area around the coop. One luxury we have is that my wife works from home and she will be able to see the coop outside her office window.

 

[aart]

Ahh that makes sense, smacks self on head.

 

[coop-er]

The reason I went 6 x 14 was so I would have a 1' overhang on the roof all the way around using 8' rafters and 4x8 sheets of plywood. I can deal with the foxes one way or another. Our chickens will not be free range. We are going to fence in an additional area around the coop where there can do their thing supervised during the day. My main focus is to get the coop done and then worry about the additional area around the coop. One luxury we have is that my wife works from home and she will be able to see the coop outside her office window.

Foxes are extremely crafty- my first flock had 8, a fox took out 7 of them in midday while I was in the yard, on a tractor cutting the grass, I was only yards away..do not underestimate them.........

 

[Bullcreek417]

Well the weather finally cooperated enough to get the foundation poured. I stripped the forms this morning. I am headed to lumber yard this afternoon to pick up some lumber.