Chicken Coop Foundation

[dmerriman]

Maybe you just need to regrade and improve the soil. Improvements will also help prevent runoff because the soil will naturally absorb more water. You can use leaves from the trees, grass clippings, etc. Your flock will love it and turn it over for you too.

I have tried this with tree mulch and they scratched at all day and although they loved it, they could only enjoy it for one day because they kicked all of it out of the coop and made a big mess and created a mud pile at the bottom of the coop and then the rain came and washed it down out of the coop and made an even bigger mess. So my goal is to somehow level it so when they kick it wont slide as much. I'm am just curious if it is possible to add a concrete block or wood foundation under a run that has already been built.

 

[dmerriman]

View attachment 1678218 Welcome to BYC!
I think your set up looks great. Truthfully your set up for drainage looks better than mine. I have a slightly higher grade in the back and mine sets in a wood frame that it came with. My erosion is only inside the run because the chickens dust bathe in it and requires regrading. We get a lot of rain too. I put down straw to avoid muddy mess and wait till dry part of spring. ​

So your coop's run is also unlevel? Or is it leveled from the wood frame it came with? And, do you put down the straw also during the winter when it rains or just during the seasons when it doenst rain?

 

[Melky]

So your coop's run is also unlevel? Or is it leveled from the wood frame it came with? And, do you put down the straw also during the winter when it rains or just during the seasons when it doenst rain?

Mostly level but it is off a bit. Straw all winter for heat to prevent frostbite risk. But also helps if thick layer to avoid wet muddy messes. I use as reported mulch in the spring with peat due to warmer weather in the run. No illnesses here so far. It usually dries out pretty quick with a few days of sun or freezing weather. With heavy rains for days, I still get a few puddles but it runs off or gets dry quick or freezes again in the winter. I have not found a solution that removes puddles a 100%. This year if get shed approved with stone patio base. Would like garden gated area for outdoor yard for chickens without having to clean a fenced roofed run. We will see how this works. No real predator concerns and they are only out after work hours in evening and on weekends when I am around to monitor. Would like a more garden picture here and hope this will prevent future run problems as well. If doesn't work, will be adding a new attached roofed run that is bigger to new shed house. Glad to talk with you!

 

[dmerriman]

Mostly level but it is off a bit. Straw all winter for heat to prevent frostbite risk. But also helps if thick layer to avoid wet muddy messes. I use as reported mulch in the spring with peat due to warmer weather in the run. No illnesses here so far. It usually dries out pretty quick with a few days of sun or freezing weather. With heavy rains for days, I still get a few puddles but it runs off or gets dry quick or freezes again in the winter. I have not found a solution that removes puddles a 100%. This year if get shed approved with stone patio base. Would like garden gated area for outdoor yard for chickens without having to clean a fenced roofed run. We will see how this works. No real predator concerns and they are only out after work hours in evening and on weekends when I am around to monitor. Would like a more garden picture here and hope this will prevent future run problems as well. If doesn't work, will be adding a new attached roofed run that is bigger to new shed house. Glad to talk with you!

Where I live, it doesn't freeze often and the lowest it gets is maybe around 33 degrees during the day. That being said it might take longer for the straw to dry out. Thank you for the help and suggestions and I will definitely keep that in mind.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

The easiest way, I think, would be to cover it with pavers. Fill in gaps with gravel or sand. Put down some sand to level

These are about the cheapest. 1 sq ft.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-Red...mmon-12-in-x-Actual-11-7-in-x-11-7-in/3018985

 

[Ridgerunner]

First, a homework assignment. This is generic but you may find something that helps.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

Berms and swales may help keep groundwater runoff out of there. Concentrating the water like that can create erosion problems other places but maybe you can deal with that. A cover can help, especially if it is sloped so water runs away from the run instead of in it but rain and snow will blow in from the side. Still, a cover can help.

For thousands of years one way people have farmed hilly land and stopped erosion is the use of terraces. I can't tell enough of the overall lay of your land but maybe a row of cinder block or rock across the bottom of that slope. Fill in behind it, maybe with sand so it drains some, so it is flat. When that flat touches your slope, put another row of cinder block, rock, whatever, and fill flat behind that. If you can anchor it maybe a 2x6, 2x8, or 2x10. Something to contain the fill.

If water washes into to you will still have erosion over the top so stop water from rushing through it. You will probably have to do the sides as well as across the bottom.

They will still scratch and gravity will move fill downhill. You will probably have to top off the fill regularly or at least shovel it back to the top. But from your description and the photos I think terracing is the best bet.

Good luck!

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Another thing you could do that would be easier, but more temporary, is lay down rubber mats. These are on a 4-ft wide roll at Tractor supply and cut to length when you buy. One linear foot (4 sq ft) is about $6-7. Very durable.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...er-1-4-in-thick-sold-by-the-foot?cm_vc=-10005

 

[dmerriman]

Good idea, although I would still like to keep the run "natural" so it feels normal for the chickens.

 

[dmerriman]

First, a homework assignment. This is generic but you may find something that helps.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

Berms and swales may help keep groundwater runoff out of there. Concentrating the water like that can create erosion problems other places but maybe you can deal with that. A cover can help, especially if it is sloped so water runs away from the run instead of in it but rain and snow will blow in from the side. Still, a cover can help.

For thousands of years one way people have farmed hilly land and stopped erosion is the use of terraces. I can't tell enough of the overall lay of your land but maybe a row of cinder block or rock across the bottom of that slope. Fill in behind it, maybe with sand so it drains some, so it is flat. When that flat touches your slope, put another row of cinder block, rock, whatever, and fill flat behind that. If you can anchor it maybe a 2x6, 2x8, or 2x10. Something to contain the fill.

If water washes into to you will still have erosion over the top so stop water from rushing through it. You will probably have to do the sides as well as across the bottom.

They will still scratch and gravity will move fill downhill. You will probably have to top off the fill regularly or at least shovel it back to the top. But from your description and the photos I think terracing is the best bet.

Good luck!

Thank you for the suggestion. I think I am going to try and build a wooden foundation with pressure treated wood under neat and backfill the ground to make it level with gravel or rocks underneath topped with dirt or topsoil also allowing water to escape. I am just not sure of how I will do this because I do not want to take the coop apart to do this.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Thank you for the suggestion. I think I am going to try and build a wooden foundation with pressure treated wood under neat and backfill the ground to make it level with gravel or rocks underneath topped with dirt or topsoil also allowing water to escape. I am just not sure of how I will do this because I do not want to take the coop apart to do this.

One possibility is to line the inside perimeter with 1 x 6 decking boards set on edge and up against the 2x4 base and verticals, then back fill (Pressure of soil/gravel keeps boards in place). I did that with a metal carport I have. Lined the inside with these, then backfilled with gravel. Works really well and super easy. If you like I'll take a picture.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Weather...d-Premium-Pine-Decking-Board-253944/206967716

These would work, too, and are cheaper. They are treated, but not for ground contact. They'd still last for years.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-4-in-...-Treated-Dog-Ear-Fence-Picket-63099/301680328