Construction Questions

[mommato3girls]

Building our first coop this weekend. I am planning to use some pallets for some of the wood. Does the floor need to be solid? How do you attach the chicken wire to the wood of the run? What do you use to make the roosts? What does the floor of run need to be?
So many questions!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think we will need a bit more information to properly help you out. What your climate is like will help with what you will need for them.

I will hit on the items you listed as best as I can with the thought that you may have cold windy winters.

Solid floor for the coop? I would say yes for many reasons. If you are building an elevated coop then things cannot reach up into the coop to grab a chicken leg and the wind cannot blow up the skirts chilling the chickens. If you are building it on the ground then so long as the coop area is in a very dry part of the yard you can do a dirt floor and deep litter method of maintaining it.
There are a lot of good threads about deep litter on this site.

How to attach chicken wire to the run...... Well chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in it will not keep predators out. You should invest in 1/2x 1/2 inch hardware cloth. It costs more but then so do replacement chickens. To attach use screws with fender washers or use a heavy duty or air stapler then cover with strips of wood held on with screws. This will give you the security of knowing the wire will not be able to be pulled off.

For the roosts a 2x4 with the 4 inch side upward will allow them to cover their toes in the winter and help prevent frostbite.

Have you researched in the learning center about ventilation needs of chickens??? It is very very important they have fresh air and not a draft in the winter.

TONS of great info here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center

Best wishes and ask lots of questions. There are great people on here that will help you with whatever they can.

 

[mommato3girls]

I have been doing a lot of research. We are building a raised coop. We live in low country, SC (8b Zone). Winters usually don't get too cold here.

 

[21hens-incharge]

In that area you should not need to worry to much about snow but do you get cold with wind?

 

[mommato3girls]

Not too windy, lot's of trees all around where chicken coop will be.

 

[21hens-incharge]

How many chickens are you getting or do you already have?

This will determine the space needed for them.
With that in mind then here is an option for you.

Make the coop raised like you planned.
I would still give it a solid floor. One thing I was thinking about is you would not want one stepping through a space in the pallet and getting a leg broken. Chicken bones are hollow so break easily. You can make the sides out of pallets and line that with hardware cloth if you want a lot of air and no critters reaching in.

Have you looked at hoop coops??

I think this is interesting and would be more cost effective.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/dutch-hollow-hoop-coop
This one has good pics and is informative.
I would choose different nest box options myself but it is a nice idea.

There are more in the coops pages here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

Lots of folks have used pallets for the coops and came out with really nice coops too.

 

[mommato3girls]

Planning for 6 girls. My design is a 4x6 coop with a larger chicken run.

 

[21hens-incharge]

This is a 4x6 coop that I tore down since chicken math made me do it. It could be done with pallets as well.
I also remembered seeing a thread about them so found a link for you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/296168/lets-see-pics-of-your-pallet-coops


Here are a couple shots of the inside.

The other side is the same as this one.

Things I would do differently if I were to do it again......

I would make it 4x8 as that is what lumber comes in and pallets are close to that size. Taller would have been better inside. I kept hitting my head when I was cleaning it.
The roost needed to be another 6 inches off the wall and needed to be removable to make cleaning easier.
I built it inside an existing run so was restricted by the existing fencing.

I should have made the huge coop that I have now instead lol. Chicken math is a bugger.