coop design new pics, got it painted!

[chickenpluckeroo7]

I use pieces of 4 ft chickenwire laying flat all the way around my coop and run. I attach them with tie bands to the bottom of the fence and use cut up coat hangers in a u shape to hold it down and prevent predators from digging in. Chickenplucker

 

[Ridgerunner]

question..........thought about putting a piece of cyclone fence on the ground when i put it in the final resting place to prevent dig ins. let the ground claim it. any thoughts?

Chickens are natural scratchers and diggers. I would not put the fence under the run where they would normally scratch and especially dust bathe. Taking dust baths seems to help their hygiene. As was suggested, if you put a section around the outside of the coop and run, horizontal to the ground and either right on top of the ground or buried a couple of inches it stops predators from digging in. Grass will grow up through it and hold it in place if it is on top of the ground, but it might get in the mower or eat up the weed eater string. Depending on the type and size of wire pieces you have, 2' is probably plenty for this, but if you don't want to cut the wire or it is easier for you, more will be a little better. Many people use rocks to hold it down until the grass takes over. Pieces of coat hangers to hold it down sounds like a good idea too.

built a box this evening too. 12x12 cedar and plywood. went ahead and put a ply floor in it. may regret it later but it was a quick fix for now.

I think you will find that almost everyone that builds wooden nest boxes use plywood floors. All nests need some type of nesting material to make a soft spot for the egg to land. I only mentioned wire floors in my nests because you mentioned you were putting it in your roost area. I'm sure I am way in the minority on this.

 

[catsmithpuddin]

Well it has been a while and I thought I would post an update. The coop is the same as it was the last time but is fixin to go through a remodel. The sqwaters that live in it have taken to roosting on the edge of the laying box. Of course the head always is facing out so you can imagine what the inside of the box looks like. Gonna have to redo that.

The plan for being able to move it around the yard has worked wonderfully. tie the rope to the bottom of one end and loop the rope on the 4wheeler and ease it any where I want to. Our squaters decided they wanted to be in it for the first move and they just walked around as the coop moved.

Have had ZERO predator problem. No digging at all. It may help that I mark the corners a couple times a week like a dog would.

The cat decided to chase little girl through the side door of the house a while back and the wife had quite a time getting them seperated and out the door again. The next day all the squaters ganged up on the cat and he steers clear now.

They are right at 5 months now and should be earning their keep soon so I gotta do sumfin about the nesting box.

The poor things have learned quite well what rain is this winter and spring. Don't seem to bother them till it looks stormy and then they hold up in the coop.

Over all we are loving the little ones. OH and BTW they can be tought that there are no yummy treats in the hole of Crocks. Took a while but they got the point!

 

[catsmithpuddin]

Finally got it painted!

 

[wpalmisano]

ACTUALLY, THAT COOP IS NOT BAD. What I would do, and this is just a suggestion, don't be offended, is go to Home Depot and buy a gallon of exterior "oops paint" , the stuff someone didn't like so they returned it, around $5.00, sometimes they have quarts for $1.00, and throw a nice coat of paint on the whole thing. ( I like the flag). It will look much better, but more importantly, it will help it last longer.

 

[catsmithpuddin]

LOL all the paint that is on it is OOPS paint. Love the stuff!

actually everything else is treated lumber so it should be goo for years to come. The roof, ends, and door are all cedar fencing planks. The last painting holdout is the door on the bottom. I am thinking POW/MIA symbol for the door. The access door on the top end will end up dedicated to the US Air Force RED HORSE Squadron I am a member of.

So far I have been happy with the coop had to change the roosting setup but it is working out well. We have plenty of room for the new chicks we have but that will pretty much max it out.

No preditors have got in but that may have something to do with my top secret territory marking project......Can you say dances with wolves?