Coop in progress...bad planning?

[SomeChickinTN]

Use post blocks and those legs will last "forever". I'd be more concerned that the legs don't wiggle.

Thanks There's about 16 lag bolts in what we have up so far, so there hasn't been much wiggle room. I might add some more support at the legs though

 

[aart]

My junk pallets will do just fine for what I need them to.

They might, or they might not...they do look pretty rough...hopefully it's all sturdy enough to hold up the roof.
Best of cLuck!

 

[Justso]

My coop is coming along, but I'm trying to figure out if there are flaws in the design before we get too much further....

There is not a level spot anywhere in my yard, so one side is elevated. I know for sure that it's sturdy, but how long will wooden legs last? I worry they will rot and collapse the coop on the one side.

Deep litter doesn't work on a wood floor, right? Is it possible to make the coop level and critter proof with a dirt floor on a slope? My yard sucks. If you can think of a better way to do it, I'm more than happy to hear it.

View attachment 1601663

I use deep litter on a wood floor. No problems so far, 4+ yrs. I do clear out every spring.

 

[PTA Chicks]

I'm not sure. That's why I'm trying to figure it out before it goes too much further. I haven't figured out what a hoop coop is yet....
The idea of building a huge garden box type foundation is appealing, but will the rain runoff be a problem?

Mine looks like a vegetable gardening tunnel Only for growing eggs instead.

 

[jthornton]

Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine. No, I'm not dropping $1000 into a chicken coop. My junk pallets will do just fine for what I need them to. Thanks for your two cents.

No offense indented but based on the photo that was the conclusion I reached, right or wrong.

You did ask how to make a level floor that works with deep litter and I gave a solution to that.

JT

 

[Folly's place]

Hoop coops are the best compromise between good enough and inexpensive, and do very well. There are a number of threads and pictures here if you look. Blooie has a very nice one, for example.
Another possibility is to find a trailer on wheels for cheap and use it as a base, or a nearly dead camper.
Mary

 

[SomeChickinTN]

Mine looks like a vegetable gardening tunnel Only for growing eggs instead.

So I went and looked it up, lol. That looks really simple and awesome, and we have tons of material to do that

 

[SomeChickinTN]

No offense indented but based on the photo that was the conclusion I reached, right or wrong.

You did ask how to make a level floor that works with deep litter and I gave a solution to that.

JT

Thanks. In person, the two that are making up the walls look like crap, but the other ones are sturdy and new. We plan to use boards or plywood to draft proof it. But I see it as a learning experience. If it doesn't work long term, we'll go back to the drawing board and start over.

 

[Compost King]

I would put some sort of concrete block under each leg. they are less than $2 a piece, and if you really want to pinch pennies you can just use red bricks for 50 cents a piece. Maybe you can find someone who threw such things away. Unless its pressure treated wood I would not let it touch the ground. .
I am a big fan of Pallet floor coops if done correctly they allow the bedding to get access air from underneath and reduces ammonia production. Split water also has somewhere to go if you keep water in a coop.

I have a small pallet sized coop that needs to be rebedded with a cardboard liner because the bedding fell through the pallets so I thought I would share pictures of it.

This is what it looked like this morning, The straw was eventually scratch through the slots. Normally I put in wood that fits slightly tighter but I use what I had at the time. My only real concern is that predators can not get through. The largest slot is 3/4 of an inch to 7/8ths of an inch. The Chickens are only locked up at night when they are on the roosting bar so anything reaching up will not reach high enough to get to them.

This time I line the floor with cardboard. If it was warmer out I would have removed the tape but since its cold the tape stays and I will filter it out of my compost pile next year.

The holes did not show up in the picture but I drilled holes in all the cardboard, puncturing works too but the drill is so much faster and its cold! This is one of those extra steps I take that is totally not needed. Making a perfect compost is my top priority. I like to increase available air to the bottom of the litter. Your priorities will be different and likely you will skip this step if you use cardboard liners. Cardboard without holes works fine.

The final step is the straw, part of the reason why this coop goes through too much bedding as you can see in this picture is that the door (sliding screen door) is at floor level and I should have had a 4 to 6 inch lip to catch the straw. Adding a lip to contain straw is on the project list but for now I will just keep replacing straw. I use Sliding Screen doors because Raccoons are not strong enough to open them.. so much friction in the ones I make that I have to put my weight into them to open them. If you look at the back wall, that's not an external secure wall, there is another breeding coop on the other side. Predators can get through that... just clearing that up if someone asks. It is good for introducing news chicks as they can see and hear each other, but the bamboo branches keep the roosters from doing damage to each other if they try to fight through the wall. Some of my Duplexes have solid secure internal walls but I figured I should save secure resources for external walls and use my scrap materials for internal walls.

Thats just to give you an idea of what to do with a pallet floor coop. FYI they can be very dangerous to walk in which is why I tend to only use them for small coops. If I could get rock solid fresh new pallets I would make walk in coops with them but since I get free pallets I tend to get the crappy ones.

 

[SomeChickinTN]

I would put some sort of concrete block under each leg. they are less than $2 a piece, and if you really want to pinch pennies you can just use red bricks for 50 cents a piece. Maybe you can find someone who threw such things away. Unless its pressure treated wood I would not let it touch the ground. .
I am a big fan of Pallet floor coops if done correctly they allow the bedding to get access air from underneath and reduces ammonia production. Split water also has somewhere to go if you keep water in a coop.

I have a small pallet sized coop that needs to be rebedded with a cardboard liner because the bedding fell through the pallets so I thought I would share pictures of it.View attachment 1601722

This is what it looked like this morning, The straw was eventually scratch through the slots. Normally I put in wood that fits slightly tighter but I use what I had at the time. My only real concern is that predators can not get through. The largest slot is 3/4 of an inch to 7/8ths of an inch. The Chickens are only locked up at night when they are on the roosting bar so anything reaching up will not reach high enough to get to them.

View attachment 1601726

This time I line the floor with cardboard. If it was warmer out I would have removed the tape but since its cold the tape stays and I will filter it out of my compost pile next year. View attachment 1601728 The holes did not show up in the picture but I drilled holes in all the cardboard, puncturing works too but the drill is so much faster and its cold! This is one of those extra steps I take that is totally not needed. Making a perfect compost is my top priority. I like to increase available air to the bottom of the litter. Your priorities will be different and likely you will skip this step if you use cardboard liners. Cardboard without holes works fine. View attachment 1601731
The final step is the straw, part of the reason why this coop goes through too much bedding as you can see in this picture is that the door (sliding screen door) is at floor level and I should have had a 4 to 6 inch lip to catch the straw. Adding a lip to contain straw is on the project list but for now I will just keep replacing straw. I use Sliding Screen doors because Raccoons are not strong enough to open them.. so much friction in the ones I make that I have to put my weight into them to open them. If you look at the back wall, that's not an external secure wall, there is another breeding coop on the other side. Predators can get through that... just clearing that up if someone asks. It is good for introducing news chicks as they can see and hear each other, but the bamboo branches keep the roosters from doing damage to each other if they try to fight through the wall. Some of my Duplexes have solid secure internal walls but I figured I should save secure resources for external walls and use my scrap materials for internal walls.

Thats just to give you an idea of what to do with a pallet floor coop. FYI they can be very dangerous to walk in which is why I tend to only use them for small coops. If I could get rock solid fresh new pallets I would make walk in coops with them but since I get free pallets I tend to get the crappy ones.

How often do you clean it out? If we stick with this design is it a good idea to put wire on the underside of the floor?

So far, there are about 10 support legs under the floor. My husband has been trying to make sure it's sturdy enough to walk on, and he can bounce on it. I'll get the blocks for the legs though. I'm planning to do compost in the run, so I've been hoping you were going to reply, lol.