Coop & Run : A few questions

[Chick_a_dee]

Our run will be 10x10 and we plan on using kennel wire from Home Depot and 6ft t-posts from TSC... What do you think? We can't sink proper cedar posts in our run because of the rock the building is sitting on, t-posts are the only thing that will work.

Also, our coop floor is concrete... what should I use to cover it? We have a huge roll of this fake hardwood floor vinyl floor stuff that the previous owner left here, thoughts?

 

[Bi0sC0mp]

kennel wire only thing i dont like about it is the size of the holes.. welded wire is good also.. put some type of shaveing down on the floor that will help alot also

 

[Chick_a_dee]

The kennel wire we're looking at is 2x2... its a lot more affordable and comes in a taller roll than the welded wire we can find. We're planning on skirting the bottom 2 feet or so with hardware mesh, and we're using a lot of the rocks that come out of our ground (field limestone) to building a short wall around the bottom... something tries to dig under and the whole thing will collapse on them.

 

[Omran]

Hello, I think that the kennel wire still has a big hole if it is 2x2 because some small bad animals like opossum and weasel can squize thier bodies into the holes. for this reason I bought 14 gage 1x1 from tsc, Yes it is a little expensive but I don't have to worry about my chickens.
My coop has also concrete floor and I found out that the best bedding for it is Dirt then I can rake the poop out real easy.

 

[fullhouse]

Quote:
I use similar with a channel limestone skirt and have had no issues. We are lacking many of the predators here that squeeze though.

 

[MissBHaven]

My run is 12 x 20, we used regular chicken wire, we covered the top too, we have hawks nesting nearby and just couldnt take a chance from the sky. I used garden stakes to strap an exta 6 inches down to the ground, (they look like giant staples), then I have a small rock wall on top the 6 inch flap left across the ground. My 2 mini-poodles gave up on trying to get in, and my cat is also unsuccessful. We are sure to lock them into the coop every night though, leaving them out will not only risk inviting weasles, skunks, and coons; but also coyotes, wolves, and owls...don't need them hanging round your home...

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Yeah we won't be leaving them out at night, and I know we have fishers, racoons, etc. that come out at night, the only thing I'm worried about is the skunk that comes out during the day, he's rather bold but there only seems to be one passing through at the moment.

We have three eagles using the front paddock as a hunting ground, so i'm going to be put a netted roof on it to keep them out, and putting out predatory bird fakes to deter them. I was thinking of doing a thin layer of peatmoss in the coop, then overtop that a thicker layer of shavings... peat will insulate the floor and the shavings for the lack of dust, and how easily changable they are etc. I may use stall pellets instead though, because they're cheaper and storage is better.

 

[MissBHaven]

I wouldn't have thought of the p.moss. Good idea. I have a thick wooden floor in the coop, and covered w/ pine shavings for now. Cost was $5.99 for a 30 lb bag right at Walmart, and its lasted me all 5 weeks so far. But as they grow, their poo is getting bigger, smellier, and just a whole lot more of it, so I may be looking into cheaper, warmer plans too...

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
You will have a very, very hard time getting a really strong run with just t-posts. If you really want to try that, I would recommend running a piece of rebar along the top edge of the fence, with the pieces exactly equal to the space between t-posts and then use a piece of wood with sockets drilled into it for the ends of the rebar to firmly affix the rebar to the top of the t-posts. This will provide solidity in one direction at least.

A MUCH stronger, more solid construction would be something like the following two options:

-get 10' chainlink kennel panels (actual panels, with the pipe frames)and affix them together at the corners and just use corner t-posts to help anchor the pen and keep it from folding in; or

-if this is just stony ground rather than bedrock, rent a power augur and buy/borrow a breaker bar and manage to get proper 4' p.t. corner posts deeply- set -- if the pen comes off of the coop then you could just use the attachment to the coop as the other 2 corners so you'd only be having to make 2 holes.

Also, our coop floor is concrete... what should I use to cover it? We have a huge roll of this fake hardwood floor vinyl floor stuff that the previous owner left here, thoughts?

You could just bed deeply and keep bare spots raked over. However, like you I prefer to cover bare concrete, for warmth and to reduce dampness of the bedding. Your suggestion of peatmoss under shavings is probably going to end up little different than just shavings alone (except dustier, unless you premoisten the peatmoss) because the birds will scratch it all together. Vinyl flooring is good if it is mostly seamless, but if this is strips of laminate I really really wouldn't use 'em for this.

You could even just use thin plywood or OSB over the concrete - I'd prime/paint it first, esp. if it's osb. Put it directly on the concrete, not up on studs or anything. If/when it starts to degenerate you can just lift it up and replace it. Horse stall mats would be ideal but of course they're awful expensive for 'just chickens'

Good luck,

Pat​

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Yeah it's like shield rock.. we can't auger anything in that spot, but there are small enough gaps for t-posts. It WILL be attached th the coop, it's not like the kennel wire that is used in dog runs.. it's different, and more flexible. I absolutely cannot sink any posts other than t's there, it just wouldn't happen.

Also, the flooring is a vinyl..but its in a roll not like laminate flooring....another option as to put down stall mats... i have a few we don't use anymore, they're easy to clean and pick-up for cleaning, and they're thick rubber.

Also.. to add, renting an auger would take an hour drive to the nearest Home Depot (there are no rental places here) and towing it back because we'd have to get a one-man auger. Again, theres no way I can auger down there... I can try with my manual auger and cement some posts in, just for support but even then... getting those posts below the frost line will be interesting.

Also.... those metal posts for chainlink are out of the question, I can get them... but the cost is astronomical and they're the exact same as the t-posts, just fatter andyou need more hardware. Farmers use t-posts to keep their cattle in, and they use a high tensile paige wire fencing... why wouldn't that keep chickens in?

Dog runs are out of the question as well, you just cannot find them used for cheap here, it's not possible, people hang onto them.. and buying one from TSC is landing you $200-up a panel!