Feeling uneasy about my wife's coop idea

[Kittymomma]

It should be fine for cats, and mostly they won't bother adult LF anyhow, But raccoons and dogs will go right thru it. The hardware cloth does cost a lot more, but I think it's a good investment.

 

[butterflygrooves]

What exactly is hardware cloth?

 

[chookchick]

Hardware cloth is the stuff that has 1/4" or 1/2" squares. Like kittymomma says, you really should go with something better than chicken wire. You will be amazed at the predators that can come out of the woodwork when you get chickens. Also bear in mind, you will need at LEAST 4 sq. ft. in the coop plus 10 sq. ft. in the run for each chicken. You haven't found anything suitable in the "small coops" or "tractors" sections? I might take a look....

The coop in the link you pasted looks good for 3 hens--but you will need the enclosed area and of course a nest box. It doesn't need to be near that fancy in style!

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
Galvanized steel wire mesh.

This site shows some good examples:
http://www.twpinc.com/twpinc/control/category/~category_id=TWPCAT_4?gclid=CO2iwa7jm6ACFc9k4wod_gSneA

Edit to add: Just for the record, I have never bought anything from that site and did not post it to promote them. I just felt they had good images to show what hardware cloth is.

 

[quiltnchik]

You or your wife do a BYC or Google search for "Hoop Coop." These are sturdy, can be easily made predator proof and inexpensive to put together. My husband is going to build one for my newest hens this weekend.

 

[ecopepper]

We did a little dog house jobby for our coop. Then I had to add the nest box and make the roof higher. When you think your done your not. And when you don't use plans it is kinda hair raising but can be done. Goto my page and see our coop for 2 hens.... good luck it is worth it!!

 

[crosbygroup]

I'm not sure where you are in southern Calif. I'm in the San Fernando Valley and we have raccoons, opossums plus feral cats. You might want to look at Craigs List for your area. There are some great coops on ByC that were made at of playhouses (wood and plastic, sheds, storage containers, etc. We made ours out of a swing set/play structure that we recycled. You might also want to look for a Habitat for Humanity REstore. They have great prices and a huge selection of random building materials.

 

[butterflygrooves]

Quote:
That's a great idea! I always see this man parked near my wife's work and he sells dog houses; tiny (teacup dog size), small, medium, and large (will easily accomodate a german shepard). I may have to see what he charges for the large size, add some stilts, frame out the run, add a couple windows, vents, pop door, nest box, hardware cloth and Voila!

 

[butterflygrooves]

Would THIS work? It's a 4'x5' dog house that looks like it can be easily modified.

 

[SC_Hugh]

The 1/2" hardware cloth is better quality (stronger) than the 1/4" cloth. It is pricey, but it will keep the predators from feeding on your flock. I covered my run with chicken wire and then buried the second layer of 1/2" hardware cloth 12-16" and it comes up the sides another 20-24" (3' wide roll).

The best advice I ever got was to fully cover your chicken run. I also installed hardware cloth under the roof panels to keep the predators from prying the roof off and climbing in.

Doesn't everybody like chicken and eggs? All predators do

Welcome to the world of chickens

Lots of really great BYC people here to help you.

--Hugh