Fencing Help

[aart]

I have to come up with a design to tell my builder guy,

Can't answer long now...but, take your time with this(and it will take some time)don't rush it, you need an absolutely complete plan for a builder even to get a quote.
This is where you'll get drenched getting that sip out of the fire hose,
there's a lot of details, but it will be worth it to take your time before pulling the trigger.

 

[bruceha2000]

2x4s on the flat for roosts though I've had some silly birds perch on vertical 1/2" plywood so what they CAN perch on and what is better for their feet is a matter of choice on their part. Of course the reason they were on the plywood was because older birds were harassing them. All 19 now sleep on the 3" fence rail or 2x4 on the flat.

I don't know anything about that auto door, I have a PulletShut and run it on two 6V lantern batteries wired in series. They last a couple of years at least. I have the photo sensor so the door opens with the light in the morning and closes when the sun is down at night.

If the birds aren't going to be locked in the coop during the day, you don't need food and water inside, they sleep at night That said, my birds' coop is a 10x12 converted horse stall, with roosts running around three sides at 4' high and their hanging feeder is more in the middle of the coop.

Whatever will keep a dog or coyote out will keep a fox out. I've only seen foxes at night ... well except for the one that attacked a hen in the back yard 2 hours before sunset some years ago. She screamed, we ran out, fox ran one way, hen the other. We found her 600' away at the neighbors' across the road 2 hours later. She survived. Ordinarily the girls are never more than about 100' from any building though they could go a lot farther.

I've also see a coon several hours before dark IN my barn going into the coop to get at a sick hen I had isolated in the broody buster cage. The barn is open all day so the birds can come and go as they please (and please DO come back and lay in the nest boxes thank you very much ). That was the same day I found another hen in the morning in a neighboring 'temporary' coop (another converted horse stall) that wasn't predator proof. No head, neck or crop, just her body. I think the coon must have gotten into the barn through the tunnels the damned woodchucks keep digging under and into the lower part of the barn. Because of that I had gone down WELL before dark to call the girls in from foraging to lock them in the predator proof main coop. I get a metal can with some scratch in it from the barn then go out for the birds and that is when I saw the coon going in the open people door of the coop. So nope, not necessarily safe from coons even well before dark.

 

[AmyJane725]

If the birds aren't going to be locked in the coop during the day, you don't need food and water inside, they sleep at night That said, my birds' coop is a 10x12 converted horse stall, with roosts running around three sides at 4' high and their hanging feeder is more in the middle of the coop.

My mom and I were just wondering if chickens ever wake up in the middle of the night for a drink of water or anything. Thanks for clearing that up. If the weather is really bad (as it is apt to be here) they might not want to come out at all and would benefit from having food/water available inside though, wouldn't they?

 

[bruceha2000]

Chickens see very poorly in the dark, once up on the roosts they won't willingly come down in the dark. Whether they will come out in bad weather depends on the weather. My girls don't mind some rain, don't like snow much at all. But if you DO plan a raised coop with food and water hanging underneath, you could put some sort of solid 'roof' over the run where the chicken door is so they can get out and under without too much exposure to the weather. They really don't mind cold but wind is hard, it blows their feathers every which way so they can't stay warm and dry. Not a problem on a warm, dry summer day. More of an issue when it is cold and raining. You could always put up some windblocking material on the windward side (if there is one) of the run. It doesn't have to go full height, chickens are only so tall.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Stupid question: Is it better to have the 2x4s attached so the chickens sit on the bigger side, or turn them them so the skinnier side is where they put their feet?

Is it better to have window vents so that they can be closed sometimes? I've seen some people that just have an opening and they attach hardware cloth over it to let air in/out. It rains so much here I feel like water would get in if I had a constant opening like that.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-perch-experiment.74272/ - TL,DR, chickens don't care very much which side is facing up if using 2x4s/

As far as vents, I close 2 of my windows during winter since the roosts sit between them but nothing else gets closed. If you orient your ventilation correctly for your location and have some good roof overhang you should not get rain in the coop. My gable and floor vents have fixed louver style covers like you'd see outside a house vent, the under eave vents are protected by the roof. The windows are just normal sliding windows like in a house (though awning style, where it opens outward from the bottom, can be a good idea). Even during those terrible rainy windstorms that knock out power to thousands of homes, there's no rain or wind noticeable inside my coop.

 

[AmyJane725]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-perch-experiment.74272/ - TL,DR, chickens don't care very much which side is facing up if using 2x4s/

That was a good study. Thanks for linking that. Always curious to see the scientific method in action.

 

[aart]

If the weather is really bad (as it is apt to be here) they might not want to come out at all and would benefit from having food/water available inside though, wouldn't they?

I like my feed and water inside the coop, as I use supplemental lighting and they can be coop bound for days at a time with the weather here in winter, my run is not weather proof.
It's also just easier for me to deal with, metal can feed storage, power for winter water heater, etcetcetc. But again I'm lucky to have started with a large building, lots of space for the chickens, their supplies, and me the keeper.

That was a good study. Thanks for linking that. Always curious to see the scientific method in action.

It was a great study, he did an excellent job.

 

[Peppercorngal]

What material do you find breaks down better/is better for drainage? I could use a mix I suppose.

I use a combination of shavings and straw. When it's time to change it I put it in my wagon and haul it to my garden box area. I spread it around the boxes to keep weeds from growing. I also spread it on a planted hillside I have. Very useful stuff!

 

[Peppercorngal]

I use pine shavings in the coop, and a poop board.
Wood chips/chunks in the run, doesn't really matter what kind of trees.

I do not put "used" or dirty wood chips for straw in the run. When it starts to get muddy I give the chickens a couple of pats of straw. I let them spread it for me! They get entertained and the mud it covered in straw.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Don't be sorry. I'm glad to know it's bad. I have to come up with a design to tell my builder guy, and I'm looking for inspiration/any good ideas that I can glean from existing coops. The premade ones all seem to be awful though.

So far, I know I want mine up on 2 ft stilts (to offer shelter and to have food/water available under there if I so choose), and the overall structure (not counting nesting boxes) should be 40 sqft or maybe 50 sqft. I'm currently planning on having 7 birds (1 Roo, 6 Hens), so technically I'd only need 28 sq ft, but you never know. I like to be prepared/flexible. Thoughts on this?

There will be a 15x18' enclosed run with a roof and a gate, made from D-knot no-climb horse fencing (unless ya'll have a better suggestion). 2' of skirting will line the outside of the run, with a 4' "L" of hardware cloth giving 2' of vertical protection against reaching raccoons and little animals and 2' of horizontal digging protection against coons, rats, and any other animals.

I want it to be symmetrical, so nesting boxes on both sides, maybe 3 per side. I'd like the back to drop out of the nesting boxes (rather than the roof opening up, for easy cleaning/egg collection) though please let me know if this is a bad idea for some reason. Also, tips on nicest nesting material that your girls like? Straw? More pine chips, something else?

I know I need the roosts higher than the nesting boxes, and I plan to have 2x4s for those. Maybe three or four of them. Stupid question: Is it better to have the 2x4s attached so the chickens sit on the bigger side, or turn them them so the skinnier side is where they put their feet? Right now my plan is just to have the roosts above most of the coop floor, and then a litter tray below that takes up most of the floor, leaving some space for a feeder and waterer that isn't in the bomb zone. As you alluded, my arms are pretty short, so even with a broom/rake I don't think I could reach the end. It would be great to just pull a giant pan out and dump it that way.

The back of the coop should have a keeper access door big enough to pull the litter tray out of, or maybe just fold down completely. I've seen some people who have one entire side of their coop drop down so they can just sweep the whole thing out. Having nest boxes on either side of the coop kind of eliminates this possibility though.

I plan to have an automatic coop door like this one (let me know if you know of a better one) because I have to leave for work very early in the morning (before sun-up) so I don't think they'd be ready to come out until after I leave.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B3W9RDW/?tag=backy-20

I know I need vents higher up than the roosts. Is it better to have window vents so that they can be closed sometimes? I've seen some people that just have an opening and they attach hardware cloth over it to let air in/out. It rains so much here I feel like water would get in if I had a constant opening like that. I guess I need a way to reach them/close them. I'm not a tall person (5'4) so if my coop is too tall I might have trouble accessing them. I mean, there's probably ways around this problem, but I'd love any suggestions.

My coop is a big shed. Nesting boxes are on each side of the opening door to the run. I have 3 roosts at 7 feet, 2 at 5 feet and 2 at 3 feet. The chickens use them like stair steps to the top! I am only 5 feet tall but I have ladders everywhere! Step ladders for the kitchen, a 6 footer for the coop, etc. The coop is so nice I often go out and just sit in it with the chickens and watch them lay!! The run is 1/2 covered with a tarp for rain protection. There are roosts in the run and also out in their free range area.

It is not pretty, but except for the coop I made it myself. It works fine and the chickens are happy!