First Coop Design -- ventilation and rat-proofing?

[msirene]

This is my first thread...I read through the entire "helpful hints" thread and have gotten some great advice! Looking for feedback on my design.

We just got 5 standard hens (2 EEs, 2 blue australorps, 1 blue plymouth) and are working on our coop design. We are in a small town in Northern California (Sonoma County) where lows are rarely below 20F and highs rarely above 100F. We do get strong winds, and rats are a huge problem in town! We also have raccoons and feral cats for sure, and possibly foxes and coyotes, although I have never seen them in town -- we live close to open space where they are often sighted and heard. We also have a very curious mutt with a strong prey drive who I am hoping will learn to be a good guard dog!

Our plan is to build a walk-in 4x6 coop attached to a 4x6 run, and let them free range whenever we are around (which is a lot these days...). My concerns are:

1) Rat Proofing: I plan to wrap 1/2" wire around the base of the coop and possibly the whole run. We have an exterminator setting and checking snap traps weekly. We plan to close the chicken pop door and latch it securely at night. What else can we do to rat and predator-proof the coop?

2) Ventilation: Plan is to leave the top 1' of each wall unpaneled and cover with 1/2" rat wire. Is this too much ventilation? We don't get hard freezes or snow, but it does get windy. The location is under the eaves of our house, facing southeast, in the shade.

3) Egg Boxes: Planning for three 1'ft square boxes, 2' off the ground, with a drop-down exterior door for egg removal. The roosts would be 4' high over the egg boxes.

Let me know what I'm missing!

 

[rosemarythyme]

So the coop is slightly elevated? How high? Is that space under the coop intended for chicken access? If drawing is remotely to scale, I'd worry about the fact that you cannot access the entire underside of the coop to grab a chicken that's huddled in a corner, or eggs that got laid in a bad spot, etc.

For the rats, an apron is a must. if you have a known rat problem I'd aim for at least 18-24" in apron around the perimeter of both coop and run.

I don't believe in too much ventilation (especially in a temperate climate) but you do want to make sure that any open vents are buffered against winds/rain. A big roof overhang helps, or you can build awning style covers and leave them propped open to serve as buffers over vents.

You could definitely stand to expand the run a bit more, if you have room. Even if your intention is to free range at times, that doesn't make up for the days they can't free range, and during those times behavioral issues can pop up due to crowding and boredom (which is hard to counteract when there's a lack of space). Coop space seems fine, you don't really need more than 2 egg boxes though.

 

[msirene]

Thank you so much for your reply! The coop is not elevated per se. We plan on digging down 2" and filling with gravel, and then the rat wire wrapped around the subfloor and 1' up the sides. Do you need to have an apron if the coop and run are wrapped in 1/2" wire?

As far as the run, that is really as big as we can go in our existing space, unfortunately. We could eventually create tractors, but I'm not sure how safe that would be without us there to supervise, in which case they would be free-ranging.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes I would still apron around both, because you don't want vermin tunneling under and just living there, or stealing food, or giving an avenue in for other small predators/pests.

If that's the biggest the run can be then they'll need to be free ranged pretty extensively. Your existing run plan would only be big enough for 2 chickens otherwise. You could try elevating the coop more to open up the space underneath as additional run space, but even then you'd still need to rely on free ranging to provide the outdoor space they'd need. But it at least would give you slightly more wiggle room.

 

[VinDeb]

What do you mean by apron? We are working on our coop and a neighbor said she saw a fox earlier in the week chasing a squirrel. There have also been coyote sightings, neighborhood cats that won't stay in their on yard and of course mice, I haven't seen rats as yet. I'm off to read threads about chicken coop designs.

 

[msirene]

My understanding of an apron is about 12" of hardware cloth buried around the edge of your coop to keep predators from tunneling underneath -- if anyone else has a better explanation or image, please chime in

 

[aart]

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208