Foundation assistance needed for integrated coop & run

[Eri_Oak]

Hi everyone! I'm a soon-to-be owner of my first little flock of four chicks (less than two weeks away now!) and I'm hard at work getting ready for them. I'd love some advice on the best way to construct the foundation for our coop/run structure.

Disclaimer: I'm very handy and pretty good with tools, but not a builder in any way. Also, as mentioned above this is my first flock, so pardon any displays of ignorance

We have a pre-fab 4x9 foot integrated coop and run on the way (Cali Coop from Carolina Coops - photo here). Here are a few other details that might be helpful:

• We're based in NorCal with pretty mild summers and winters
• We have ground and aerial predators
• The site where it will be built is on a slope - probably about a foot between high and low points from front to back as well as side to side
• Our soil is mostly clay - there is some construction dirt on top, but an inch or so down it is all clay (compacted, too)
• We do not want to pour concrete or other permanent foundation
• Planning to do deep litter method in the attached run

Here are my thoughts/solicitations for feedback:

• I'm thinking that I will dig a trench outlining the base of the structure to level the ground, and then set in concrete blocks to bring it back up to ground level or slightly above
  • Do I need something between the blocks and the ground to set them? ie gravel?
  • How do I bury hardware cloth using this method? If I have concrete blocks, do I need to bury cloth AND do a predator apron going outward along the ground? I want to make it as predator-proof as possible.
  • How do I secure the lumber base to the top of the concrete blocks?
  • Any suggestions on something that would work better?

Regarding the DLM:

• Because our soil is compacted clay, I don't want to have to dig too deep of a "pit" to get things started. But this is what I'm thinking:
  • Dig down a few inches on the high sides to level out the ground of the pit
  • Return back some of the displaced soil, mixed with hemp bedding.
    • Also thinking of adding discarded dried coffee grounds and redwood fronds. We have an abundance of both of these. Particularly interested in hearing thoughts on the redwood fronds. Are these ok for the birds?? Are the coffee grounds ok to mix with the other materials?

Any other thoughts, suggestions, opinions much wanted!

 

[darkbaysfordays]

So I'm in Upstate NY, which is about a foot of topsoil on top of clay and a wide array of weather conditions. We built our coop entirely (mostly from scraps) on land with a slope. I designed the coop so that it sits 2-3 feet above the ground so that the girls have a place to hang out in the shade and also so that I could store food underneath in tote bins. We dug down a few inches to level where the footers would go, which ended up just being big wooden beams. We didn't put gravel underneath but know that the coop will probably settle and need some minor leveling in the future. I think if you put gravel under the footers that might help negate that some.

I think concrete blocks would be a very smart way to go and would double in adding digging protection for your coop. If you made it so the coop is above the ground that may help too. I would bury the hardware cloth and put it under the blocks. It's all really personal preference on how much predator-proofing you want to do. I'm not sure how to attach a coop to concrete blocks, perhaps the weight of the coop would be enough?

Can't speak much to the DLM as I've never done anything special to my girls run other than raking it around, haha

 

[woodworm]

Disclaimer! I'm not a bulider and have no idea if this is right and even though I started before Christmas I'm still building!

I'm based in North Wales in the UK, we have a mildish climate, my ground drains well but is on a gradual slope. I dug out a trench to level off the ground, filled with approx 3" of 20mm gravel and placed 2 rows of concrete blocks on top (the height of that is how much my ground slopes away).

If I'd have thought about it I would have put the apron between the two rows of concrete blocks at the time, but it's too late now. My plan now is to attach an apron to the blocks but this will be last thing on my build ....

I plan to raise the level of the run floor to the top of the blocks ...

On top of the blocks I put pressure treated 4x2 and then started building on top of that (not treated). I haven't attached the wood to the blocks as this thing weigh's a ton and is reasonably sheltered.

This was taken a few weeks back.

 

[Eri_Oak]

I would bury the hardware cloth and put it under the blocks. It's all really personal preference on how much predator-proofing you want to do. I'm not sure how to attach a coop to concrete blocks, perhaps the weight of the coop would be enough?

When you say burying the hardware cloth under the blocks, what do you mean? Do you mean to run out as a skirt, running inward under the pit, or digging it into a deeper trench than the blocks? This is one of the details I keep getting caught on!

 

[Eri_Oak]

Disclaimer! I'm not a bulider and have no idea if this is right and even though I started before Christmas I'm still building!

I'm based in North Wales in the UK, we have a mildish climate, my ground drains well but is on a gradual slope. I dug out a trench to level off the ground, filled with approx 3" of 20mm gravel and placed 2 rows of concrete blocks on top (the height of that is how much my ground slopes away).

If I'd have thought about it I would have put the apron between the two rows of concrete blocks at the time, but it's too late now. My plan now is to attach an apron to the blocks but this will be last thing on my build ....

I plan to raise the level of the run floor to the top of the blocks ...

View attachment 2306677

On top of the blocks I put pressure treated 4x2 and then started building on top of that (not treated). I haven't attached the wood to the blocks as this thing weigh's a ton and is reasonably sheltered.

This was taken a few weeks back.

View attachment 2306680

That's a GREAT looking coop!

 

[darkbaysfordays]

When you say burying the hardware cloth under the blocks, what do you mean? Do you mean to run out as a skirt, running inward under the pit, or digging it into a deeper trench than the blocks? This is one of the details I keep getting caught on!

I was envisioning having the cloth run on the inside of the blocks up to the coop and then to the ground, under the blocks, and then out to prevent digging. So the blocks and the weight of the coop hold it down