foundation for coop?

[Ginmary]

I have a new coop ordered that is 6' x 8'. I am wondering if it would be better to put it on some kind of base rather that directly on the ground. If so, what kind of base is OK. Does it have to cover the whole area or can pressure treated wood be place on just the edges?

 

[Salacker]

I have a new coop ordered that is 6' x 8'. I am wondering if it would be better to put it on some kind of base rather that directly on the ground. If so, what kind of base is OK. Does it have to cover the whole area or can pressure treated wood be place on just the edges?

I put mine on concrete blocks. It was a lot of work. But the location was very uneven and I think the wood would last longer being off the wet ground. Also more difficult for predators to dig under.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What does the coop look like? Do you have a link to it that you can share?

Is it wooden, metal, or plastic? Does it have a floor? How is it anchored down so wind doesn't blow it away?

What, if anything, does the manufacturer recommend?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I put mine on concrete blocks. It was a lot of work. But the location was very uneven and I think the wood would last longer being off the wet ground. Also more difficult for predators to dig under.

That is really cute!

 

[saysfaa]

I put mine on concrete blocks....

That is beautiful

 

[linguini]

I put mine on concrete blocks. It was a lot of work. But the location was very uneven and I think the wood would last longer being off the wet ground. Also more difficult for predators to dig under.

That's an awesome set up!

We didn't dig into the ground (no big muscles!) so we took an easy way out just put the concrete blocks on the ground (and buried the hardware mesh under the blocks). It was quite a jigsaw puzzle to figure out what sizes and how many cinder blocks to buy, what orientation to fit them together. It all ended up ok, not perfect, but works. My main concern was the rain and snow, the prefab coop was of poor quality, it wouldn't last at all if we just left it sitting on the ground.
We also wrap the bottom of the coop with hardware cloth.

The hardest part was to move the assembled coop and put on top of the blocks. The whole coop was heavy and flimsy - we used two 2x2 bars to lift up the coop and moved it. We also didn't cement the blocks together, they were all just sitting in a square - probably not a proper way to do it. I did put a few blocks in the center of the square so the bottom of the coop won't fall. The blocks in the center, under the coop, allow me to step into the coop if I need to. I was afraid if we sneezed in the middle of the moving process, the coop would break!

 

[saysfaa]

Setting the cement blocks on the ground wouldn't stay straight and stable in my climate on my sandy/mixed soil because of frost heave. But with a small enough coop, it might not be too hard to redo it in the spring. The bigger issue is doors often don't open or else don't shut through the winter. My parents' well house and pole barn have this issue.

 

[imnukensc]

I would set it up on concrete blocks.

 

[saysfaa]

And what kind of climate you have matters a lot.

 

[CreveChris]

I put mine on concrete blocks. It was a lot of work. But the location was very uneven and I think the wood would last longer being off the wet ground. Also more difficult for predators to dig under.

So lovely! I used cinderblocks, too, with caps and joined with mortar.