Foundation??

[artsyrobin]

Hi everyone, am trying to decide how to make the run and coop- but we have solid rock, at the most 2 inches of soil, then slate- what is the best way to make a predator proof run? i have read where we need to bury the fence...any suggestions?? I want them to be able to scratch around and be chickens...LOL!

 

[newchickmom]

You could lay it out like a skirt and put stone over it. Preditors will try to dig right next to the fence, they aren't really smart enough to start out further. With that much rock so close to the surface, they should not be able to dig under that way.

 

[Suburban chick farmer 09]

That sounds like it would work to me.

 

[patandchickens]

yeah, run an apron of heavy gauge wire mesh 2-4' out from the base of the fence and weight it down real good with heavy rocks or concrete rubble or big pavers or whatever you got. That will work as well as if you'd buried a fence.

Your biggest problem will be getting run posts set in such ground -- you may need to look at alternative designs that just sit on top of the ground rather than having posts, but then you HAVE TO tie them down well and also brace them across corners so it doesn't all just fold up and fall over in a strong wind.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[willheveland]

How about looking for a used dog kennel or two. Will

 

[artsyrobin]

Thanks everyone, hopefully the weather will get warmer next week and we can get started- here are some pics of the area we plan on building it- not the most glamorous... but - the land is shared with my husbands family and it is really rocky..

not much to look at now...

 

[cmom]

My coop and run were made to be moveable. I haven't had any predators ever try to dig under the run but I have a fenced in area off the run for my birds to range in and have had a neighborhood dog dig under it and kill one of my hens. Now I have electric wire around the outside and have had critters try until they get zapped with 4000 to 6000 volts. Once they have been shocked I haven't seen them return. There are pictures on my BYC Page.

 

[cmom]

You may want to check out this page. Hopefully it will give some good ideas for yours.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

 

[morelcabin]

We built ours in an area like this. We put some gravel down to level off the area and built the shed on top. As for the fencing for the coop we just ran it off the coop itself for stability (like putting an addition on but only 4 ft high) It's still standing because it's all level and attached together. We put pavers along the bottom of the fence over top 12" of chickenwire to stop digging, and electrified the fence to keep away predators. You can see it on my BYC page

 

[Their Other Mother]

We have lots of hard ground here in Arizona. I just built a new coop and didn't even use footings. I set it up on skids then nailed 2x6 treated lumber all around the bottom to the ground. It's so hard nothing can dig in and the coop is big and heavy enough not to blow away - we're not in an earthquake area so..... Plus if I ever need to move it I can probably hook some chains to the skids and drag it with my truck.