ground level or above ground?

[manwithnoname]

after having my 3 week old flock wiped out in a single night I have come to the conclusion... I new a new coop. I have a 9'x9' concrete pad to work with. but is it better to build an elevated or ground level coop? does it even matter as long as it s tight? i want to be able to keep more than 12 chickens and plan on free ranging. those that sell coops pre-built or kits large enough are proud of them it seems $$$$. so i will be building it myself

 

[AlienChick]

If you've already got a concrete pad, I would build it on top.

 

[manwithnoname]

that's what i hoped to hear. I just didn't know if an elevated coop had superior predator protection to be worth doing. I think I am over analyzing everything now since last weeks massacre

 

[THINGUM]

Somewhere on here there is a guy that is having to build a "bear proof" coop. All railroad ties I suspect. The pad will be big enough for a dozen or more. Plan for light and ventilation and on and on.

Quote: "Build her hell for stout, 'pretty' always takes care of herself" ... Charlie Settlemeyer.

 

[patandchickens]

A thing to be aware of.

If you are building on a preexisting slab, it is really best to have the building encompass *the whole slab* (with your siding hanging slightly over its sides), not just part of the slab. Reason being, rainwater pools on the exposed portion of the slab and can flood under your coop walls. There are products you can buy to put under the sill of the building to "try" and keep this from happening but sometimes they work for ya and sometimes they don't. Given how much of a big problem a chronically-flooding coop is, I would strongly advise designing to prevent that possibility.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[manwithnoname]

thanks Pat! I didn't think of that! I definitely only want water to be in the waterer

 

[Dixiedoodle]

We had a 7x10 cement pad on our property and that is where we built my coop. It works wonderfully! I love it.. The only thing I would change --I would place the human door to open outside the run.. I have to rake shavings out of the door way every night to close the door... I use the deep litter method and have no problems at all... I will be pouring a cement pad for my new coop.

 

[TajMahalChickens]

I would definitely build a shed on top of the concrete pad. That way you can build a nice big one that covers the whole pad. Walk-in coops are much easier to clean and take care of.

 

[farmer_lew]

Definitely build it big enough for you to get in and move about easily. An 8x8 will give you enough sqft for up to 16 chooks. Use 2-by lumber for framing, and put your wall studs 16 inch, on center. That will help with the structural strength of your walls. Depending on your predator types, you could go with 1/2 - 3/4 inch siding as well. Heavy hardware cloth over all openings, etc, etc. Think like a predator to stop a predator.