Help with coop floor and wall please

[valentinetodd13]

Hello all.
I am turning a three sided old horse structure into a coop. Going to make the walls align, no cracks or openings. But I need help with ideas for the floor and best way to build the front wall for the coop.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[SueT]

Hello all.
I am turning a three sided old horse structure into a coop. Going to make the walls align, no cracks or openings. But I need help with ideas for the floor and best way to build the front wall for the coop.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

Hi, we turned a 3 sided cattle structure into a coop. It was a basic corrugated metal shed. It had no floor, so we made one from repurposed oak fence boards. The front is cedar fence pickets....the window now has wire mesh and a plastic poly panel for winter...
here are pics from the build in 2015

 

[lazy gardener]

If that building currently has a soil floor, I'd leave that and not cover it! Do some thread searches for Deep Composting Litter management. A DL soil floored coop is essentially care free. Simply keep adding DL materials, and every now and then you can harvest the most beautiful spongy black fragrant compost you could ever hope for. Just be sure to put a nice predator proof skirt around the entire building, along with the predator proofing as suggested by PP.

 

[aart]

Argue all you want it's the same thing. I ought to know I bought it! The reason the shape of the holes looks different is because the wire was stretched from the skunk pulling on it. In this store the poultry netting and hardware cloth are in different sections. I agree that it doesn't look the same but it is. I'll send a pic of what is on our tractor and you'll see because it's from the same roll and the hole shape is much different.

I'm not trying to 'argue', just clear up any misconceptions to help educate us all.
1/2" 19ga squares can't be stretched into 1" hexagons.
I was very interested to see how animal got thru HC, but that isn't the case.
I very clearly see here, away from where skunk got in, the hexagonal holes of chicken wire: Circled the double layer to the left and single layer to the right.

 

[Skipper81]

WELCOME YOUR GONNA LOVE BYC!!!Awesome structure to start with.
First where do you live and you should put it on you profile so it's quicker for everyone to help.
Then I'll know type of predators and climate lol

 

[valentinetodd13]

Hills of Northern California. Hot summers. Cold winters. Main predator would be fox. But we also have raccoon, coyotes, mtn lion, and bear. Last two are rare though.
That being said I think I'll have to put a solid wall to inclose it.

 

[aart]

Ah...that's chicken wire, not hardware cloth,
most preds can chew right thru chicken wire.

 

[Skipper81]

Check this out a lean to chicken coop with a mesh front wall and a built in run
Plenty of ventilation if it doesn't get cold where you are

 

[CapricornFarm]

I would build a wall with 2x4s and have a door in it. You are probably going to want some windows too.
And welcome to BYC!

 

[aart]

I would frame a wall with nests and doors...
..... yes, 2 people doors so you can split coop for new birds.
Cover wall framing with 1/2" hardware cloth.
Cover those gaps in back with HC too.
Take a look at My Coop page.

An anti-dig aprons all around.
Good examples of apron installation, tho I'd not recommend 1/2" HC..
...go with 14ga 1x2 or 1x1, will hold up much longer and is easier to lay flat.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208