Help with coop floor and wall please

[valentinetodd13]

I'm doing almost the same thing, with a two-walled section of my shed. Watching with interest.

So what are you using for a floor

 

[aart]

Sorry I thought I did but it didn't save.

NP.
CA is hard to reckon as y'all have a real mix of climate...desert dry, mountain cold, monsoon rain.....

 

[valentinetodd13]

NP.
CA is hard to reckon as y'all have a real mix of climate...desert dry, mountain cold, monsoon rain.....

Haha. True, but Not too bad. Kind of weird right now though. We had 75 two weeks ago now it's 26. No clue. But usually kind of a cold winter but nothing bad. And then it'll get over 100 for a week or two in the summer.

 

[valentinetodd13]

So how bad would it be to keep the dirt floor? It's almost a hard clay.

 

[Alaskan]

dirt floors are easy to clean... unless they get muddy... then you need to build them up with sand.

I think with temp range of 20 to 100 a mostly screen front wall would be best.

 

[chicknmania]

Thank you so much. Love the coop. And the links for the skirts.
Yeah I was thinking of pavers for the floor with a cheap linoleum top for easy clean up.
Then 2x4 framed and plywood wall with door to close off the coop.
Then basically frame in the existing horse area with mesh to make a run.
Will have to do skirts all the way around and make everything pretty bomber due to fox, raccoons, and skunks.

Last night a skunk tore through the hardware cloth "skirt" which barriers the rear wall of the barn where our chickens sleep. The hardware cloth was buried, bolted to the wall, and weighted down with heavy logs. That has worked fine for the past year. It was amazing that this skunk simply tore a huge hole through the log, and the hardware cloth underneath, then dug under the wall. So this time I used metal grate underneath a double layer of hardware cloth. Fortunately, nothing else found the hole overnight, and the skunk didn't do any damage otherwise, and left as he/ she came in...at least as far as I know.

 

[valentinetodd13]

Last night a skunk tore through the hardware cloth "skirt" which barriers the rear wall of the barn where our chickens sleep. The hardware cloth was buried, bolted to the wall, and weighted down with heavy logs. That has worked fine for the past year. It was amazing that this skunk simply tore a huge hole through the log, and the hardware cloth underneath, then dug under the wall. So this time I used metal grate underneath a double layer of hardware cloth. Fortunately, nothing else found the hole overnight, and the skunk didn't do any damage otherwise, and left as he/ she came in...at least as far as I know.

Wow. That's a determined skunk. Do you have pictures of your skirt I need ideas for one too

 

[chicknmania]

I don't have pictures right now but I can get some I guess. But basically we just bolted the hardware cloth to the baseboard foundation part of the barn, extended it out, covered with dirt, and weighted down with logs. The log it bulldozed through had some rot, which was my dumb fault for not replacing it, or, rocks or cement block would have been better. I was amazed at how powerful and yes, determined it was, though! I was thinking that planting something like decorative grass in the dirt layer on top of the hardware cloth, so that as it grew, roots would extend down through the hardware cloth and anchor it down more, might be a way to make it even more secure...

 

[aart]

That has worked fine for the past year. It was amazing that this skunk simply tore a huge hole through the log, and the hardware cloth underneath, then dug under the wall.

OyVey!! So, no chicken casualties, skunk was just after feed?
Would love to see detailed pics of the damaged log/apron...as well as any pics from when you installed apron. Could be quite educational. Would be good to start a new thread in 'coop build' or 'predators' forum titled "Apron Fail".

So how bad would it be to keep the dirt floor? It's almost a hard clay.

As long as you have good drainage/slope all the way around so no water comes into coop area it should be fine. Looks like there is a sharp slope to the left, and a swale behind...what's to the right?

I think with temp range of 20 to 100 a mostly screen front wall would be best.

That's what I was thinking.....that roof overhang should mostly protect an open mesh front. Could even partially cover front at sides in winter.

 

[chicknmania]