Help with coop floor and wall please

[aart]

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

 

[chicknmania]

Above image is from the skunk damage. This morning we reinforced it by filing the hole with rocks, covering with stainless steel grate, covering THAT with triple layer of hardware cloth, adding dirt, and weighting down with fresh logs that have bark removed so that they're slippery and the skunk cant get a hold of them with the bark. (We have lots of logs, so might as well re-purpose when possible). The skunks are interested in feed, eggs, and a sheltered place to make a den to have their young ones. They have gotten into the barn before in years past and so I suppose they consider it their territory. They are useful to have around as far as help with rodent control, but we need to discourage them from burrowing into the barn because they then obviously provide access to the barn to other predators. I don't have any pre-damage pictures, sorry. I still think I will find some plantings that would provide an additional root barrier, this spring.

 

[chicknmania]

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

It was sold as hardware cloth by TSC. We used this same stuff as a a double layer barrier on our chicken tractor after raccoons were chewing through the chicken wire on the tractor. Since we added this stuff (sold as hardware cloth) to the tractor,we haven't had any additional problems with the raccoons chewing through it. I think I know what you're referring to as hardware cloth, but dumbly, I'm just relying on the advice of the store clerk.

 

[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

 

[deepbluesea]

Right now it's dirt. I'll have to smooth it out, though. I'm going to start my own thread with pix so I can benefit from the coop-building brain trust around here.

 

[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.

 

[lazy gardener]

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

See my previous post. I would prefer a soil floor, if drainage is good, and you have a secure, WELDED hardware cloth skirt.

View attachment 1270662

It was sold as hardware cloth by TSC. We used this same stuff as a a double layer barrier on our chicken tractor after raccoons were chewing through the chicken wire on the tractor. Since we added this stuff (sold as hardware cloth) to the tractor,we haven't had any additional problems with the raccoons chewing through it. I think I know what you're referring to as hardware cloth, but dumbly, I'm just relying on the advice of the store clerk.

That right there is the issue! Store clerks will say any thing that pops into their heads. Often, they don't have a clue what they are talking about. Anything to make a sale.

 

[valentinetodd13]

Thank you all for your posts. I'm thinking of spending a little extra money on a really good skirt/predator protection, and look into the deep soil floor technique. Still in the planning phase but need to get moving as we are getting our chicks this weekend.

 

[chicknmania]

See my previous post. I would prefer a soil floor, if drainage is good, and you have a secure, WELDED hardware cloth skirt.





That right there is the issue! Store clerks will say any thing that pops into their heads. Often, they don't have a clue what they are talking about. Anything to make a sale.

UM, well..you know what??? Here's what we used. I just had to check....

 

[chicknmania]

Like I said, I had to check on above, because we bought it last year, and I just knew that it WAS hardware cloth, because why would I buy chicken wire again to repair the tractor, when it didn't work the first time!? So, I don't know. Maybe it would be more appropriate to say buy a finer mesh, or heavier gage, hardware cloth, which we have tried as the next step. It is not coated, which means it will probably rust soon. Anyway, the store clerk wasn't lying. I spent an hour out there tonight in the freezing rain and dark, trying to repair yet another hole that the skunk tore through triple layered and secured hardware cloth. We also added pavers this time to reinforce and weight it down. I have a feeling the skunk is going to make every effort to find another way in.....