Hoping to build a new coop! What do y'all think my design should include?

[Birdsong 82]

you can find free pallets all over craigslist too. So that is very helpful

Yup. Businesses give them away if you just pick them up. I grab some at job site when available and pallets for sandbags or signs from work. Nice to great resources for free do money can be focused on making safe run. LOTS of predator out here

 

[Thyme4Chickens]

No. Don’t buy it at Home Depot or a big box store it will cost you even more. I got a 4 foot tall 100 foot long roll of 1/2” hardware clothe from mypetchicken.com for $200.

Start price comparing now and watch for sales - we got 1/2" hardware cloth on amazon when it was really marked down (don't remember off the top of my head what we paid for it)

Also, not sure if you have Menard's down there - I've seen good sales at ours recently.

 

[nessa.morg]

Start price comparing now and watch for sales - we got 1/2" hardware cloth on amazon when it was really marked down (don't remember off the top of my head what we paid for it)

Also, not sure if you have Menard's down there - I've seen good sales at ours recently.

So if I see it marked down to a good price I should go ahead and buy it even if im not gonna use it right away? What is Menard's? I'm positive they don't have it in my city but maybe somewhere close. Ill have to look online for their locations.

 

[Thyme4Chickens]

Menard's is a home improvement store -like Home Depot but with more inventory and often with better prices.

I think if you get a feel for prices, then you'll be able to tell if a really good sale comes along. We've been storing ours in the garage (it comes in rolls) for months.

It will help to have a plan for your coop/run first so that you'll know how much to get

 

[Birdsong 82]

Menard's is a home improvement store -like Home Depot but with more inventory and often with better prices.

I think if you get a feel for prices, then you'll be able to tell if a really good sale comes along. We've been storing ours in the garage (it comes in rolls) for months.

It will help to have a plan for your coop/run first so that you'll know how much to get

I grab anything I know I will need if it’s an amazing price. I’ll store things for long time but it ends up used! But always remember when measuring for HC to add the coop ventilation. I forget sometimes and end up having to get more

 

[Birdsong 82]

A skirt on the outside to prevent any thing from digging under and getting in is also very helpful. I saw somebody who used old wire display shelves from a store that shut down they got for almost free for their skirt. That also was a great idea

 

[JDN]

Since you live in Louisiana where it rarely gets cold, and since you already have an awesome walk-in run enclosed in hardware cloth, I see no reason to reinvent the wheel. Go to the back corner of the run. Nail or screw in some plywood/OSB/siding of your choice to the back and side, put a more permanent roof on it, and a roost. Wood Chips on the ground and pull old woodchips out once a year as compost and put new ones in.

 

[nessa.morg]

Since you live in Louisiana where it rarely gets cold, and since you already have an awesome walk-in run enclosed in hardware cloth, I see no reason to reinvent the wheel. Go to the back corner of the run. Nail or screw in some plywood/OSB/siding of your choice to the back and side, put a more permanent roof on it, and a roost. Wood Chips on the ground and pull old woodchips out once a year as compost and put new ones in.

I don't know what you consider not getting cold because it gets down to the twentys some time here. Is that cold or no?

 

[Birdsong 82]

Depends on where you live weather that seems cold. The 20s and teens is pretty typical in Virginia overnight. Rarely drops below 0 but normally below freezing overnight from January till March. And Virginia is warm compared to some places over the winter. Chickens are fine when it’s in the 20s. My rooster refuses to sleep inside the coop he likes to sleep on top because I guess because he’s the man and our run is built like Fort Knox but even when it went to -2° over the winter he still slept up there. I would worry more about keeping things cool where are you live. I feel like heat affects them more than cold. In Louisiana it gets pretty stinking hot right? Lots of shade and dust bath areas would help. But it’s cold up there is in the 20s I don’t think you’ll have anything to worry about

 

[deepbluesea]

Hi! You're getting good advice here. Ventilation and predator-proofing are the keys. I'm in NC, and my girls don't spend any time in the coop/run except for roosting at night and laying. My coop has three inch openings all around the top, covered in hardware cloth. When I do my next coop (next month), I'm going to make two walls framed hardware cloth. Heat and humidity are much more an issue for me than cold, though it does usually freeze a few days a year. So far, no troubles.

Also, I got several rolls of HW cloth at tractor supply when they had a 'neighbors club' discount. Five rolls of 25' four foot cloth cost $75. They do it a couple of times a year. Good for you for taking the time to design and accumulate what you need!