OK folks. My babies are 4 weeks old today and my coop and run are almost complete...I think... but would value your opinion.
My coop is 4'X8' and raised about 30' off the ground. It has double walls with insulation between them. The vents are covered with a metal grate (the kind of decorative perforated metal that folks buy to put over old steam radiators). The egg door and pop door are solid wood and have fairly solid bolt style latches. The man-door has a regular doorknob type setup.
The run is 6'X9' and about 6' high. It is covered on all sides plus the top with chicken wire that is stapled to the outside of the 2"X4" studs that make the frame and then has a 1"X3" nailed on the outside to secure the edges of the chicken wire. There is a 18" skirt of chicken wire around the whole outside of the run. I don't have a bolt or catch for the man-door into the run installed yet but will invest in something pretty strong before my girls go out.
I plan on keeping the chickens in their coop at night, allowing access to the run during the day. I thought I had made it safe from the foxes, raccoons and occasional coyotes that come around after dark, but some of the posts on this topic are making me afraid that this isn't enough. What do you think? (do you need photos or is the description enough).
We do have bears in the area (Colorado mountains) but I figure there isn't much I can do if a bear wants into my coop. I've had friends who had bears force the doors of their homes...thank goodness never anything like that for us. I intend to keep all chicken feed inside our garage because I've heard that bears are more interested in that than in the chickens.
My coop is 4'X8' and raised about 30' off the ground. It has double walls with insulation between them. The vents are covered with a metal grate (the kind of decorative perforated metal that folks buy to put over old steam radiators). The egg door and pop door are solid wood and have fairly solid bolt style latches. The man-door has a regular doorknob type setup.
The run is 6'X9' and about 6' high. It is covered on all sides plus the top with chicken wire that is stapled to the outside of the 2"X4" studs that make the frame and then has a 1"X3" nailed on the outside to secure the edges of the chicken wire. There is a 18" skirt of chicken wire around the whole outside of the run. I don't have a bolt or catch for the man-door into the run installed yet but will invest in something pretty strong before my girls go out.
I plan on keeping the chickens in their coop at night, allowing access to the run during the day. I thought I had made it safe from the foxes, raccoons and occasional coyotes that come around after dark, but some of the posts on this topic are making me afraid that this isn't enough. What do you think? (do you need photos or is the description enough).
We do have bears in the area (Colorado mountains) but I figure there isn't much I can do if a bear wants into my coop. I've had friends who had bears force the doors of their homes...thank goodness never anything like that for us. I intend to keep all chicken feed inside our garage because I've heard that bears are more interested in that than in the chickens.
