How to predator-proof this coop. Wwyd.

[pennyJo1960]

I never would have thought of the draft! Good point.

Trust me we have all been there at some point

 

[Folly's place]

Something to consider first; What happened to the birds who used to live there? Have they been gone for years? Then you are good. If recently occupied, were they sick? Marek's disease virus lives for at least a year or two out there! After three weeks, Mycoplasma should be gone. Make sure your building is safe before fixing it up. Spray the inside with permethrin for mites at least before it's reoccupied.
Roofing that run should happen, and I'd hire it done too.
Nobody can work with a toddler under foot!!! Either pay a sitter, or hire most of the work done, IMO.
All the best, Mary

 

[aart]

If you don't already have birds (so have time to stretch out the build) and are willing to learn some carpentry...I would strongly suggest you DIY.
First, good planning so you don't have to rebuild anything.
The coop roof does not look to shed water well.
Pics of inside would be good here.

 

[Xerocles]

A few questions first, that you don't even need to answer on here. Do you work outside the home. You know, a regular job? Do you have a vehicle that can transport materials, say 4 by 8 sheets of plywood? Do 2 year olds still take 2-hour naps?
At $25 per hour for 15 hours plus material, you're well over $500 to refinish this Coop. And with the suggestions (good, all of them) on here, I bet that 15 hours is going to look much more like 20 hours. If you got it, spend it. My coop and run, from scratch, cost almost $1,500 and I did 100% of the work myself.
BUT.
The Pride and feeling of self accomplishment is probably worth more over your life than the amount you would spend to have someone else do this. The actual skills are pretty basic. Any questions, I'll bet someone on this site will be glad to walk you through.
Let's say the handyman takes 20 hours. You're only half as fast as him so 40 hours. With 2-hour naps for the toddler, that's barely under three weeks to finish your project. You said you wanted it done by Spring. Even with Colorado's crappy weather, I think you're golden. And (I am assuming you are a woman) don't forget to play the helpless female card. " oh this big roll of wire is just too heavy for me to lift. Could you help me cut it. I just happen to have the dimensions right here on this piece of paper (batting eyelashes). " OK, I know I'm going to catch heck for that last sentence from folks here on byc. But facts are facts, and what works, works. Good luck!

 

[21hens-incharge]

A few questions first, that you don't even need to answer on here. Do you work outside the home. You know, a regular job? Do you have a vehicle that can transport materials, say 4 by 8 sheets of plywood? Do 2 year olds still take 2-hour naps?
At $25 per hour for 15 hours plus material, you're well over $500 to refinish this Coop. And with the suggestions (good, all of them) on here, I bet that 15 hours is going to look much more like 20 hours. If you got it, spend it. My coop and run, from scratch, cost almost $1,500 and I did 100% of the work myself.
BUT.
The Pride and feeling of self accomplishment is probably worth more over your life than the amount you would spend to have someone else do this. The actual skills are pretty basic. Any questions, I'll bet someone on this site will be glad to walk you through.
Let's say the handyman takes 20 hours. You're only half as fast as him so 40 hours. With 2-hour naps for the toddler, that's barely under three weeks to finish your project. You said you wanted it done by Spring. Even with Colorado's crappy weather, I think you're golden. And (I am assuming you are a woman) don't forget to play the helpless female card. " oh this big roll of wire is just too heavy for me to lift. Could you help me cut it. I just happen to have the dimensions right here on this piece of paper (batting eyelashes). " OK, I know I'm going to catch heck for that last sentence from folks here on byc. But facts are facts, and what works, works. Good luck!

Not gonna catch heck from me about it.

I have had the guys at Home Depot do the long cuts on plywood for me. They won't do angles but they will cut things down.
It is a service they offer.....use those services.
No eyelashes involved either.

 

[Xerocles]

PS. You don't need to remove the chicken wire. Just put the hardware cloth over it. The chicken wire doesn't hurt anything. It just doesn't help much. Also, clean out the brush inside, maybe buy an inexpensive tarp, and pop the two year old with plenty of toys and cookies INSIDE while mom works on the outside. In addition, after looking at the pictures closely, it looks like a really well-built Coop and run. It appears the frame is set on concrete. How deep into the ground does the concrete go? And check. With the quality work done on this Coop the original owner MAY have already installed an apron around it. Dig down a couple inches around the outside and see if you find wire.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Hey again everyone. What gauge hardware cloth should I be looking for?

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Just seeing a bunch of posts on this I didn’t see before!! Going to respond in a bit. You all are so awesome.

 

[aart]

Hey again everyone. What gauge hardware cloth should I be looking for?

Typical 1/2" Hardware Cloth is 19ga, 1/4" is 23ga.
Go for the 1/2'". Cheapest to order on amazon, you're going to need a lot.
Order the width that matches your framing for ease of attachment.

Oh, and figure some for anti-dig aprons:
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

You are so awesome!!! Thank you for this list.
What kind of puppy!!!???