I'm finally building a coop! Advice please

[Reneebee]

Hi all. I currently house my chickens and ducks in a 12X12, well ventilated, predator proof, box stall. Every morning I let them all out to free range. I am happy with this set up, and I am spoiled. I love to be able to walk into the "coop" to clean and feed. Unfortunately, I need the stall back for horses.

I have decided to build a run, and a chicken coop in the run. Sometimes when we leave the ranch for a few days (rare, lol), people who come in to feed the critters can't get the chickens in at night. This way, caretakers won't have to worry about finding chickens. I still plan to free range.

Right now, I have 4 laying hens and a rooster. A Mallard drake, and two ducklings one I think, is a drake? 6 1/2 weeks old one is starting to quack, and the other just whistles. I also have 3 chicks that are 7 1/2 weeks old. Unfortunately, two of my "Pullets" will be roos. So, long term, hope to have 5 laying hens, a rooster, and a pair of ducks.

This is a picture of the beginnings of my run. It is 20X20, and six feet tall. The fence is welded pipe (thanks to my SO and his friend!).
Question number one. My boyfriend wants to use what I think of as garden fencing...green with 2"X3" rectangles. I think that this will be too large and that critters can get in. So, Is chicken wire strong enough, or should we go with steel netting? Or use the garden fencing and line it with chicken wire on the bottom?

Question: There are 2 cedar trees in the run. I am worried that if the chickens roost too high in them, that they will be able to fly out. Should I clip wings, or put a netting over the top?

I'm going to need space inside for ducks and chickens. Should the ducks just cruise around on the floor, or should I put nesting areas for them?
I am thinking that I want a floor, not just dirt in the coop itself. Right now, the stall they are in is a mat floor which is permeable so water soaks through, but floor stays dry...easy to clean.

At any rate, I am just beginning. I have learned a lot from this site! I know I will need ample ventilation, probably won't insulate (I live in high desert...90's summer, low teens winter. We (usually) have monsoons in summer, and several snow falls in winter. Our windy season is windy! Comes from all directions and can get up to 40 mi gusts.

 

[igorsMistress]

Hi there. Your best option is going to be hardware cloth, chicken wire can allow babies to get out and easy access to the run by critters. Although realistically unless you plan to cover the top the critters will just climb and go over. The trees, can you trim them so they’re too high to roost in? Your space looks pretty open there, what kind of predators do you need to protect them from at night?

 

[Rldad1]

Where are you? Location is good for advice. You will need hardware cloth to keep out predators. If you are in the desert, then you probably have coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk, hawks and I'm not sure what else. Chicken wire is only good to keep chickens in and nothing out. The 2' X 3" fencing will not keep the large critters from reaching in and grabbing your chickens and are useless for smaller critters like rats and weasels. I would also cover your run with netting as a minimum. You might think about a roof since you have snow.

 

[Reneebee]

Thank you! I live in Northern AZ, near the Grand Canyon. I only know we have skunks because the dogs come home smelling of them once in awhile! No raccoons, very few fox, a lot of coyotes, some snakes...and egg stealing ravens. The dogs seem to keep the coyotes at bay...but I have lost a few to predators, I think. We do have owls, but haven't seen any in awhile. Hawks seem to stay away. My dogs are trained to run after low flying ravens...but they aren't constantly out.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you! I live in Northern AZ, near the Grand Canyon. I only know we have skunks because the dogs come home smelling of them once in awhile! No raccoons, very few fox, a lot of coyotes, some snakes...and egg stealing ravens. The dogs seem to keep the coyotes at bay...but I have lost a few to predators, I think. We do have owls, but haven't seen any in awhile. Hawks seem to stay away. My dogs are trained to run after low flying ravens...but they aren't constantly out.

You may want to consider not having the trees in the run but along the edges to provide shade. Owls will work together to flush birds from cover to get to them and I’ve found quail missing heads because the heads went through chicken wire but not bodies. They are diurnal, I went out on a break after 9 AM and there was one in my coop yard after chicks. They’ll be mating and raising babies soon. Hawks will land in the trees and stalk your birds also. Coyotes can scale a six foot wall and they’ll dig so a hwc skirt buried to keep them out will help. Also, the snakes will eat eggs and chicks so the smaller the hwc the better. It just really depends on whether you want Fort Knox or not.

 

[Reneebee]

You may want to consider not having the trees in the run but along the edges to provide shade. Owls will work together to flush birds from cover to get to them and I’ve found quail missing heads because the heads went through chicken wire but not bodies. They are diurnal, I went out on a break after 9 AM and there was one in my coop yard after chicks. They’ll be mating and raising babies soon. Hawks will land in the trees and stalk your birds also. Coyotes can scale a six foot wall and they’ll dig so a hwc skirt buried to keep them out will help. Also, the snakes will eat eggs and chicks so the smaller the hwc the better. It just really depends on whether you want Fort Knox or not.

Thank you for the reply...unfortunately, the pipe is already up around the trees! I may try netting above the run. I'll put a bib around the bottom, but we are on bedrock, so tunneling under isn't very possible. Right now, several miles away in the flats, prairie dogs are abundant, and keep most of the birds of prey, and coyotes occupied. I am more worried about winter.

 

[NatJ]

Does it work to cut those trees short, so you can put netting over the top?
Some kinds of trees will grow bunch of new branches if you do that, but I don't know about the kind you have.

Or maybe put netting over the top of the run, but fit it around the trunks of the trees. That would keep chickens in, hawks/owls out, and leave the tree tops to provide shade.

A roof over at least part of the run would be good, to block rain, snow in winter, sun in summer.

 

[igorsMistress]

Thank you for the reply...unfortunately, the pipe is already up around the trees! I may try netting above the run. I'll put a bib around the bottom, but we are on bedrock, so tunneling under isn't very possible. Right now, several miles away in the flats, prairie dogs are abundant, and keep most of the birds of prey, and coyotes occupied. I am more worried about winter.

Yeah, I’m in Phoenix and we have some pretty hard ground. I can understand your concern for winter. Predators and snow? What have you dealt with already there?