Is this coop dangerous?

[KelseaV]

Hello! This is a common style coop that I’m seeing around the internet. This one in particular doesn’t even seem to have anything on the bottom! Are these safe in your experiences (with modifications perhaps)?

More info:
I’m expanding my flock and want to have a few separate pens for separate breeds. I’d like the coops to be as cheap as possible, easy to build- or at least not too time consuming, secure against all sorts of critters, portable, and of course comfortable for the chickens. I like the idea of these chicken houses, but I’m not convinced that they’re safe for my region. We have a lot of raccoons, weasels, bob cats, mountain lions, bears. Just looking at this design I would think all sorts of things would try to go underneath or even pull chickens through wire. (I could totally and hardware cloth to the bottom… but just surprised this is even a design people go with). I would say bears and raccoons are the biggest issues for us. I know nothing is really bear proof unless you set up electric, and I’m aware that if a bear wanted to he/she could rip the coops apart, but our wooden coops have withstood curious bear damage (part of a door ripped off etc) without loosing any animals. A big open light pen like this feels extra vulnerable? Any personal experiences? Modifications you’ve made if you live in high predator areas?

 

[WingItRanch]

We have a lot of raccoons, weasels, bob cats, mountain lions, bears.

If you have these predators, I would say.. yes, that chicken tractor coop pictured is asking for trouble.

I have MANY predators in my area and I made sure to build a sturdy coop and run with double latches (you'd be surprised how dexterous raccoons can be) and 1/2" hardware cloth (not chicken wire) all the way around the run, including a "skirt" buried to prevent digging predators. I also have a full roof.

I agree... nothing is really bear proof.

Maybe others will disagree but I have to say that any "cheap and easy" coops will not work unless you're willing to loose your chickens and invite a predator feast.

 

[KelseaV]

If you have these predators, I would say.. yes, that chicken tractor coop pictured is asking for trouble.

I have MANY predators in my area and I made sure to build a sturdy coop and run with double latches (you'd be surprised how dexterous raccoons can be) and 1/2" hardware cloth (not chicken wire) all the way around the run, including a "skirt" buried to prevent digging predators. I also have a full roof.

I agree... nothing is really bear proof.

Maybe others will disagree but I have to say that any "cheap and easy" coops will not work unless you're willing to loose your chickens and invite a predator feast.

My family has had chickens forever, but we've always built traditional wooden coops, normally pretty large and very sturdy with double latches like you described. I'm trying to go with a chicken tractor option because we're PNW and get tons of rain, our current chicken runs end up a complete mud pit with our foot traffic + bird foot traffic. Even in the summer the area is hard compact dirt now. We're trying to avoid the entire property becoming that with a rotation schedule. Most of the chicken tractors are super lightweight by design and neccessity, and they seem very popular, so we were just curious if anyone in high predator areas have had luck using them and if so if/what modifications they made. We actually had a similar set up for our Pyrs and it worked great and it took me a couple hours to put together so I as hopeful someone would have some success stories. We do run electric on three sides of our current set up, and it wouldn't be hard to extend that As for easy and cheap- I work full time and I'm building my house myself in my "free time" so I don't have a ton of time to spend on something... we aquirred two new groups of chickens from a farm that was shutting down last weekend and they are currently with our other chickens, but the space is tight, and while they free range now, we'd like to get the newewbies into something before the weather changes and they utilitze that indoor space more, but our budget also wasn't prepared for two new $2K+ chicken coops with the current house build and such...and we don't want permanant stuctures... so we were just really hopeful for some positive stories really or suggestions on ways people have made it work. I'm always happy to learn I'm wrong...I also thought maybe I had an aversion to it being so open, but that maybe that was a psychological thing-I can see in thus it's less safe, but maybe that's not true. You know... Anyways thanks for your comment.

 

[Ted Brown]

You could attach 18" HC aprons on the outside all round and use the large staples driven into the ground (easily removed when you want to move the coop) to hold them down. I would attach them such that they can be folded up to make moving easier.

 

[fowltemptress]

I have many hoop coops. Instead of a bottom I have a predator skirt going around all of them. That one is asking for trouble because it has nothing but hardware cloth on the front. I've had both dogs and raccoons rip a hole right through the middle of hardware cloth - through the middle, not along the connections where you'd think - so I always cover the bottom few feet with of the front and back of these coops with sturdier material as well as hardware cloth. I'm not worried about predators with my hoop coops as they are now. There are bears here, but they'd get into any non-electrified coop regardless, so, you know, I figure I might as well go the route that allows me to build ten coops for under the same amount it would cost me to build one traditional style coop. I've seen some hoop coops with super beefed up security, too - electrified, reinforced, all that jazz . . . so there are ways to rig things on a hoop coop to ease whatever level of predator paranoia is required.

I should say I occasionally hear tell of wind issues with these things, the coops blowing over and whatnot. I don't know how their hoop coops are set up or what levels of wind those folks are dealing with, but we've had some scary gusters and mine have ridden it out like champs, the wind just rolling up and over them. But just in case, it's something to think about.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I use one right now as a "grow out" pen. Inside my pasture, protected by an electric fence. Somewhere around here, I made a thread where I built it one afternoon, engineering as I went.

(It was a rush job).

Thus far, it has been proof against aerial predation, possum, trash panda, little fox. I won't pretend it will stop boar or bear (even the tiny ones we get in FL).

My electric fence has been good at keeping the canine-types out, who are the biggest problem diggers. Did have some tree rats tunnel under to get at the feed. My birds ate them.

If I didn't have the electric fence? I'd either attach a solar powered charger to the coop to move with it, using a steel spike (the nails they use for landscape timbers) to make my connection w/ the ground, or I'd attach skirting. Both have pros and cons, but the solar electric is actually easier, faster, and comperably priced, so that would be my first choice.

at 8x12, I can move it myself - but I don't want to. Will be reminded real quick you haven't been doing enough squats at the gym. Larger, it gets unwieldy. Smaller, I think, would be a waste of effort.

I should add I have flat ground and have used a flail mower to put the terror into the weeds. When there were thick tufts of prairie grasses, or if I had uneven soil, a mobile hoop coop would be a poor choice if the ground wasn't prepared in advance.

my tiny tractor (TYM 2515H) moves it like its not even there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with the apron/predator skirt. The idea is that a predator goes up to the fence, starts to dig, hits the wire mesh, and does not know to back up. That eliminates anything digging in or even just squeezing through a depression in the ground under that bottom beam.

You want a movable tractor. That is going to be heavy. Maybe make it a bit lighter by making the aprons removable. I can think of different ways to do that but probably the simplest is to have two long bolts in each face fir each section. Overlap the corners and nothing is getting in from underneath.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I should say I occasionally hear tell of wind issues with these things, the coops blowing over and whatnot. I don't know how their hoop coops are set up or what levels of wind those folks are dealing with, but we've had some scary gusters and mine have ridden it out like champs, the wind just rolling up and over them. But just in case, it's something to think about.

Just took 65 mph gusts this week - ripped one of my tarps, but by ensuring my hoop coop was arch into the wind (rather than the flat front or back) it hardly even deformed in the heaviest gusts. WInd went right over it. One of my shade tarps (made of superior materials), however, now has two 16' long parallel rips from our strongest gust.

 

[KelseaV]

You could attach 18" HC aprons on the outside all round and use the large staples driven into the ground (easily removed when you want to move the coop) to hold them down. I would attach them such that they can be folded up to make moving easier.

Thanks! I’ll look into this.

 

[KelseaV]

I have many hoop coops. Instead of a bottom I have a predator skirt going around all of them. That one is asking for trouble because it has nothing but hardware cloth on the front. I've had both dogs and raccoons rip a hole right through the middle of hardware cloth - through the middle, not along the connections where you'd think - so I always cover the bottom few feet with of the front and back of these coops with sturdier material as well as hardware cloth. I'm not worried about predators with my hoop coops as they are now. There are bears here, but they'd get into any non-electrified coop regardless, so, you know, I figure I might as well go the route that allows me to build ten coops for under the same amount it would cost me to build one traditional style coop. I've seen some hoop coops with super beefed up security, too - electrified, reinforced, all that jazz . . . so there are ways to rig things on a hoop coop to ease whatever level of predator paranoia is required.

I should say I occasionally hear tell of wind issues with these things, the coops blowing over and whatnot. I don't know how their hoop coops are set up or what levels of wind those folks are dealing with, but we've had some scary gusters and mine have ridden it out like champs, the wind just rolling up and over them. But just in case, it's something to think about.

Thanks! I will consider the wind! We don't get a lot of wind…but I’m sure I could sand bag it down if need be, I’ll take that potential into planning.