Juice worth the squeeze? Aluminum flashing...

[Ted Brown]

I have read that metal flashing is a deterrent to pest intrusion?

I am building on off ground support structure for my Wood's KD 10' by 16' footprint coop. Cement patio "feet" with 3 foot vertical 4" by 4" square posts supporting 4" by 4" square horizontal beams (two 16' side beams, 4 10' cross beams).

I propose to place 10" wide aluminum flashing between the beams and the floor of the coop; provides 1.5" drip edge on exterior and 6.5" of flat metal against floor boards for pest/predator protection.

Will this assist with pest/predator protection?

Thanks

 

[Howard E]

Ted:

Is this built or still being planned?

What is your reason for elevating it on posts?

If this is to be more or less a permanent house (one that is not portable) and if the site allows it, you would be better off going with a cement floor......for a lot of reasons.

Other than that, when it comes to rodents and varmints, metal is your friend. If you want to this to be rodent proof, good place to start would be with a cement floor (elevated well above adjacent soil level), with metal siding with rat guard base trim.

 

[Ted Brown]

Ted:

Is this built or still being planned?

What is your reason for elevating it on posts?

If this is to be more or less a permanent house (one that is not portable) and if the site allows it, you would be better off going with a cement floor......for a lot of reasons.

Other than that, when it comes to rodents and varmints, metal is your friend. If you want to this to be rodent proof, good place to start would be with a cement floor (elevated well above adjacent soil level), with metal siding with rat guard base trim.

Build is in process; plan is to build the support frame next, all materials in hand.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/authentic-woods-kd-knock-down-10-by-16-coop-build.1304202/

Cement Floor

I know the merits of cement and metal siding for predator protection.

I am in a remote area with "no" rats or at least none that I have seen in 40 years. We do have mice, voles, moles, etc.. My rationale is:

• The coop is elevated to provide the underside (160 square feet) as run area adjacent to a co-joined 12' by 12' covered pole shed run area; open areas to be covered with 19 gauge 1/2" by 1/2" hardware cloth, aprons of 12" all exterior walls.
• Remote location with challenging winters; will tarp run walls for the winter to encourage the birds to use the 300 sq. ft total run space.
  
• Plan/thought is little to no free run time.
• I want the coop to be moveable (soil degradation) and/or "easy to dispose of" in the future. My Wood's KD coop will be built as a kit of 14 panels using a crude but effective interlock "system" (ie rebar with eye screws).

Not too late to improve the plan. Truth is also that I fell hard for the Wood's philosophy (fresh air year round) and the KD design - elegant, simple, cheap. I am committed to pine construction with 1" walls.

Thank you for the feedback on metal, it is as I thought.