my new coop design --- criticisms or suggestions?

[ruralmom]

Hi maryboland I too live at 7000 ft in the Northwest Colorado and I think we have very similar coops. I designed and had a local man build it for me since I am not gifted with hammering skills. I too have a enclosed house and then an enclosed indoor 'run'. We used the chicken wire and plastic only for the purposes of year round dirt for bathing, dry place to stay from wind and snow. Ours is lean to in style with the face of the coop towards the south for the solar. I also deep mulch which I did not know I did till I read a forum that called it that and it really does work in Colorado expecially with the DE for the order. Just need new nesting boxes, currently using large flower pots drilled into the walls. Great if you have unlimited space but I am alway wanting more hens and so space is a premium. Good luck sounds great.

 

[maryboland]

Ok, guys. I think I've got it on the run. I want to use hoops because I can well and easily attach woven greenhouse plastic (which I use spring and fall over raised garden
beds) to outside of hoops with special clamps designed for the purpose. This will be a nice yard for winter. On the inside of the hoops I will tie chicken wire with plastic ties. To fortify the chicken wire, for which you all have such, I must suppose justified contempt, I will first make a hoop of bent cattle panels. The chicken wire, by the way, will be done so that is a continuous floor and sides and the two sides meet and are tied on the roof.

I hope you can see your way clear to approve of this plan. But if I still don't have it right, let me know.

 

[alpinefarm]

I live on the Western Slope, a little higher elevation. Please be aware that weasels/ermines are prevelant in our part of the state and that they can get thru a hole in coop or fencing the size of a quarter. I recommend using run fencing that is steel 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch. Well worth the cost.

My flock is free-ranging but only when I am home and watching closely. I never leave the property with them out. Just too many predators around that are very aware when humans leave.

Best wishes,
Rosemary

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I suppose that would work, but it seems like an awful lot of extra complication. Plastic goes onto a run really easily with a staplegun (into the wood framing of the run), preferably through duct tape applied to the plastic all along where you're stapling. The duct tape prevents tear-out due to wind and temperature-related shrinkage of the plastic, and it enables you to use the plastic several years in a row.

To me, the advantage of this is that it uses the same or less material (probably cheaper, b/c you're using 2x4s instead of pvc), while making a more structurally-strong run that is more guaranteed to withstand large animals bouncing off it, or standing on it, for many many years. An option to consider, anyhow.

The chicken wire, by the way, will be done so that is a continuous floor and sides and the two sides meet and are tied on the roof.

Are you *sure* you want a wire mesh floor on the run. It is not too terrible if you can put a foot or so of earth (or roadbase, or sand, or whatever) on top of it, so the chickens can still scratch around and so that the wire doesn't catch their feet and trap poo; but that is a lot of extra work (and some expense) to go to. If you do not bury the wire floor deep -- and I would NOT use chickenwire btw -- then it will be a persistant problem in a variety of ways and I betcha you will really kick yourself for doing it

A horizontal apron of 1x1 or 2x4" wire mesh, 2-3' wide, laid on the ground all around the outside of the run and securely attached to the base of the run fence, with its outer edge turned down or pegged down well or buried under mulch or sod or whatever, will do a good job of keeping large digging things out. As far as weasels and rats, good luck keeping them out by *any* method, at least for long.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[maryboland]

OK, thanks. Back to the drawing board on the run. I never heard of weasels and ermine around here outside Carbondale. But that doesn't mean they aren't here; I'll check around. But the apron instead of wire floor in run, now that I think of it, really does make sense. On the weasels again, I guess that's why everyone talks about hardware cloth instead of chicken wire. I still like a hoop shape because of it shedding snow, especially off plastic, but maybe cattle panels, hardware cloth and apron is best. I'm sure I can figure a way to attach plastic cover over that. Glad for all the help. Hopefully, it will enable me to build only one run that works rather than a series of unsuccessful ones. Thank you all so much. And I'm still open to more suggestions.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Not really -- weasels can climb and burrow a bit, so are frankly quite hard to keep out, especially the smallest species. There are two main reasons why people often use hardwarecloth on at least the bottom 2-3' of the run (and recommend AGAINST chickenwire ANYwhere on the run): first, because most chickenwire sold these days is just really flimsy and can be torn apart by a strong motivated predator like a dog or coyote or raccoon, you might not think so but honest it is true; and secondly because if you have holes larger than about 1/2" at chicken level, there can be "reach through" problems. Either a chicken pokes its head out to graze just beyond the fence and injures its comb or gets stuck or gets its head et off by a predator it didn't see til too late; or a chicken takes a nap too near the fence [or a predator taunts a roo into getting too close to the fence] and the predator reaches in through the wire holes and removes a big ol' handful of chicken. Raccoons are particularly bad for doing this.

I still like a hoop shape because of it shedding snow, especially off plastic, but maybe cattle panels, hardware cloth and apron is best. I'm sure I can figure a way to attach plastic cover over that. .

If you want a hoop I think that sounds like a very good method. I see no reason why you can't attach the pvc to the outside of the cattle panel and use your hoophouse clips to attach the plastic to the pvc

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[maryboland]

OK, everyone, thanks again (including City Chook for your nice long message). New Plan. Sticking with hoops BUT AM COVERING (or rather attaching on the inside) WITH HARDWARE CLOTH4 ft tall all around and then welded wire above. And there will be a 3 ft welded wire on ground all around, maybe buried three inches or so and pinned down. In winter ONLY it will be covered with clear plastic EXCEPT East end will have no plastic so humidity can escape and fresh air circulate. (We virtually never have wind from the East). City Chook I will check out your links. But I hope I don't find anything better as I'm hoping this is a good plan. The run will not be too big, but at least with the plastic it should be something they'll go out into in winter. My neighbors' chickens have a run with a roof but no plastic on sides and it's got full of snow and chix refuse to go out in it these winter months. That's no good. Once snow off ground, my chix will be out on pasture in day, not in run, except in early am before I open coop door to let them to pasture.

I hope I'm through designing now as the minute snow gone in March, I have to get this thing built in a week or two and go pick up my 8 wk old hens in early April (or keep paying by the week for their keep at hatchery in Grand Junction, our local banana belt.) I will keep them in coop and run a month or more to be sure they develop habit of coming home to coop at night and know where to lay their eggs. Do you think I have to wait until they are laying in nest area before letting them out to pasture in day? I don't want to be looking all over 1/4 acre for eggs.

 

[patandchickens]

Sounds good to me

I don't free range (may try on some expendable chickens this summer) but I know a lot of people start out by only letting the pullets loose later in the day, after they have laid in the coop. MOST (tho not always quite all) eggs are laid in the early part of the day, so that way you establish good habits.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat