Need inputs on my chicken coop

[LaPetiteFarmer]

My landlord has a tractor (small) so maybe that will work. I just need to find a way to enter

the place.
I have another question

: After reading a lot about predators and pest, a lot of people go with the hardware cloth (19 gauge 1/2 inch) not the chicken wire!. I live in Vista, CA (San Diego north county) and my place is enclosed, I had never seen a coyote (i hear them though) or a coon,.... so my question is: Do I really need that type of overpriced wire knowing my chicken will go inside the coop at night? Do I also need to dig the bottom and make an apron in order to prevent from digging? Also reading a lot of threads I see people insulating their coop, but where i live is it necessary? Thanks again.....

 

[2hot2chicken]

I have a 4x8x7 coop and 4 guys carried it by hand into my backyard about 20 yards by hand. They were strong guys but not that strong. We just built a 2x4 framed run that is 8' long, 8' tall and 12' long. Its heavy but it can come apart by unscrewing the corners and folding up to move. It would take work but it is possible so I would say go as big as you can for sure! For $800 You should just go buy a prefab shed. We bought ours already done as a coop for $150 on Craigslist. I estimated the materials cost and added some for labor to and if they stick with a simple 4x8 size then it takes 1/4 the amount of time and labor to build so you should be able to get it for $500ish depending on variables for prices where you live. I think $800 is way to high for what he is offering. We are currently building a 2nd 4x8x6 coop with covered attached run for breeding silkies. Its pretty simple to do 4x8x6 as there is minimal cutting involved.
Good luck but I would search CL for a little while before spending that sort of $. Youd be suprised what you can find.... : )

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Thank you.... You are giving me hope carrying that beast lol. I found someone else thru CL who will do it for $500 (8 by 6 by 6), so i might go through him. As far as the lumber and hardware cloth no luck, but I keep looking.

 

[jamband]

Just an idea but a hoop coop would cost you a fraction of 800.....is that 800 plus materials? because a 4x8 coop will be a few hundred in materials too. you could easily move a hoop coop on a flat trailer or flatbed truck. Mine in 96 sq ft and 2 people could load it on a trailer.


Just consider that the coop you spend 1200 on now might not be the coop you even want if you buy a house.....It might not match, you might have one there, maybe you will want a permanent one or an easily portable one then?? Just saying because i have spent $ at rentals and usually end of giving someone a great deal when I move because its a new scenario.


But if you do build you can get a towing company with flatbed to move it.

 

[debid]

This is a really good idea:

Just an idea but a hoop coop would cost you a fraction of 800.....is that 800 plus materials? because a 4x8 coop will be a few hundred in materials too. you could easily move a hoop coop on a flat trailer or flatbed truck. Mine in 96 sq ft and 2 people could load it on a trailer.


Just consider that the coop you spend 1200 on now might not be the coop you even want if you buy a house.....It might not match, you might have one there, maybe you will want a permanent one or an easily portable one then?? Just saying because i have spent $ at rentals and usually end of giving someone a great deal when I move because its a new scenario.


But if you do build you can get a towing company with flatbed to move it.

Where you live, you really just need wind/rain/predator protection and shade. It doesn't ever get all that cold but it does get hot so you want them to have lots of ventilation. Think outside the box

 

[Daisy8s]

After reading a lot about predators and pest, a lot of people go with the hardware cloth (19 gauge 1/2 inch) not the chicken wire!. I live in Vista, CA (San Diego north county) and my place is enclosed, I had never seen a coyote (i hear them though) or a coon,.... so my question is: Do I really need that type of overpriced wire knowing my chicken will go inside the coop at night? Do I also need to dig the bottom and make an apron in order to prevent from digging? Also reading a lot of threads I see people insulating their coop, but where i live is it necessary? Thanks again.....

You may never see the predator...just the damage they leave behind.

I have coyote, raccoon, possum and skunk in my area and in my run I used plain chain link fence which I buried a few inches only to deter my own dogs. My run is not predator proof at all but my coop is since this is where the chickens are at night when the predators may attack. (Note: we lost one chicken to hawks in daylight; my solution was to get a rooster for a better warning system so the girls have time to high tail it to cover.)

I happened to build my coop on an old gravel dump. The 6 inches of gravel had compacted over time to be the consistency of cement. It took my husband sweating hard for a few hours with a pick axe to dig through the gravel for the footings--which is when I realized no predators were likely to dig under the coop. Then...our footings were 12 inch deep, 8 inch wide trenches filled with compacted gravel. So any predator would have to start its tunnel about 6 feet away from the coop (where the gravel bed ends) and continue it more than a foot deep. All that to say...except for a few field mice nothing has breached my coop.

I do have a bar that goes across the top of the pop door at night so no clever raccoon can lift it from the outside.

As to insulation--I put some in my walls only because I had it on hand. I concentrated it on the north and west walls. This winter the water has frozen only a few times when we reach negative temps. I made a homemade water heater from a cookie tin (search this site for the plans--very clever and very inexpensive). I'm not sure if the insulation is necessary. So long as you have double walls so there is an air lock this may be sufficient. I think where you live heat may be more of a problem than cold. The birds go out in cold, wet weather that sure would keep me huddled inside. I also use the deep litter method which, when maintained so it's dry, makes for a warmer bedding than something like sand.

Good luck!

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Originally the handyman I chose was asking me $800 for the coop and run included with material (except the paint), but he was going to use recycled material and cheap chicken wire (and I want hardware cloth), but now I am going to go through another guy who will built the coop for $500 and my husband and I will built the run (not to fancy but at my taste, so I expect spending $700 at the most for everything. The coop would be what I really want (the first guy was going to built something really basic), so hopefully when we move we will be able to bring the coop with us (it would be a 48 sqft coop) We will have 7 chickens, so for 48 sq feet I assume we could eventually have more hens (12 at the most). Living in rentals it's always a problem as you said because we always have to leave something behind... but I won't leave my coop!!!! Here is the coop I am hoping to have but the image shows 5 by 6 but I ask him to do it 8 by 6 by 6

 

[jamband]

500 for labor or both??? a 6x8 house like that will be over 200 just for wood

 

[Chemguy]

My landlord has a tractor (small) so maybe that will work. I just need to find a way to enter

the place.
I have another question

: After reading a lot about predators and pest, a lot of people go with the hardware cloth (19 gauge 1/2 inch) not the chicken wire!. I live in Vista, CA (San Diego north county) and my place is enclosed, I had never seen a coyote (i hear them though) or a coon,.... so my question is: Do I really need that type of overpriced wire knowing my chicken will go inside the coop at night? Do I also need to dig the bottom and make an apron in order to prevent from digging? Also reading a lot of threads I see people insulating their coop, but where i live is it necessary? Thanks again.....

It is better to plan for predators and not have them, than to not and find you do.

 

[debid]

I may be in TN now but I grew up in CA and I can tell you that's not a coop, it's an oven. If you are in love with the look, replace the front door inserts with hardware cloth and put a larger overhang on to keep the rain from blowing in that open side. Seriously, woefully inadequate ventilation does not make for happy birds.

Originally the handyman I chose was asking me $800 for the coop and run included with material (except the paint), but he was going to use recycled material and cheap chicken wire (and I want hardware cloth), but now I am going to go through another guy who will built the coop for $500 and my husband and I will built the run (not to fancy but at my taste, so I expect spending $700 at the most for everything. The coop would be what I really want (the first guy was going to built something really basic), so hopefully when we move we will be able to bring the coop with us (it would be a 48 sqft coop) We will have 7 chickens, so for 48 sq feet I assume we could eventually have more hens (12 at the most). Living in rentals it's always a problem as you said because we always have to leave something behind... but I won't leave my coop!!!! Here is the coop I am hoping to have but the image shows 5 by 6 but I ask him to do it 8 by 6 by 6