needed: coop critique

[Judy]

Quote:
Can you elaborate? I'm picturing solid plywood all the way around up to 3" tall?

I think that's what the poster meant by 2' or 3'. The advantage of wire is they'd be able to see out. Even a couple layers of chicken wire, with the holes not lining up, would be better than nothing.

 

[ryanhodapp]

I have read to also put plywood on a corner so that if a predator does puts it claws through, the girls have somewhere to run (not smart enough to go into the coop). I have seen my girls use the corner even with my 6 year old who makes them nervous.

 

[abChicken]

Looking good

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
well that would work, raccoons can reach through 1inch square holes...


What happens one coon climbs up the side and the sister or brother waits quietly till all the panicked chickens are in the other corner then reaches through the wire and eats them a little bit at a time (killing first then eating)

 

[elmo]

Quote:
You can approach this issue in many different ways. Wood would work, as would any sort of solid panel, tin, plastic, etc. You could use smaller mesh, metal or even plastic. You could use cheap rolled reed fencing, even. Probably lots of other things I can't even think of.

 

[Bossroo]

Also... Why didn't you use pressure treated wood on top of the blocks? The bottom wood will suck up moisture from the concrete blocks and become a very good environment for dryrot, mold and insects. Why did you use hard packed clay? This effectively puts a pan under the run that will not allow for proper drainage, therfore a perfect environment for bacteria, mold, insects, smells, etc.

 

[cptbahama]

I probably should have put pressure treated boards for the bottom frame. I didn't though so its a moot point now. I do have some moisture wicking stripping used in car washes that I could put underneath them. They are plastic coated on one side. The plastic coated side could be the side touching the wood.
Hard packed clay is all I have to work with. I will be adding about 4 inches of sand on top of it. The entire structure will also be roofed with a gutter leading to the woods to direct water away from the run.
This is my first chicken coop but not my first structure I have built. I'm thinking it will work.

 

[teach1rusl]

It's looking great! Nice, solid build

So which way are you looking to run your roosts? With 7 birds, I'd want to run them along the 6 ft. stretch. I don't think five foot would cut it. If you're doing a door on each end, this would make it super easy to clean (lift the panel and there the roost is - staring you in the face. Your ventilation could primarily be on the opposite end from the roosts...

 

[DVTO2]

6' x 5' may be minimal for seven hens. I'd hang the nest boxes outside the coop so you don't lose space. Then put the roost over a poop board that can be accessed from the roof/slash door of the nest boxes. You may have to raise the roof a bit to accomplish this.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Depending on how far you've gotten since the posted pics, this isn't a bad idea. Looks like a set of two nest boxes could easily be mounted right there on one side of that five foot stretch with the 2 x 4 down the center. If there's at least a 24 inch opening there, that would be very doable. Or you could raise your nest boxes at least 16 inches and wall mount them. I also think a dropping board is a great idea - really helps keep things clean and conserves clean floorspace.