New coop and run build, told by photos

Your coop is beautiful! Nice work!

It is difficult for me to see in the picture...looks like you have chicken wire along the bottom of your coop. IF you don't also have welded wire lining that then it is not raccoon or dog proof.

The best is 1/2 inch hardware cloth, since it keeps out rats and weasels which kill chickens. Raccoons can tear through the chicken wire with their "hands" as if it isn't there...just FYI. You can also apron out the hardware cloth along the bottom to prevent diggers from digging under (google hardware cloth apron). This will not be buried so you are still portable.

If you are not intending the run to be predator proof (only the coop- then you are good to go). I don't have a predator proof run myself but lock them up in the coop at night.

 

Impressive. It looks very nice.

 

Ditto

Apron...no digging required....view all images on the right side of the page of this thread

 

Nice job!! I have a big shed as a coop as well as a smaller one, the second one you have shown. I use it for my ducks right now until I introduce them into the coop.

 

Nice man
I wouldn't mind living in that

 

Beautiful! Thomas is very handsome, sorry for your loss!

 

I sure would like to see how you lift it and move it. Can you take some pics of the run end and maybe one or two with it hooked up. Mine looks like it is going to weight about the same as ours and I was afraid I was going to have a hard time moving it.

I see that you have yours wheels actually behind the end face of the tractor, I put mine just inside the end hoping that would give me more leverage when lifting the run end. I used brackets I found in the electrical dept of Home Depot, they are made for large conduit hangers and are really inexpensive, heavy duty and zinc coated so they won't rust.

Here is what mine looks like, if you look at it in the gallery blown up you can see the brackets better.

 

Quote:Placing the wheels near center of the coop will make lifting easier but that will cause the rear to drag if you move it too far forward. I have seen pictures of movable coops with handles on it similar to a wheel barrow. That will give you some leverage and keep you from having to bend over to move it.