- Apr 19, 2014
- 11
- 5
- 62
Hi, I am putting together my first coop and run. As I have a wife and kids, we of course already have the 8 baby chickens...
I am lucky enough to have 5 acres in SE Melbourne, so size is not an issue, but placement and convenience is.
I have an old dog run about 4.6m x 10.5m made from chicken wire about 1.8m tall. I intend to cover it with chicken wire for a run for about 10 choocks.
I hope to build the coop from materials I have around or maybe convert a 2nd hand kids cubby.
My question: I don't know whether to build off the ground or on the ground using a concrete base.
My preference is to build the coop on the ground with a concrete base. I was planning to use a deep bed of litter.
However lots of people seem to prefer a coop high off the ground.
To me, a coop on a concrete base will have much better thermal stability, as the ground will always be around 19 degrees celcius, whereas a coop in the air will be whatever the air temperature is, which around here is down to 1-2 degrees in winter and up to 42 degrees in summer.
Am I on the right track or is this less important than other factors?
In my area rodents are common, as we have horses and therefore horse feed. And we have foxes that come around regularly at night even before I got chickens, but I plan to have the coop made fox proof.
Any tips appreciated.
I am lucky enough to have 5 acres in SE Melbourne, so size is not an issue, but placement and convenience is.
I have an old dog run about 4.6m x 10.5m made from chicken wire about 1.8m tall. I intend to cover it with chicken wire for a run for about 10 choocks.
I hope to build the coop from materials I have around or maybe convert a 2nd hand kids cubby.
My question: I don't know whether to build off the ground or on the ground using a concrete base.
My preference is to build the coop on the ground with a concrete base. I was planning to use a deep bed of litter.
However lots of people seem to prefer a coop high off the ground.
To me, a coop on a concrete base will have much better thermal stability, as the ground will always be around 19 degrees celcius, whereas a coop in the air will be whatever the air temperature is, which around here is down to 1-2 degrees in winter and up to 42 degrees in summer.
Am I on the right track or is this less important than other factors?
In my area rodents are common, as we have horses and therefore horse feed. And we have foxes that come around regularly at night even before I got chickens, but I plan to have the coop made fox proof.
Any tips appreciated.