New Coop Floor

[Creteloc]

As you may have seen in my other post, I'm fighting rats. I'm also building an 8x8 shed to act as a new coop. So here's my question. How do I rat proof my shed's floor? I am posting the floor plans below from the instructions (minus the wood planks of the floor boards).

I'm definitely NO carpenter, but I 'think' there are two methods. (No, I can't pour cement. It's on a gravel bed.).

1. Run hardware cloth under the 2x4's between the wood and the gravel and then attach it up on the outside walls of the shed. Sort of like Christmas Wrapping the bottom half of the shed with hardware cloth.
2. Put it inside the coop along the floor and up the inside walls.

What do you think is the best way?

 

[Plip]

When I first built my coop about eight years ago, I built it too low to the ground -- barely above grade. And then it settled even lower, so basically, the plywood floor was practically in the dirt. And I had rat problems.

What I did was jack up the shed and put pier blocks (concrete blocks that look kind of like pyramids with flat tops) under to floor beams. The floor is now maybe 10 inches above grade. It's one step up, so it's easy to step into. But my dog actually likes to crawl under the shed now when I go out to do chores or collect eggs. And I think her going under there once a day or so (along with the rats just not having as good a hiding places) has really helped keep the rats away.

Of course, I had to add wire below the coop on the sides that butt up the chicken run, so the chickens couldn't get under the coop and the dog can't get into the run. but that wan't a big deal. And it's really helped.

So keeping the floor further up off the ground should help, and if you have a dog, even better.

 

[Creteloc]

I thought about something like that with cinder blocks but I wasn't sure it'd hold.

 

[Creteloc]

Or these things under the 2x4s that make up the 5 cross boards?

 

[Plip]

Here's what I used:

Pier With Saddle

• Plip
• Feb 12, 2018

I've always called this a "pier block with saddle," but when I grabbed the photo online, it seems "pier block with bracket" is a more widespread term.

The bracket is the most expensive part. I would expect to pay somewhere between $6 and $10 each. But you don't have to worry about the coop shifting on them.

Pier blocks are also available without the saddle/bracket for $3 or $4. And really, your coop is probably going to be heavy enough that it isn't going anywhere with or without the saddle.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

As you may have seen in my other post, I'm fighting rats. I'm also building an 8x8 shed to act as a new coop. So here's my question. How do I rat proof my shed's floor? I am posting the floor plans below from the instructions (minus the wood planks of the floor boards).

I'm definitely NO carpenter, but I 'think' there are two methods. (No, I can't pour cement. It's on a gravel bed.).

1. Run hardware cloth under the 2x4's between the wood and the gravel and then attach it up on the outside walls of the shed. Sort of like Christmas Wrapping the bottom half of the shed with hardware cloth.
2. Put it inside the coop along the floor and up the inside walls.

What do you think is the best way?

View attachment 1263115

Which shed will you be using for your coop? I watched a you tube video where they used those blocks you posted above. It was for a life choice shed.

 

[Creteloc]

Nothing too fancy : https://www.lowes.com/pd/Heartland-...Belmont-Gable-Engineered-Storage-Shed/4507030

It needs a lot of chicken-ing, but once I'm done with a ton of ventilation, a chicken door to the run, and inside roosts and such, it'll hopefully be really nice.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Lifetime, not life choice. Lol. Anyway, here is the video I watched (most of).

 

[Ruralhideaway]

If you are elevating it slightly i think going under the whole floor would be advantageous, keep the little jerks from trying to chew their way in.

 

[oregonkat]

When I built my add-on coop last year I raised it up off the ground by about 3feet with 4x4 posts on each corner and the concrete piers spoken of above without the saddle. I found that having it that far off the ground afforded some storage space underneath for extra totes, the bags of bedding or whatever....