We were going to turn our current shed into a coop and build the run off of it. A few things went "wonky" when we actually got to measuring and talking this weekend.
First, where to build the run? The side that I can see from the house is farther from the fence, 10.5 feet, so the run would be 10.5'x10' (105 sqft). Only problem there is we don't have enough of the 2"x4" welded wire to cover both sides we would need to use to enclose it. We would need 94.5 feet of the 24"x100' Hardware Cloth we are purchasing, not too bad, but we want some leftover so we can make them a playpen for while they're still little!
The second spot we considered was to the right of the door, but I can't see that from the house and the neighbor that shares that fence has 2 small dogs that I'm pretty sure would cause an issue. But, Hardware cloth requirements for that side would be approximately 91'. This side isn't sqaure, so one side would be 8.75' and the other around 9.5'. That would give them +/- 66.5 sqft of run.
However, both sites would require that we also covered the tops to avoid predators (figured into the needed hardware clot totals). Neither of us has ever built a fence, so we talked and opted out of using the shed at all. Our new plan is to use our back deck as the roof of the run! We can enclose the entire thing easily, using the upright supports to screw the hardware cloth to and it is already a nice square, protected place for our hens!
The deck measures 12'x15' to the outer edges of the top rail, so I fiure it's maybe 11'x14' under it, the supports are very near the egde of the deck. For ease in figuring, and so we can end up with mor, not less materials, I'll figure for the 12'x15' size though. That gives the 3 chicks we're getting this spring a whopping 154 sqft to 180 sqft of run space! Not only does it give them more space to roam, but snow and rain very rarely get under the deck, so it is mostly protected from the weather!
The downside to not using the shed as a coop is that I now have to build a coop. Easily said and done (hopefully)! I hopped on CraigsList last nght, sent out 2 emails (still waiting for 1 to respond) and got an answer when we got home from dinner! I drove ~30 miles to Medical Lake/Cheney and picked up 9 fairly good pallets this morning! Totally free!!! I'm still hoping the other "guy" gets back to me since his are "pallet crates" and I could use one of those to ensure I build a "square" house for my hens and not one that looks like the leaning tower! If not though, I will email back the guy I got these pallets from and see if I can take a few more off his hands. Well worth the drive for me!
Now to find a set of plans I can adapt...I hate going in to something without a plan of attack! And that handsome fella is my SO, surprisingly smiley for a guy who just wants to go home and play computer games, don't ya think?
First, where to build the run? The side that I can see from the house is farther from the fence, 10.5 feet, so the run would be 10.5'x10' (105 sqft). Only problem there is we don't have enough of the 2"x4" welded wire to cover both sides we would need to use to enclose it. We would need 94.5 feet of the 24"x100' Hardware Cloth we are purchasing, not too bad, but we want some leftover so we can make them a playpen for while they're still little!
The second spot we considered was to the right of the door, but I can't see that from the house and the neighbor that shares that fence has 2 small dogs that I'm pretty sure would cause an issue. But, Hardware cloth requirements for that side would be approximately 91'. This side isn't sqaure, so one side would be 8.75' and the other around 9.5'. That would give them +/- 66.5 sqft of run.
However, both sites would require that we also covered the tops to avoid predators (figured into the needed hardware clot totals). Neither of us has ever built a fence, so we talked and opted out of using the shed at all. Our new plan is to use our back deck as the roof of the run! We can enclose the entire thing easily, using the upright supports to screw the hardware cloth to and it is already a nice square, protected place for our hens!
The deck measures 12'x15' to the outer edges of the top rail, so I fiure it's maybe 11'x14' under it, the supports are very near the egde of the deck. For ease in figuring, and so we can end up with mor, not less materials, I'll figure for the 12'x15' size though. That gives the 3 chicks we're getting this spring a whopping 154 sqft to 180 sqft of run space! Not only does it give them more space to roam, but snow and rain very rarely get under the deck, so it is mostly protected from the weather!
The downside to not using the shed as a coop is that I now have to build a coop. Easily said and done (hopefully)! I hopped on CraigsList last nght, sent out 2 emails (still waiting for 1 to respond) and got an answer when we got home from dinner! I drove ~30 miles to Medical Lake/Cheney and picked up 9 fairly good pallets this morning! Totally free!!! I'm still hoping the other "guy" gets back to me since his are "pallet crates" and I could use one of those to ensure I build a "square" house for my hens and not one that looks like the leaning tower! If not though, I will email back the guy I got these pallets from and see if I can take a few more off his hands. Well worth the drive for me!
Now to find a set of plans I can adapt...I hate going in to something without a plan of attack! And that handsome fella is my SO, surprisingly smiley for a guy who just wants to go home and play computer games, don't ya think?
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