Omak Chicken Coop by Dave

[DaveOmak]

Looking great! Might be a bit late, but I'd suggest burying wire around the edges so nothing digs it's way in.

Love reading your posts - laugh my you-know-what off every time. WAPITA - haha!! Love it!

Wire around the base of the run is planned.... Also, electric wire will be in place.... Those additions will probably be the last thing to go in....
Stand by.... pictures to follow...... Thanks for following this build.....

Great thread. We are building our first coop too. No plans...well, we tried plans at first. Ended up wingin it. Most fun project we've taken on in a while, but it's hard--we've never built anything from scratch. We can build, build, build for a few days, and then........nothing. Got to wait for the lightbulb to switch on, and then AHA, we get going again. Just keep looking at how to's, looking for inspirations, and watching how it evolves. Thanks for sharing your coop story and your humor. Will be watching to see how it comes along.

Many AHA !!!! moments here too....... Many days of contemplating "what" and "how to do it" slow stuff down.... and the heat too... Triple digits the last week or so....
Thanks for following this build....

 

[aart]

Vent screening... the soffits are open all around the roof......



Finish painting..... Install more air venting.... Auto watering system..... Auto Feeders....

Any suggestions would be gladly accepted.....

I'd suggest you attach that soffit mesh with screws and washers.....maybe not necessary if your electric keeps anything from climbing up there, but raccoons are freakishly strong and staple gun staples will pop right out. You can bend the wire back and attach to the back of the fascia(shorter screws) so attachment access can all happen from the outside.

 

[madibhai]

Looking at this picture you have put in chicken wire. Racoons and foxes can tear through Chicken wire in an instance. I learned the hard way, you need to use hardware cloth instead and use a screw with a washer to hold it in place.

 

[DaveOmak]

I'd suggest you attach that soffit mesh with screws and washers.....maybe not necessary if your electric keeps anything from climbing up there, but raccoons are freakishly strong and staple gun staples will pop right out. You can bend the wire back and attach to the back of the fascia(shorter screws) so attachment access can all happen from the outside.

Thanks for the suggestion.....
The staples are 3/8" crown and 1" long from an air stapler..... and I think they are 17 gauge wire.... I do hope they won't pull out.....

 

[DaveOmak]

Looking at this picture you have put in chicken wire. Racoons and foxes can tear through Chicken wire in an instance. I learned the hard way, you need to use hardware cloth instead and use a screw with a washer to hold it in place.

The wire starts about 27" above the ground.... Hopefully they won't have much leverage at that height.... and hopefully, when they arrive at the run, the 9,000 volt fencer will deter them.... If all that fails, then hardware cloth will be installed..... and that will be ONE VERY EXPENSIVE LESSON.....

BTW..... all of the metal on the run will be connected to a ground rod.... and to the ground side of the fencer...

 

[madibhai]

i don't know, but many times I find that a cat or a fox is on the roof.

Something tore a hole in my chicken wire that I had. But granted this was on the ground. I think that it was a raccoon. I then got rid of that coop design completely and rebuilt mine.

 

[DaveOmak]

i don't know, but many times I find that a cat or a fox is on the roof.

Something tore a hole in my chicken wire that I had. But granted this was on the ground. I think that it was a raccoon. I then got rid of that coop design completely and rebuilt mine.

Well, the roof is steel roofing.... there will be 3 strands of 9,000 volt wire from the ground, top of the side steel panels and at the roof line....

I absolutely, positively HATE building stuff twice.... That's why I take so long... From everything I have read, one JOLT from the wire, will deter most, if not all, animals from returning.... With the steel roof, predators from the sky won't have a chance.... the shade should keep the birds cooler, along with the shade from the trees....

Can you see the red lines..... that is an example of the fencer wire routing, or something close.....

 

[aart]

Quote: That oughta do it.....so many folks use a spring staler just thought I'd mention it.

You're electrical plan sounds.....a little scary, everything metal will be hot!?!..For night time only?

 

[DaveOmak]

That oughta do it.....so many folks use a spring staler just thought I'd mention it.

You're electrical plan sounds.....a little scary, everything metal will be hot!?!..For night time only?

No..... everything metal will be ground.... grounded to the earth and ground side of the fencer....

 

[aart]

Oooohhhh gotcha....

.......I'm kind of electric fence stupid, just no experience.

So metal mesh run wall and metal roof will be ground for high hot wire.