Ordering the lumber tomorrow - what am I overlooking?

[teeps]

We bought nine baby chicks about 4 weeks ago and have had them in a nice little brooder to this point. We poured a cement slab and footers for the run and will start building this week (base plate will be attached to cement and then hardware cloth sandwiched between two boards for predator protection - we also have a dog). The cement slab is 8x8 and the run will be about 160 sq ft. The plan is to have a portion of the run covered (we live in the rainy Seattle area!) and a portion that is uncovered (covered only in hardware cloth). We'll have 4 nest boxes, feeders/waterers inside and out, a small sand box for dust baths, plenty of roost space for each chicken, good ventilation, electricity eventually for a light/electric door, etc. We'll use woodchips to cover the cement (deep liter method) with boards under each roost to catch some poop (that we'll clean regularly). Tar shingles for the roof (built like a house because that is what I know how to do!).

What am I overlooking? If you could do it all over again, what would you do from the beginning to make things easier/better?

Thanks!

 

[junebuggena]

Are you going to have any enclosed space that will shelter them from wind and rain? Chickens can handle being wet, and they can handle wind, but wind and soaking rain at the same time, not so much.

 

[teeps]

Sorry - probably didn't explain that very well . The 8x8 slab is for an enclosed coop.

 

[junebuggena]

Sorry - probably didn't explain that very well

. The 8x8 slab is for an enclosed coop.

Good to go then. I live a few hours south of you, so when I read your original post you had me a bit concerned. Gale force winds and driving rain for half the year and chickens with no shelter from it. That mental image was kind of horrifying. Sounds like they will have ample room in their coop for those stormy weeks.

 

[teeps]

Thanks!