Pics/desc. of my COMPLETE chicken coop and run

[mradam]

Finally, finally it's done. Here are some pics of my RIR's coop and run:

The coop, on left, and the run attached to the back:

I'll admit, the black mesh on top isn't the nicest, but it's effective.

A pic of the front, but before the run was added:

The inside. The birds are sectioned of the the back half, and don't have nesting boxes yet (they're not old enough yet).

I poured 5 piers, then set the legs with Wedge bolts into the concrete. Legs are recycled from work, welded by me. The 1/2in fence is tec screwed directly to the posts. I tried, but couldn't budge the posts at all.


All this work, and the chickens are scared to venture outside!

The run is approx. 8x12x4ft high. Should be good enough for my 4 birds.

Adam

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

They'll get over their fear of the outdoors in no time. Nice work! I love all the construction equipment in the first pic. My "little guy" is turning 15 on Friday and I miss the old days.

 

[dixygirl]

Hi there, I like your work. The screen is not anchored to anything across the bottom so an animal could push the bottom and crawl in it appears. Is that correct? I would add some base bars at the bottom to attach the screen to if possible.

 

[mradam]

Nice catch. Although my yard is 100% fenced in, I will be adding metal stakes (3/8in x 8in long) through the bottom of the fencing straight into the ground, spaced every 8 inches. That should keep out anything that tries. I almost forgot about that project! Thanks for reminding me!

Adam

 

[dixygirl]

I am looking at those brackets you used for 4x4s in the cement. How deep do the screws or bolts go and how difficult was it to do that. I have an existing cement block structure with a flat roof and I am considering putting those in the 4 corners of the roof to put a screened in run on the roof. Do you think I can do it?

 

[mradam]

Dixygirl, It's not hard at all. The bolts are 3/8in x 4in long Wedge bolts. I'm not sure where you could get them, I got mine through work... I use them all the time. You could also use expander bolts, although they will leave a threaded stud sticking up out of the concrete if you ever remove them.

They are easy to use. The Wedge bolts require a Wedge bolt drill bit for a hammer drill. You drill the holes, and then use an impact to drive the bolts into the holes. With expander bolts you only need to drill the appropriate size hole for the bolt you're using, then pound the expander bolt into the hole... tighten the nut down and you're done.


If you don't already have a impact you may want to use expander bolts. I don't see any reason why you couldn't attach plates to the top of that concrete building. It should work fine.

Let me know if I can help with any other advice or anything.

Adam