Prep for this coop is hot hard work!

[jeria]

Working on leveling and predator protecting while getting ready to put in a simple brick foundation for the coop and run. A slight slope has meant 40+ bags of dirt, cement blocks hauled and it still needs to be leveled, hope no more dirt needed. 1/2 inch 2 foot hardware cloth as a skirting all around that will be anchored by the bricks on top and additional welded wire garden rabbit fencing on the 3 sides that don't have the cement blocks. If I see any signs of digging I will add welded wire also on that low side. The temps and humidity has sored here so trying to get as much done in the morning today since no commitments like last weekend and this afternoon dangerous for hard work. I'll post a photo later and would love some comments as to it's security. Lots of coons in my neighborhood.

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

Back in March, I asked my wife if I needed to build a new brooder or do any remodeling in the coop, expecting her to want more chicks this spring. She said "no, we have enough for right now".
Beginning of May, we had 2 hens hatch out 12 chicks, 8 survived. No big deal, we still have plenty of room. 3 weeks ago my wife ordered 25 chicks from McMurray's. 26 arrived, all survived. She also brought home another 5 chicks the same day her order arrived, all survived.
We have 4 other hens sitting on 5-6 eggs each. If only half survive that's another 10 or more. The heat index is at 100 degrees here already. Right now it's 7pm. The temp is 84 and the humidity is 82%. And I need all kinds of remodeling to hold these 40+ new chickens that we weren't supposed to be getting.
This could have been done in March when it was 70, but noooooo we aren't getting any chicks this year! But at least I'm not dragging 40 bags of dirt around. I feel for you...

You sound like my husband. We have/had 18 hens in March from last springs hatch. They are laying around 14 eggs a day so I had plenty for the family and some to sell. Then when more people wanted my free range eggs, I decided to incubate some of my fertilized eggs...I hatched 9, and 2 teacher friends of mine hatched 8 more, and I bought 25 pullets from the local farm store. Oh, and I have always wanted a Maran, so I bought 2 hens and a roo 8 weeks old. Now I am faced with a situation of where I will house all of these hens (and a few roos) when they mature and begin laying eggs. That's were my recently retired husband comes into the picture. We are going to build a half-hoop coop using 5 cattle panels. It will be 21 feet long and 13 feet wide, 7 or so feet high, but will have one straight side and the other curved. It is amazing how my hobby has become his honey-do list's #1 item. I will keep everyone posted. The 10' 4x6's are in the ground so far. Don't you just love those fresh eggs?

 

[aart]

View attachment 1048973 View attachment 1048975
We started yesterday by setting the posts

Start new build thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance.9/create-thread

 

[Dmontgomery]

Back in March, I asked my wife if I needed to build a new brooder or do any remodeling in the coop, expecting her to want more chicks this spring. She said "no, we have enough for right now".
Beginning of May, we had 2 hens hatch out 12 chicks, 8 survived. No big deal, we still have plenty of room. 3 weeks ago my wife ordered 25 chicks from McMurray's. 26 arrived, all survived. She also brought home another 5 chicks the same day her order arrived, all survived.
We have 4 other hens sitting on 5-6 eggs each. If only half survive that's another 10 or more. The heat index is at 100 degrees here already. Right now it's 7pm. The temp is 84 and the humidity is 82%. And I need all kinds of remodeling to hold these 40+ new chickens that we weren't supposed to be getting.
This could have been done in March when it was 70, but noooooo we aren't getting any chicks this year! But at least I'm not dragging 40 bags of dirt around. I feel for you...

 

[Birdinhand]

I'd make sure the hardware cloth goes 2 ft in the ground at a 45 degree angle away from the inside of the coop. I've found that back filling the trench with gravel makes it virtually impossible for rats to dig and they seem to be the best at digging deep holes. and yes, the preparation is the most work but so much less than having to solve a problem after the chickens arrive! if you do it right, you'll basically never have to do it again.

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

Like the sound of the coop pls post pictures when you do it pretty pls.

We started yesterday by setting the posts

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

Start new build thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance.9/create-thread

Thanks...did it

 

[jeria]

Is this going to be enough to stop the coons from digging under ? None of the foundation bricks are laid yet.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I would think that's pretty dig proof.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Oh my goodness!! The heat and humidity is worse in LA, than here in MO. So sorry. Dirt has been drug out there. So now the business of building the coop and leveling the site--interesting-- as never built a building or designed one. Now am working on completing both. I only have 4 chicks, not 40!!!

That's 40 new chicks to go with the 31 already in the coop.
Your coop/run looks pretty big for just 4 chickens. Didn't you say it was going to be 10x8? Which roof design did you decide on? I see that your first estimate was 20 bags of dirt and now it's double. That always happens to me too. Any plan I make costs twice as much as expected and takes 3 times longer. I hope it gets done by the time the chicks are big enough to move in.
One advantage of the heat; I haven't had to use the brooder heat lamp in the past week. At least we don't live in Phoenix, it's supposed to be 119 there!