Rubbermaid coop... finally up! update 9/11/11 post#56

[mmaddie's mom]

@ rocky 41102... LOOKING GOOD!

Today must be the day to get started... we just didn't get as far along as you.

Check out my BYC page blog, started today, showing what (little) we got done today.

www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=59359

... more to come... slowly...

 

[rocky41102]

Quote:
Would putting some hardware cloth around the bottom help? I was hoping the cinder blocks would help with predators too? Nighttime is the biggest concern and they'll be locked up in the coop. It's fairly close to our house and near the cars also, so I'm hoping that helps some. We don't have many daytime predators. We went with a bigger window-about 6" x 18" instead and will add more later as needed. I also plan on opening the big doors if they're free ranging and we're around. A fan won't be an option since there's no electricity but they'll only be in there at night so it should work out. We've got the room, so maybe we'll do 2 windows on each side instead of one...The run starts to get shaded in the afternoon and the coop will get some shade later in the day from our house and we generally get a good breeze.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
Would putting some hardware cloth around the bottom help? I was hoping the cinder blocks would help with predators too? Nighttime is the biggest concern and they'll be locked up in the coop. It's fairly close to our house and near the cars also, so I'm hoping that helps some. We don't have many daytime predators. We went with a bigger window-about 6" x 18" instead and will add more later as needed. I also plan on opening the big doors if they're free ranging and we're around. A fan won't be an option since there's no electricity but they'll only be in there at night so it should work out. We've got the room, so maybe we'll do 2 windows on each side instead of one...The run starts to get shaded in the afternoon and the coop will get some shade later in the day from our house and we generally get a good breeze.

Hardware cloth is great for keeping predators deterred. We have in on the bottom half of our run fence (the whole run fence is 1x3" welded wire with hardware cloth overlapped on the bottom 3'). You could lay some on the ground going out from the fence about a foot. When critters tunnel, they walk right up to a fence & start digging. They won't back up & dig. Don't put the cinder blocks on top of the wire. You could maybe put them up against the fence on the inside of the run if you want in case something did tunnel under, they might come up underneath the blocks. Just a thought.
It doesn't matter how close the coop is to the house or vehicles. A hungry predator will not care. Spotlights or security lights do not usually deter them either. They get used to it after a while. Daytime predators don't usually compare to the nighttime ones. Murrey McMurrey has a solar-powered predator deterrant with red flashing lights that you may consider if you find any evidence of predators milling around your coop overnight. It is about $20.
The number of windows you put in is up to you. I do not know how hot or cold it gets down by you. Maybe start with one on each side & see how it goes? A thermometer in your coop is an essential friend! I have seen solar-powered exhaust fans for greenhouses that you might be interested in sometime down the road. Not only do they help to cool the coop, but they keep the ammonia fumes from accumulating, which is more common in the winter & can be deadly to poultry. Just be aware that windows are a possible entryway for nighttime visitors. Some people cover them with hardware cloth also. And before you put too many windows in, be sure you have enough wall space for roosts and nest boxes.
Hope this helps you.

Link to Murrey McMurrey Night Guard:
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/nite_guard_1.html

 

[Celtic Chick]

mmaddie's mom :

@ rocky 41102... LOOKING GOOD!

Today must be the day to get started... we just didn't get as far along as you.

Check out my BYC page blog, started today, showing what (little) we got done today.

www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=59359

... more to come... slowly...

At least you got started. It's a holiday......you're entitled to a slow start.

You have some good looking roosters there. I love their coloring. They look like they're ready for their girls to come back home, poor guys.​

 

[KansasBoy]

Quote:
What I was considering to cover these in mine is to cut prices of wood to shape and fix them to the back underside of the door windows with cabinet hinges w/some sort of lock up top for whn I want them shut! So open they would just hang down... And when shut they would be shut (upward) and secured in place safely!

Looks like your making great progress!

 

[MamiPollo]

I swung by Home Depot tonight and they had a really nice shed approx. 7x7 with lots of windows. There were 4 windows on each side, and one in each door. Plus air vents at each end by the roof. It was $699.00! They also had an 8x6 with no windows for $499.00. For $200 I would gladly buy the one with all those windows!

My plan would be to remove the plexiglass from the windows and replace with hardware cloth. This would give a lot of ventilation and cross-breezes for summer. In the winter, I would cover all but a few of the windows with heavy gauge plastic.

I think this would be a very affordable alternative, compared to other options I have been looking at.

I am in Louisville, KY where it gets up around 100 for a few weeks in July and August usually, and in winter it gets down into the single digits and sometimes below zero for a while. When I was in high school it was 25 below for a few mornings, but this is unusual for this area.

One question I have is, do these resin buildings sit directly on the ground? Or do you have them elevated somehow? And if so, how are they elevated?

 

[KansasBoy]

I think there's a few postings of both methods!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Quote:
Mine is directly on the ground. You really want a level surface, so either make sure the ground is extremely hard, or put in on a concrete or wood base. Otherwise the joints might not line up, or you won't be able to close the doors well.

 

[EweSheep]

I have a small shed by Royal Outdoor shed and it is now eight years old, withstood all kinds of elements and it has done well! I love mine!

Unfortunately home improvement stores no longer carry them since Royal from Canada has been bought out by another company in OH and I think just recently the past year, it was sold to another company. I am sure it is limited or can be ordered in. Wonderful sheds!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

... slow progress... but a few more pics... 4/30/11...

www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=59359