saltbox coop with run...

[NewHen]

I ordered the saltbox coop from mypetchicken.com. I don't really want to bury fencing around it. If I attach hardware mesh to the bottom, is it okay for the chickens to walk on that? It gets really hot where I live and I bet that metal will really heat up. I also found plastic hardware mesh. Is that ok to use for chickens?

 

[The Sheriff]

I had one made like the saltbox coop. I was worried about digging predators so i had wire put on the bottom and then topped it with 4 inches of sand. This is before the sand went in.

 

[Kittymomma]

You can put a hardware cloth skirt around it and just secure it with landscaping staples into the ground and maybe hog rings to attach it to the wire around the bottom of the run so you don't have a gap. As long as you make the skirt 24" or so you shouldn't have any problems. It looks a little goofy for the first few months, but the grass will grow up right thru it and after awhile you won't see it at all and can even mow right over the top. That's a nice design! I don't know anything about plastic hardware cloth, but it sounds kind of flimsy. How many and what kinds of chickens are you getting or is this going to be new digs for an existing flock?

 

[Backyard Hencam]

I agree with Kittymomma:

You can put a hardware cloth skirt around it and just secure it with landscaping staples into the ground and maybe hog rings to attach it to the wire around the bottom of the run so you don't have a gap. As long as you make the skirt 24" or so you shouldn't have any problems.

Putting a skirt around the outside rather than on the ground on the inside allows the chickens to scratch and dust bathe in the dirt in their run. That is what chickens love to do!

 

[NewHen]

Thanks for the suggestion about the skirt. I think I'll try that.

 

[chicken stalker]

Quote:
I love your coop. Is the narrow door on the bottom a clean out hatch or drawer?

 

[NewHen]

The one I ordered from mypetchicken.com has a slide out drawer that they describe with their foursquare chicken coop, but the new saltbox one has it too. Or, so they said. It's being delivered next month.