Total 180 for my first coop?

[monkcat]

So, I've been looking at all these beautiful coops on this site and thought I had figured out what I wanted for coop. But now, I'm having second thoughts. We live in the Deep South. We do get some frreezing temps here. Got down to 16 degrees at the lowest this winter. But that is not the norm and it isn't every night. High humidity pretty much most of the year. So, these really enclosed coops with the concern being adequate ventilation and the clean out... well, let's just say I'm considering other options.

A few thingss to know: After much reading and watching videos, i've decided deep litter is the way for us to go. I also will be in something of a hurry as it is getting quite late in the chick buying season. Looking around at what we have and what the chickens will need, I think I've come up with a lower cost, open air alternative that should keep them safe, well ventilated and will allow success of the deep litter method. Please critique and give feedback on my plan.

So, we have a huge storage building that is within our 4 foot chain link fenced area. It's a metal building on concrete pad. There is a drop roof storage area next to it - butted up to it. Right now the back half of the covered area is firewood, tractor parts and old tires. I'm thinking using hardware cloth from the top all the way down to skirt out around the bottom on three sides, with the side of the building being the back of the coop and a door framed up for entrance in front would be a great open air coop.

The fact that it is within the chain link where our dogs are frequently and we have motion sensitive lighting that would help deter predators would be a bonus. Every time the lights come on, the dogs run out barking as well. The coop would be pretty large. A good 10 x 20 and 6-7 feet high. Plus, we would be able to enclose all the way to the chain link for their run which would be huge. And it has dewberries growing along the fence that they could forage for.

The chain link would need to have hardware cloth run on the inside of it for safety on the areas where it would be part of their run. My only other thought would be chicken wire floor to ceiling with hardware cloth on the bottom half. But I don't know if that would be safe enough.

I know hardware cloth is expensive. But I still think it would be less expensive than having to erect a frame, roof and all the rest of it. It would be fairly quick to do - 1 day. And the open air aspect for this area I think would work well for thir comfort and the success of deep litter. Does this sound reasonable? Any holes in my plans?

Thanks

 

[Judy]

Welcome to our forum!

I think you are very wise to plan to have an open air structure with lots of hardware cloth. Your climate sounds exactly like mine, and I promise, there is nothing here that my chickens would ever call winter. Summer is when they suffer. Shand, extra breeze (a box fan for me) and plenty of water are minimum requirements for them to even survive summer here.

Here is a great thread full of pics of others who have made this discovery:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops

Are you saying you plan to have the chickens and the dogs in the same space? It took me about two years to train my two very nice dogs not to "play with" the chickens.
Dogs are probably dhickens' most common predator.

On the other hand, the (different) dogs who stroll around the outside of my chicken yard have no doubt had a part in our having no losses for several years now -- except when we lost a couple of baby chicks to a hawk!

Good luck.

 

[monkcat]

Thanks so much for the reply. Yes, I would have almost exactly your weather. South Mississippi. Well, the chickens space will be within the dogs yard, but the dogs won't be able to get to them. They will be separated by the hardware cloth. These are not big dogs. But they make enough of a fuss that they run stuff off all the time. LOL We have, um, a lot of dogs. But they aren't big at all. Biggest is long and low to the ground at about 20-25 pounds. Half Doxie, half Bassett Hound. She's an old girl. Anyway, if we put them here, electricity for a fan will be easy as there is already electric there. As beautiful as all those coops are, I just don't think they would be practical for our area. And from the standpoint of using what we have to save on time, effort, money and resources, I think this makes the most sense.

Just making sure there are no holes in my plan. It's easier to be objective on the outside looking in. Do you think the hardware cloth skirting will be enough predator deterrent? We are overrun with coons, opossums, bobcats, flying critterrs. You name it. This is why I'm thinking lights going off and yapping dogs might help. But want to make sure caged area is secure as well. That's the one thing I would LOVE about the more elaborate setups is theh sense of security.

Will be checking out that link! Thanks again.

edit - Oh forgot to mention, the south side will be the outside of the metal building. North, east and west open with hardware cloth. Winter can block northern exposure with plastic if need be. Late afternoon, I think will be blocked by shade trees.

 

[henless]

I would go ahead and put hardware cloth all the way up your run. I know it will cost more, but will make it more predator proof for those who like to climb. Be sure and put an apron around all of your run/coop. Some people use hardware cloth, I went with a sturdier wire with a larger hole so that it won't rust as quickly.

My coop is within my yard. I have 4 dogs and I think they are a great deterrent for predators. They've chased and killed 3 coons, killed a skunk and chased off 3 dogs in the last year.

Mine is a hot weather coop. We constructed it out of two stalls in our barn. Right now, I am in the process of redoing it and making more than one coop. Yes, chicken math has really hit!! You can click on my coop page in my avatar.

This is a 10x20 coop. It will soon be divided up into two 10x10 coops, plus there will be 4 more in the rest of the stalls.



This is the 20x20 run. It will be divided into two 10x20 runs.



Chickens don't care what they live in. Just make sure it is a predator proof as possible.

 

[monkcat]

Thanks for the feedback. DH said we have lots of chain link around. So, will likely used chain link all the way up and around and then put hardware cloth over it with an apron as well. Hopefully will be pretty secure. He's even okay with that area now. At first he wanted them up at an old pole barn close to the house. But now he's starting to design the construction in his head for the space in the yard. LOL He likes chickens. Don't know if he'd eat one we raised even if I "harvested" it. Said it would be like eating one of our dogs. Gotta love him.

Love your coops and runs. What kind of wire is it that you use? I was thinking hardware cloth because it would be harder for smaller stuff and grabby raccoon hands to get in. But definitely open to suggestions. This is all new to me and I want to have a space that is as secure and comfortable as it is workable and realistic.

 

[PapaChaz]

buy your hardware cloth on amazon, it's way cheaper than local. at least when I built my coop last month it was. If you're familiar with amazon.com, you know this already but just in case you're not, order from one of the 'amazon' suppliers and once your order hits $35 it'll have free shipping. I bought a 48"x100' roll of 1/2 mesh 19 gauge hardware cloth for $161. To buy that local would have cost me $240.

if I'm reading it right, you're going to completely cover the whole run with the chainlink, and just do the hardware cloth around the bottom and as an apron? that should be fine for keeping out dogs, racoons bird of prey. Smaller birds will be able to get in, not that they are predators but they will help eat any food outside, and they can carry in lice and mites. Notice that was CAN and not definitely will....

the only thing I will say is, keep us posted, we like pictures! and welcome aboard!

 

[monkcat]

PapaChaz - Oh, no, we are actually going to do chain link and then hardware cloth over the whole thing and then an apron as well. Apparently we have over 100 feet of chain link and gates from when we were getting our current yard, dog safe and to re-do some of the existing chain link that was questionable. So we won't even hatve to buy that. Then the hardware cloth will be a sort of skin for the chain link.

I have started looking at cloth prices. I did find a 36" x 100' roll locally for $96.00. Didn't see if they had 48 inch. I will use Amazon if a big difference in price. I'm a Prime member. Love me some Amazon. But if it's not a huge difference, I'd rather the money stay local. But I ain't all crazy and gonna throw money away if it's a huge difference!

Henless-I read all your construction thread. Awesomeness. You have inspired me to do a brooder space. Cuz, I know me and I'll have to try it at some point. Hoping a hen gets broody and does it herself though. But either way, I'll be ready. And if we need to separate someome, that'll be useful too.

And I've decided if I need to paint anything, I'm going to try whitewash. Found some easy, interesting links and I think that would be good to give it a try. But I don't think there will be a whole lot of painting needs with how I've imagined it in my tiny noodle.

I wasn't sure I would make it to get chicks this time around. But DH seems to be gearing up as well. So hopefully in the next week (now possibly two due to work issues) we can get it in and still find a few chicks around before the feed store quits getting them in.

fingers crossed.

And there will be lots of pictures I'm sure. I have 15 pics on my phone of two toads my son found outside in the rain yesterday evening. LOL I never know what will be on there.

 

[vehve]

I think your plans sound very good, the only thing I would think about already now, is that come winter, you might want to cover parts of the coop up with something that lets in light, but not wind.

My run is basically a similar construction as your coop would be, and our chickens slept out in it all through the winter. We didn't really have a very cold winter, we were down to -20C (about -5F) a few nights, but nothing really cold. In summer, my run only has hardware cloth around it, but for the winter I put up some corrugated clear plastic on the sides to keep snow, rain and wind out. It worked very well. I left a gap of about a foot at the top for ventilation though.

 

[henless]

I think your plans sound very good, the only thing I would think about already now, is that come winter, you might want to cover parts of the coop up with something that lets in light, but not wind.

Great point! I forgot that.

This past winter, I put up plastic shower curtains on the West side of my coop, and then large clear heavy plastic trash bags on some of the other openings. The North wall vent over the roost and the window over the nest boxes. Made for a very cozy coop.

In my redo, my whole coop will be hardware cloth, no solid walls at all. I would put up clear plastic behind the roosts and on the West walls for winter to block the wind.

 

[vehve]

This is slightly smaller than the proposed build, but this is how my coop and run looked in the winter. Like I said, they slept in the run all winter and only really went in the lay and eat and drink sometimes.





Next time I need to build a chicken coop I'll probably build it more like this bunny pen I put together.