Trying to build a free/cheap materials coop that will be good through winter

[MamaRudey]

Not until fully feathered with head feathers. 7ish weeks.

 

[DenverBirds]

Kai- glad your dad's a carpenter. I bet you'll be giving him some eggs anyways, so maybe ask him to rough out a basic frame plan. You give him the sizes, he does the easy sketch, and you're off to the races.

So lot's of other thoughts here...

The wood lattice AND chicken wire will get destroyed by the claws of a raccoon. In fact, our friends came home to two hawks just hanging out in their run a couple weeks ago - they ripped open the chicken wire roof on the run with their talons (one of the people had to pick up one of the hawks on a shovel because it was apparently in a food coma and just standing there in a daze, wings all the way out, blank stare on it's face). "Hardware cloth", or as I call it, wire fencing, will work if you do it correctly. The holes have to be small enough for both chickens and predators to not pass through, even when it is stretched out by claws. Next, think deep - like foxes burrowing underground. Get the shovel out and move enough dirt to run that wire fence wall down about two feet. And I've always heard that you should angle it back into the coop a little. The best thing to do would be to encase the run entirely - run the wire fencing completely underneath, but that is probably overkill.

I'll agree with whomever posted this before: always think about predators. And I'll add: always think about temperature and water. Predator-proof, water-proof, and the right window/door situation to be comfortable in winter and summer. On top of the fox in the alley two nights ago and the alley cat stalking in our yard this afternoon, we had a tornado-watch-themed downpour this evening, 95 degree heat yesterday ... and in the next 6 or 8 months, the potential for a couple of weeks of sub-zero nightly temperatures. I had a lot to keep in mind when building my coop.

I really wish I had made the coop taller inside. I have enough room for a medium-height roost pole, but not a second, higher one. The roof is 3.5' tall. I should have made it 5' tall. Of course, you can always build a "shed" - a walk in coop on the ground that is big enough for a person to stand up in. Though getting the whole thing off the ground helps prevent burrowing predators... I also wish that I had design the airflow/ventilation/window situation better. I have a thermometer in the coop and it's getting to 85 degrees on our hot days. The hottest days of summer are yet to come. Nice thing about having tools is that I can always make another window. I've found that my poor-man's reverse swamp cooler works well enough: fan outside the coop window sucking air out, the nest box lid cracked (latched on the other side against predators), and two big bowls of water that I put in the freezer the previous night. The fan pulls the air through the crack in the nest box lid, over the ice/ice water, through the coop, and out the window. Circulate cool air, suck hot air out, happy chickens. No panting in the coop thus far.

Best thing I did: Cantilever the nest boxes out to the side and make the whole roof for that part of the coop (shingles and all) on hinges. Just undo the locking latches (predator proof), lift, and grab the eggs. I had to make the main roof extend over that area so that water didn't migrate into the area by the hinges, but that wasn't a big deal. Again, on the overkill note, I could have put in flashing, silicone caulk, and maybe rested the hinges on waterproof neoprene. But everything was bone dry after our big storm tonight.

Like your location, Denver sets the limit at 8 female birds - whatever combo of chickens, ducks, geese, grouse, etc, up to 8. And from some outdated law, they allow unlimited pigeons. They just changed the law a little over a year ago. It was nearly impossible to have chickens here before that. Petitions, fees, zoning notices, etc.

Best of luck to you!

 

[sodamancer]

Found this for 40$ and has fluorescent lamps installed and wired, reflective foam board insulation, and heavy plastic. I make shift sectioned off a portion of it for the birds. I now have 7 in there (bought a hen because cupcake turned out to be a stud muffin. We will eat him later) Anyway it is 8x2x6h and has 2 solid levels. the plan is to cut a hole in the second level and make a walk down to the grass. I bought a single pane window that is 6ftx2 to put on a south facing side for added warmth in the winter.i plan to extend te top portion by 2 ft in width and attach that to my shed wall leaving it open grass beneath. I am on the look our for corrugated plastic roof material to extend over the coop by 6in on all sides.


I cannot afford the install hardware cloth 2ft deep completely around the coop and run. If i lock the girls in at night can i get away with JUST the ground?

Also what are your thoughts on this basic structure. Is it going to be doable or did i waste moolah?