What to put coop on

[CKfarm22]

Are the casters attached or is that some sort of dolly it is on?

The casters are attached. We plan on putting 10 in wheels on it so it’s easier to move through the dirt

 

[CKfarm22]

So a rather large walk in coop. That makes a huge difference in how much support it will need.

Maybe deck blocks can be positioned under it if you can get it high enough.

We can always lift it. We don’t plan on ever moving it so once we get it placed that’s where it will stay

 

[bill3607]

Well if you are going to put 10 inch wheels on it and leave them then you will want something that is of course higher than the wheels. If you are planning on removing the wheels once you get it in place you of course can always go with cinder blocks. You could also get a treated 6" x 6" post and cut 4 legs the length you want. As long as you do not want to go real high you could just purchase 1 - 8' post. Also, you could buy railroad ties and make a foundation out of those. They last for years and years in direct contact with the ground. People in the past used them a lot for foundations for outside buildings.

 

[bill3607]

Railroad ties can be purchased at a lot of building supply stores. If you have a Lowes nearby they have them. I do not know the price right now since most everything is up. I know they were only around $7-$8 before things got crazy. The 6" x 6" post are of course up, also.

 

[bill3607]

Just checked and here Lowes has the severe weather railroad ties for $27.78. So that is way up.

 

[CKfarm22]

Just checked and here Lowes has the severe weather railroad ties for $27.78. So that is way up.

Thank you for help. I’m trying to stay away from putting wood down because i don’t want it to rot out :/ I especially want the coop to be put on something other then wood or dirt. We have posts on our old coop now and that’s what i’m trying to stay away from

 

[bill3607]

Thank you for help. I’m trying to stay away from putting wood down because i don’t want it to rot out :/ I especially want the coop to be put on something other then wood or dirt. We have posts on our old coop now and that’s what i’m trying to stay away from

I understand. I will tell you though that the railroad ties will be there as long as the coop. Actually, the treated post will be if you do them the right way as well.

 

[CKfarm22]

I understand. I will tell you though that the railroad ties will be there as long as the coop. Actually, the treated post will be if you do them the right way as well.

We did treated posts on the old coop, i think…. It was treated lumber. And it’s held up for about a year now but the floor is also risen about 3 feet from the ground, it’s not a walk in coop

 

[bill3607]

We did treated posts on the old coop, i think…. It was treated lumber. And it’s held up for about a year now but the floor is also risen about 3 feet from the ground, it’s not a walk in coop

Well you could still have it a walk in coop. If you put the railroad ties down it would be raised only about 7.25 inches off the ground. If you went with the treated post then you could cut them whatever you wanted ie 6 inches, 10 inches, etc... That is why I said you would only have to get 1 post. The railroad ties would be on their side on the ground in the dimensions of the perimeter of your coop. The coop would set right on top of them. So your ground would have to be level. With the post it would not have to be perfectly level but you would have a crawlspace so to speak under your coop unless you also closed it up with something. The railroad ties would support it and close it up.

Treated lumber is not near as rot proof as it once was. The old treated lumber was so much better but it was treated with carcinogens so they had to come up with other substances and as such they do not cause cancer but they also do not hold up as well from rot and decay. You also can get different levels. You would want to go with severe weather rated. Railroad ties I do not think they are as good as they use to be, either.

What I do when I use treated post for something is that I usually do not put the post in the ground. I will instead dig the post hole and fill it with concrete and then set the post on top of the concrete. The reason being is usually the rot will be, or at least start, right at ground level because that is where a sunken post will get wet, then dry over and over again and can cause it to rot. I even like to use metal post seats that bolt to the concrete and the post then seats on the metal seat and you also fasten the post to the seat. This keeps the post up about an inch off the ground and there is really no chance of rot. If you then wanted to prime and paint the post then even better protected. Go with a good outside oil base and paint and add even more protection.

I have my coop built this way. It has only been a coop for a couple of years, but I built it a dozen years ago and the post still look like it was built yesterday. It works. Also, have several other buildings and the same.

It sounds like I am trying to convince you to do this. Trust me I am not. You guys do what you think is best. I was just throwing it out there and it is just something I know about.

 

[aart]

the floor is also risen about 3 feet from the ground, it’s not a walk in coop

The thing that makes a coop a walk-in is the height of the roof from the floor(not the ground). If it's high off the ground, you just need some steps.