Why are many coops raised off the ground?

[Monk]

The number one reason for me is to keep rodents from nesting under it.

 

[SouthernMNNewbie]

Bear Foot Farm,

I told my wife that I had thought of that before I went to bed last night. My brainstorm was to line the underside of the coop with the hardware cloth, running the edges of it up about 6" underneath the siding. Does that sound doable also?

Thanks!

Tony

 

[KBlaix]

Our coop is 8x8 and just slightly raised off the ground. Our main reasons were to make it level and to keep it from flooding. The location we chose for the coop doesn't usually flood, but it has a few times when the rain is heavy enough. With it raised we don't have to worry about water coming inside the coop. We put hardware cloth around the bottom to keep animals from going underneath. We sandwiched the hardware cloth between the coop and the trim and then buried it underground.

 

[Humhill]

Ours is "raised" a little. It isn't on level ground, so the lowest point is about 8" off the ground and the higest is about 1.5.' I don't think we'll have to worry about rodents chewing on the floor.
If I built a non-walk-in coop, I would do it about waist high to make it easier to clean. That would be especially good for an older person or someone with knee problems.

 

[schmism]

see this thread

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=317390

 

[thedeacon]

When adding the siding, do not go all the way to the ground. If you do, rodents will move in. If the bottom 4 inches, if built on 4 x 4, are open the rodents won't make nests as thy prefer a closed in area. Also allows for some air circulation.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Quote:
I've seen a coop on BYC that used that very technique. Good idea!