wood or fence?

[Granny Hatchet]

i need to expand my coop and make better use of the existing one. i have an L shape coop and run that i built myself over the course of 3 yrs. by adding on each yr. i need to do that again. my coop is 20x20 on the outside and 12x12 inside with 8ft. sides i hope im getting that right. there is a door at the inside of the L on one end and a door on the outside at the other end. the coop itself is 8x12 before it turns into a run. it is flat roofed w/rubber top all the way across. i painted and decorated this yr. right down to molding around the whole roof. looks good i think. i want to make it bigger. i have thought of a dog kennel on the far side coming out 10 ft. down 20 then back in with the 10. i really dont feel like i am able to build it again although that is what i would like because i dont want it to look bad.and i know the dog kennel is not all that great. my coop and run have wire floors and im thinking i can add this kennel with no floor and fashion some sort of top for it then open my run up. will this work in winter? will critters get them? am i missing something?

 

[aart]

Need some pics, inside and out.
Add your state location to your profile.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i am completely computer illiterate . i did just buy a camera but i dont know how to use it yet. and tell me where i go to add my state? i am in madison In.

 

[MoonShadows]

Upper right hand corner of this page....Click MY PROFILE. On the next page right above the profile area, there is a button to EDIT MY PROFILE.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Upper right hand corner of this page....Click MY PROFILE. On the next page right above the profile area, there is a button to EDIT MY PROFILE.

i did it !! thank you. some things that so many take for granted are very hard for others.

 

[Biologrady]

I think I have the visual on your coop. How many chickens do you have, and are they penned 24/7? We use dog kennel fence, but not as the only level of defense....
Pro... Easy to put up and was easy to reconfigure when we combined flocks and needed to partition them for awhile....we have a bit of hardware cloth apron both inside and out, as the girls seemed to like digging for dust bathing right next to the fence, which didn't make it much of a fence when the holes got deep...
There is a chicken wire roof supported by wire woven through it at about 2 foot intervals... This needs to occasionally be tapped from below to keep large mats of leaves from forming a heavy mass. You can (and we have) put a long forked branch up near the middle for extra support ( think circus tent pole). Our girls use this area for part of every day, and are let out to free range about 1/2 the day if our schedules allow.
Basically while in the pen it will prevent hawks and owls, and dogs from taking them, and keep them close to home if we need to put them to bed early.
Cons... Definitely has gaps that a determined (fox/coon) or small (mink, etc) nighttime predator could get through or under, so it's only used as a daytime run. I think to use the whole area as full-time access, I'd probably want to line the whole thing with hardware cloth. If it's temporary or for daytime use, it's a great tool at least for us.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

they are penned 24/7 i am trying to guess how many. i have 75 total. dont freak yet.lol 11 guineas and 4 big chickens are in a different coop, babies in the pole barn in brooders=19 + 1 mommy and 2 new babies 37 somewhere else, sorry should of got a piece of paper .38? bantams . wow thats a lot! guess i need to start by finding homes for some of them but here is 19 in brooders that are in need of a bigger home. so if i put dog kennel to the coop i wont need a side because i can put it against the coop giving me 5 x 20 more ft.the length of the coop and out 5ft.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

btw, i have a mix of different birds i would like to separate, silkie, polish, cochin. game,ect.... without having to spend all day out there watering and if i cant i will keep them together. they are all getting along

 

[Granny Hatchet]

they are penned 24/7 i am trying to guess how many. i have 75 total. dont freak yet.lol 11 guineas and 4 big chickens are in a different coop, babies in the pole barn in brooders=19 + 1 mommy and 2 new babies 37 somewhere else, sorry should of got a piece of paper .38? bantams . wow thats a lot! guess i need to start by finding homes for some of them but here is 19 in brooders that are in need of a bigger home. so if i put dog kennel to the coop i wont need a side because i can put it against the coop giving me 5 x 20 more ft.the length of the coop and out 5ft.

out 10ft. and down 20ft. is what i would have extra, not 5

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i bought the dog kennel today. i dont know how much it will help but its a start. i can add to it easy enough except for top. not sure about that. i have tons of heavy duty tarps but i dont think it matters how well made they are when it comes to snow and rain. is that 200 extra sq. ft.?