yet another coop size question

[Egghead_Jr]

A fisher cat can't chew through 2x4 14 gauge wire. 4ftX50ft rolls at Lowe's or Home Despot for $36. It would take several animals to scare and ambush through the holes.

 

[aart]

Ventilation during the winter is a hard concept to grasp.

There's a couple great articles linked in my signature on space and ventilation that every coop builder should read before designing their coops.

 

[larrypeck]

Ventilation during the winter is a hard concept to grasp.

There's a couple great articles linked in my signature on space and ventilation that every coop builder should read before designing their coops.

Thanks, I've been doing tons of reading, I'll be reading these articles as well. I only want to build this chicken condo once and want to minimize mistakes as much as possible.

I really want to make an 8' X 12' building that doesn't just look like a rectangle shed but more like a nice yard ornament(hence the reason for a nice cupola with a weather vane). I would like to use 8' x 8' for the chickens on one end and use the 4' x 8' other end for storing all my chicken accessories and food.

one thing I'm not clear on is how tall should the run be. I've seen runs as low as two feet tall and as high as an aviary more intended for bald eagles. };-) I was thinking in the range of 5 feet tall.

 

[JackE]

If you are really committed to building an enclosed run, build it high enough so you can easily go in and walk around. You don't want to build one two ft high, and then have to go and crawl in there to get an egg, or recover one of your birds. That would be a crappy job.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

If you are really committed to building an enclosed run, build it high enough so you can easily go in and walk around. You don't want to build one two ft high, and then have to go and crawl in there to get an egg, or recover one of your birds. That would be a crappy job.

Literally! I could not agree more about thinking ahead and making it accessible

 

[WthrLady]

Bending over to work in the run or coop does STINK in more ways than one!

DH and I like saying that only the rich can afford to do it wrong the first time. Sure, you can dread the expense of a hardware cloth fence, or you can dread replacing birds, and then still having to rebuild. We've all seen it more than once on these boards. Usually once a day, in fact.

Any way..... I also have a fully open air coop. In fact I have Jack's coop. My windows and doors are on different walls, but it is the same coop, from the same book. Oh, and mine is blue! I'm in the middle of Nebraska. So I have the cold, the snow, intense humidity, blizzards, and critters... lots of critters.

http://dunrovinstation.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-build-part-1.html