Coop construction

[StonyGarden]

The coop is finally being built. It's about 3/4 of the way done. Tomorrow it will be done!


All that's left is that last panel on the side in the last picture, the next boxes, roosts, and roof.






The base is 2 massive pallets nailed together. There is hardware cloth on top of the pallet.
the frame is made of 2 x 4s. The highest point inside is 4 feet with a pitch for the roof.

The front has chicken wire on the top. You can see on the third picture, there are hinges that allow the chicken wire to be covered or exposed depending on the weather. There are ventilation areas in the pitch on either side. It will be covered with hardware cloth and be open all the time.

I will post more pictures tomorrow.

 

[bj taylor]

that's going to be a great coop. keep the pics coming. what kind of birds are you going to have?

 

[897tgigvib]

That's amazing!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

you probably want to replace that chicken wire with something more solid. predators can rip through that stuff easily. look for some rat wire instead or something with a smaller hole than the chicken wire

 

[MontyJ]

I like the design. I agree withChickie though. A 'coon will tear that chicken wire wide open. And since I seem to be obsessing over poop lately, how will you clean the bottom? Won't debris filter through the hardware cloth and eventually fill in the space under the hardware cloth?

I like the hinged panel. I may incorporate something like that into my remodel.

 

[StonyGarden]

Where that chicken wire is will be shut tight at night. You can see in the third picture that the panel on the right has hinges.

The hardware cloth on the bottom is 1/2 in. I plan on using pine bedding in the bottom and doing my own version of the deep litter method. If litter and debris does start to build up underneath (I really don't think it will) then it will not be too difficult to move the whole coop that is sitting on pallets.

More pictures to come this afternoon!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use hardware cloth as the floor of my brooder and grow-out coop. The chicken poop falls through until they are maybe 12 to 15 weeks old. What doesnt fall through immediately gets scratched through. I got some 66 quart plastic bins to put under there to catch that for the compost.

But somewhere in that age bracket, the poop starts building up on the wire instead of falling or getting scratched through. It gets too big. Thats one reason I tend to move my chicks from the grow-out coop to the main coop at 12 weeks.

I think youre right that it will hold the poop and probably bedding eventually. They might scratch some stuff through, especially around the feeder when they are going after spilled feed. Mine pretty much keep that area around the feeder scratched down to the dirt and pile the wood shavings up around the walls, under nests, everywhere they dont scratch a lot.

How damp is it going to be under there? How long will that wire last? I looked up the pH of chicken poop, thinking it may be acidic and would eat up the wire, but its actually neutral or slightly alkaline so it should not eat the wire up and may actually slow the rusting down a tad, especially with a laying flock, but Id still wonder how long that wire will last if its damp.

Let me rephrase that. I'm not sure what effect the pH might have on the wire rusting. I do worry about the moisture.

 

[bj taylor]

ridgerunner, will you elaborate on your grow out pen? at what age to you put the chicks in there. how is it built? I need to build a grow out pen.

 

[bobm]

Great design for hiding places for many types of unwanted organisms such as lice, bacteria, fungus, spiders, flies, mice, rats, etc.

 

[canesisters]

Well I think it looks great. You will, I think, find that you want to replace that chicken wire eventually. I think they sould be forced to change the name of that stuff. Call it 'garden wire' or 'hex-wire' or something - anything but chicken wire!
Can't wait to see the "finished" coop.