The idea sounds interesting, but I'm having trouble deciphering what's going on in your renderings and figuring out where this "chicken moat" is vs planter beds vs coop space - can you explain or label things to clarify? With the mentioned mobility issues, how are you going to fabricate this...
I was going to suggest Hardie cement board too. There are other choices aside from the lap siding, such as the solid panels. Heck, you could probably even just use Hardie backer board, often used behind tile installation, just paint it; it's much cheaper than the other "finished" versions...
I used to have a steep ramp in my setup. First I made rungs closer together. Later I elevated the low-side on a cinder block to lessen the angle. Even later, I just eliminated the ramp entirely, in favor of branch "ladders" instead. Everyone seems fine using the ladders, they take up less...
I have one silkie, a buff bantam silkie rooster named Pipsqueak. He roosts with 12 full-size hens that all tower over him, 6ft in the air on a tree branch roost bar out in the run. There are branch "stairs" for them to get up/down to the top level, spaced ~12" vertically apart.
If yours...
I was going to make one of these this year with a piece of scrap metal roofing that isn’t really big enough for anything else. I was originally laying it on top of the run overhead fencing to give shade. I don’t feel the edges are sharper than other things the chickens are exposed to regularly -...
I still have my old chicken coop, and most of it's made with OSB plywood. The roof just has shingles laid directly on top, without any underlayment tar paper. I'd guess the structure is at least 20yrs old. Keep in mind this is CA where we hardly get rain, but I also see MANY house builds in...
Make a simple "door frame" so you can have an open section in the middle of the screened wall. Add crossbars horizontally on the run structure at roofline height you want, then add two vertical bars below inline with the width of the coop; fence everything that will be enclosed. If there's a...
A center beam and posts would likely help, yes. 1x2 welded wire should be sufficient for the majority of predators out there, but there are some that can fit through those openings if you have them, such as weasel-type predators. 1/2" hardware cloth is usually the recommended protection from...
Just to add to the comments above....if you're adding more structural components for a roof, you'll also likely want to improve the foundation, since I only see 2x4s and they're in direct soil contact
Another agreement, you only need one coop. It also doesn't need to have any power nearby, so you've got options with 4ac of space.
Auto doors such as the Run Chicken ones will allow you to setup the timing like you mentioned, having one open at sunrise to let them into the run, and a second...
Is that specifically what you want/need for the situation? To build one of those for a larger tree is essentially like fabricating a raised deck. IMO that's a pretty costly build just for overhead protection and a place to sit.
If you need temporary protection, look into something like a free...
Sure you can do that. Might be ok for a while, even years perhaps - but that first time you go outside and feel the heartbreak when you see feathers everywhere and your favorite chickens dead or missing, you'll wish you just spent another $100-500 in whatever materials and invested another day...
Just taking a guess at what you were referencing - boiled linseed oil. Pretty commonly used for wood finishing, often diluted with mineral spirits or turpentine so it soaks into the wood better; sometimes also blended with beeswax or an oil based varnish/urethane to give finishing effects and...
Personally I'd fence between the two properties, because having 20acres and locking them up most of the time just doesn't seem right to me. My property is bordered with 7.5ft Tenax deer fence and T-posts, and the chickens can't get over it.
When I planned my coop out, I wanted at least 10sq ft...
I like the Run Chicken door. I don't see a problem with installing that style door there with the window - simply space it out the same distance as the window trim using furring strips and the door should pass just in front of it.
Something to keep in mind is the height off the floor if you're...
Are you trying to plant this inside their run, or a perimeter outside the run, or in your yard, etc? Anything inside the run must be caged/protected or they'll kill it sooner than later.
I'm in 9b and have many types of plants the chickens can eat when foraging. Mainly they'll only go for...
Previous owners used metal trash cans to store all their supplies - while it does work to keep out raccoons and mice from eating it, it doesn't fully keep out moisture - eventually the bottoms may rust out if in ground contact, and more likely the handle connection of the lid may leak water, get...
Personally I wouldn't choose either, but in regard to using DG, I do know that DG will compact, whereas sand will stay looser - that's why it gets used on pathways and running tracks, etc. as the base. Previous owners of my place had the old coop setup with a DG run, since our local dirt is...
Dad is right, more ventilation is a good thing. Cool idea and great project execution, but is IS quite small and will be outgrown quickly. Dunno what you have for a coop setup, but I could see this box getting repurposed as nesting boxes. Good luck!