Chicken coop exterior base

[bwaak]

Hi there! We're designing our 12x16 chicken coop. The plan is to build it on a concrete base or on gravel and then have it up on concrete blocks. We're wondering what your coop is sitting on and what you'd recommend? The location for the new coop can get a little squishy when we get several inches of rain, but for the most part it's very dry. There's no dryer location options Thanks!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

For our first coop we used pressure treated (ground contact) lumber and just built off of that. We decided to change directions for the new coop and just have the coop sitting on bricks. We leveled everything out and placed bricks at all of the corners and every 4 feet along the base, including in the center of the coop.

 

[neo71665]

Directly on dirt. The coop is made out of pressure treated 4x4s I sank in the ground.

 

[aart]

Hi there! We're designing our 12x16 chicken coop. The plan is to build it on a concrete base or on gravel and then have it up on concrete blocks. We're wondering what your coop is sitting on and what you'd recommend? The location for the new coop can get a little squishy when we get several inches of rain, but for the most part it's very dry. There's no dryer location options Thanks!

In your climate probably be best to sink piers below the frost line for such a big building.
Gravel can hold poop and water and end up being a nasty anaerobic scenario.

Is there any slope to the land where you plan to build?
Best to think about drainage issues/amelioration now before you build.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

A big coop like that will need a proper foundation below the frost line or to be set on posts. How are large sheds usually set up in your area?

The location for the new coop can get a little squishy when we get several inches of rain,

This is a red flag for future trouble.

A. Dry chickens are healthy chickens.

B. When the chicken area gets wet it's going to REEK.

If you can move your chickens to a place on the property that never gets soggy that's best.

If you can't, then you're going to need to fix the drainage before you build anything -- using diversion ditches, French drain, grass swales, professional re-grading, and/or building up the level of the coop area with fill.

It will also contribute to settling and/or frost heaving for a building that lacks a solid foundation.