Finally starting on my coop!

[AGeese]

He'll thank you when he has to go in there to do something for it being 6' high.

 

[Appalachickens]

My husband and I both had the crud this weekend, so it’s a wonder we got anything done. And there were storms that made for muddy work. We did, however, finish framing in the run. We decided to enclose a 4x6 area on the north end, to provide additional shelter. The angles are all wonky as it’s on a sloped bit of land, so there was much cursing and re-cutting of the plywood panels. I need to prep the plywood for the roof before we can attach it and put on the roofing panels. But that’s a next-weekend job.

 

[Appalachickens]

Lately during times I would normally read, I've been scouring through old posts here for ideas. One old thread about dig-happy chickens featured a photo of Aart's chickens who are head-down in holes they've dug, clearly having been gophers in a previous life. That got my attention. I told my husband that a little at a time, I'd be collecting rocks and logs to put along the inside edges of the run to keep them from undermining the pier block supports. My husband said, "Wait a minute... are you telling me that not only do we need to worry about things trying to dig into the run, we need to worry about chickens trying to dig out?!?" Yep, that's exactly what I was telling him. Fortunately, we have an abundance of rock on the property. Tennessee's song isn't Rocky Top for nothing. In fact, when our house was being built, my husband and I spent many hours collecting up rocks for the foundation and the fireplace (in the photo). There are plenty of rocks that didn't get used still in a pile, so I'll be lugging those down to the run a few at a time. But I'm wondering - what other hazards have I not even considered yet?

 

[ChaosMom]

Lately during times I would normally read, I've been scouring through old posts here for ideas. One old thread about dig-happy chickens featured a photo of Aart's chickens who are head-down in holes they've dug, clearly having been gophers in a previous life. That got my attention. I told my husband that a little at a time, I'd be collecting rocks and logs to put along the inside edges of the run to keep them from undermining the pier block supports. My husband said, "Wait a minute... are you telling me that not only do we need to worry about things trying to dig into the run, we need to worry about chickens trying to dig out?!?" Yep, that's exactly what I was telling him. Fortunately, we have an abundance of rock on the property. Tennessee's song isn't Rocky Top for nothing. In fact, when our house was being built, my husband and I spent many hours collecting up rocks for the foundation and the fireplace (in the photo). There are plenty of rocks that didn't get used still in a pile, so I'll be lugging those down to the run a few at a time. But I'm wondering - what other hazards have I not even considered yet?

We caught our most determined digger (the Barred Rock) coming through under the skirt board. We saw her toes from the outside! The HWC apron would stop them , but they might get a toe caught.

I don’t *think* she was trying to escape, but it was obviously time to dig in that area in her little chicken brain.

 

[aart]

a photo of Aart's chickens who are head-down in holes they've dug

One of my fav pics.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/excavation-by-birds-a-word-of-warning.1086535/

 

[Appalachickens]

One of my fav pics.
View attachment 4076013

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/excavation-by-birds-a-word-of-warning.

That’s one industrious chicken!

 

[Appalachickens]

We caught our most determined digger (the Barred Rock) coming through under the skirt board. We saw her toes from the outside! The HWC apron would stop them , but they might get a toe caught.

I don’t *think* she was trying to escape, but it was obviously time to dig in that area in her little chicken brain.

Yikes! I’m hoping to avoid that.

 

[Appalachickens]

The shelter area at the end of the run is now roofed. We did it the same way as the coop roof - plywood coated in APOC roof sealant, a layer of waterproof underlayment, and metal roof panels. Just in front of it is the first of 4 hardware cloth panels I'm building. I'm making little frames of furring strips that are then screwed down to the 2x4s across the run, for the 72 SF area that won't be roofed.

 

[Appalachickens]

I had most of the day off, so the run is now fully roofed. I can tell you, I'm not a fan of balancing on a ladder on uneven ground and trying to reach far enough to screw the panels in. There are four 3 x 6 hardware cloth panels sandwiched between wood. I can't budge them now, so I don't think a raccoon can either. We're ready to start on fencing this weekend. I added another little roofed area next to the coop, with the usual APOC-coated plywood, underlayment and metal panels, to provide a little bit of shelter for the feeder and waterer. I had a hard time finding a place to get a decent picture, since it's so heavily wooded here.

 

[Appalachickens]

We got one side of the run mostly fenced but it started raining before I could get a picture. And I had ordered a second gallon of the exterior stain I’m using from Lowes to pick up, but when I got it home I discovered they’d neglected to add the tint, so it was clear instead of black. So a day of delays. The final delay was when I was attaching the HC apron only to notice a beautiful Luna moth who seemed to need the resting spot. I decided to pack it in for the day and get back to it tomorrow.