Luxurious Walk-in Coop with New England Stone Walls

[Bioshark]

Digging out the bottom of the coop so that the top of the coop is not visible from our car port yet it is deep enough so we can walk in the coop to play with the birds without bending over.



Concrete forms and treated 4x4's for a sturdy frame


Our run is 15 feet long, so we joined the top of frame with a 'rabbit' style joint


We made this coop with a 5'10" clearance




Stitched galvanized hardware lays about 6" below the run


While we had the opportunity, we decided to run conduit below the hardware cloth for lighting


The flooring is done!




We used the rocks to build retaining walls around the left and right side of coop to stop mud and erosion. The rocks went on BOTH side of the frame to hide the treated lumber.


Zoological results!


All of the chicken wire was attached to removable famed panels. We used black PVC coated chicken wire in 7' 6" width. We went to fencer wire for the fencing. They delivered fast!



We thought long and hard about what to use on the bottom. We decided to use masonry sand for media. It is purified, strained and rinsed. It stays dry and fluffy.











We hung perches near the outside walls so they don't get in your way when you walk around





We plan on staining the frame a grey color after the wood dries. Hopefully we can post more pictures than!

 

[cavemanrich]

Your Chickens are living in greater luxury than Royalty in Merry England.

Great facilities,, keep us posted with pix as you keep improving...

My only comment on the sand,,,,,, should have been the course concrete grade.

 

[Megsswm]

That's a nice run!!!! You have me some ideas for perches

 

[Pork Pie]

Wowzers what a top coop. Glad my flock can't see it - they be on the first flight from Kenya to your place!

Ct

 

[Bioshark]

Why is that? We used masonry sand. Its soft and doesn't hold water. Easy to rake and turn over too.

 

[Bioshark]

Thank you!

 

[aart]

Nice retaining walls!

Are you a stone mason by trade?

What is your climate?

 

[drumstick diva]

I have never seen anything like that. So I wonder if there is a danger of cave-ins or flooding. Do you have the coop lower in ground so neighbors won't object.?

 

[cavemanrich]

Why is that? We used masonry sand. Its soft and doesn't hold water. Easy to rake and turn over too.

Here is a thread about using sand with peeps on both side .. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/945603/pros-and-cons-for-using-sand
There are many posts and if you read them, you will see that among those that are in favor of sand ( I among them) prefer using the course grade rather than the finer grade. Many are of the opinion that the finer sand is prone to cause chicken respiratory issues. That is why I favor course, and do use it. The course sand also provides some grit for the chickens.

 

[aart]

Why is that? We used masonry sand. Its soft and doesn't hold water. Easy to rake and turn over too.

Sand can hold some water, might depend on your climate and specific site conditions.
What sand does hold is pulverized poops and eventually will be come 'saturated' with them, because they can't be sifted out, and stink.
I learned this in the brooder, after a few batches of chicks on sand with PDZ, I had to throw it all out and use fresh next time.
I have very sandy soil in my run but after a couple years it's nasty and have started adding dry plant materials to create a better environment for feces decomposition.