# Building a chicken coop



## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

We are in the process of building our chicken coop


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## HomegrownGal (Feb 11, 2013)

Awesome! Raccoons and opossums will get in through the smallest opening. Ensure every possible hole is sealed. Looks like you are using half inch hardware cloth. Great idea! Will they have an opportunity to graze? I covered my runs with clear roofing to keep the hawks out and mud down. My runs are made of 6x10x10 kennel panels. I will be more limited with these at my new place because its not as level. Temporary fencing which you can move around works great also. I hope to get some when I move to my homestead over the next few months. I have a 28x30 tobacco barn. I'd line to reconfigure my existing 16x8 chicken boarding house the length of the barn on the outside so I can house dwarf/mini livestock inside. Please keep us posted on your progress. It's looking great so far!!


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Good stuff Hardware cloth is great, yeah it seems really expensive but it lasts forever. Lots of people have great luck with ordinary chicken wire but I have not. Metal house screen has worked well in areas not as accessible to predators.


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

We haven't added the chicken wire yet, but that's way we plan to use. There will be an opening for them to go out to a caged-in area, so they can get lots of outside time too. Not sure what I'm going to cover the outside run with, but I have to cover it. Too many hawks and owls around here


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Haven't seen you for awhile. :wave:



Startingout-Blair said:


> There will be an opening for them to go out to a caged-in area, so they can get lots of outside time too.


The coop looks pretty big. How many birds are you starting out with?


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## Startingout-Blair (Aug 28, 2012)

UncleJoe said:


> Haven't seen you for awhile. :wave:
> 
> The coop looks pretty big. How many birds are you starting out with?


I have 17 at this time UJ.


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