[gingerpoo]

new coop by ktbug, on Flickr

A little bit of work still needs to be done- mainly on the interior hutch.

I wish I had used smaller poultry netting- I used 1" and wish I'd used 3/4". I was mainly concerned about rats, raccoons, and foxes. There are not many mice or snakes in the area.

There is a sink installed in the floor with a hose on a timer for fresh water.
The area never gets full sun which is nice- Currently I have no solid roof but plan to make a section covered for the winter as there will be snow.

The whole coop is constructed of panels that are bolted together with carriage bolts- meaning that the whole coop can be taken apart and moved (as I am a youngin and Im getting tired of building new coops!) on a trailer. The coop takes about an hour to assemble. The floor panels remove for cleaning if necessary.
And the door has a deadbolt in case I move to the city to make it more difficult for people to just waltz in.

I will see if I can get a bigger pic! (The interior hutch was painted a number of years ago with paint that was mixed and it came out pink/purple! its hideous and I have to redo it!)

 

[Guest]

Nice it looks perfect just one thing where your door is put some ten roofing up 1 peice of clear in the middle

 

[maniac]

It's nice looking but a determined raccoon will tear through that chicken wire in no time. You seriously need to look at putting up some heavier gauge wire.

 

[gingerpoo]

Ive been trying to find 16-18 gauge instead of 20 gauge poultry netting and it has been difficult.

You think they can chew through 20 gauge?

Every evening they are put away into the interior hutch just for double safety.
My other concern is bear-- but not much I can do about that. Just keeping the coop clean and waste seed to a minimum.
So far I havent really seen any wild animal activity- only a neighborhood cat which is fascinated with the birds (its been about a month since i built it)
The coop is about 25 feet from the house which makes it a little safer.

 

[ValencianFigs]

I was wondering if they would get cold during the winter because there are no closed sections besides their nest boxes. Or are you going to cover some sections with plastic?

Just curious because I have a big aviary that is bigger than my loft and I am not sure if I should keep it open or not during winter.

 

[gingerpoo]

I had planned to add a plywood sheet above the hutch when winter comes as it snows here. I will probably add a heat source as well- and cover their hutch in the evenings with a blanket- or just kennel them and bring them indoors if it gets really cold.

 

[ValencianFigs]

That is a great idea. Pigeons are winter hardy, so if you cover the roof, and they have a nest to themselves they can sit it to be warm. Then they might be fine. Just add corn into their feed. And don't let them breed.

Good Luck

 

[gingerpoo]

hey there I am looking at replacing this wire- 1/2" hardware cloth? or ?
thanks for the advice.

 

[horseart4u]

hardware cloth is a YES i use 1/2 on my flight pen, which i have to say is what you have right now not a loft, there is no inside section. you really need to cover their nest area with more then a blanket and piece of plywood. i would use a piece of wood for the side & back and plastic panels for the roof, that will also keep out the rain as well as snow, and you wont have to bring them inside.

 

[stowellka]

]Snow in Santa Barbara ? Anyway just put some roof panels on top ,I used the clear ones they work great

 

[gingerpoo]

nah coop is up in northern california (grass valley), although I will be moving it south to Santa Barbara and more worried about rats and racoons here.

 

[gingerpoo]

hardware cloth is a YES i use 1/2 on my flight pen, which i have to say is what you have right now not a loft, there is no inside section. you really need to cover their nest area with more then a blanket and piece of plywood. i would use a piece of wood for the side & back and plastic panels for the roof, that will also keep out the rain as well as snow, and you wont have to bring them inside.

yes the top has plywood above them on the two roof panels now. Thinking of adding plywood to the two back and left side panels too for more wind protection. Although here in Santa Barbara the temps should be in the 50-70s and wind chilll isnt too much of a concern- esp when they have a hutch to go in whenever- but added shade would be nice.

I'd love to at some point add and exterior loft and make this only the flight pen section- rather than the way it is now with an interior hutch- but built this to be mobile as it breaks down into panels (as I am a college student and may not be at the same spot in a few years) and can be reassembled in 45min - 1hr not including the leveling.

 

[stowellka]

here is mine, it's open like your's except for the roof,and in reality the wall and fence act like wind breaks, but in san diego it doesn't get very cold

 

[gingerpoo]

i do like the idea of the plastic corregated giving them light and protection rather than the plywood! Thank you for this suggestion, and also for your pictures!

 

[Revolution Lofts]

gingerpoo and stowellka the lofts you have for your pigeons are exactly what I want but Canadian winters would never allow that


I'd definitely go with the hardware cloth