Top Tips for SEtting up YOUR Coop 1
Top Tips for Preparing Your Coop It s time to think about: LOCATION FOUNDATION PRESERVATION In order to preserve Your coop s longevity, it needs to be painted Prior to assembly. This protects the timber and helps it weather the harsh Australian climate. Painting your coop gives it a sophisticated finish, transforming it into an impressive garden feature your neighbours won t help but envy, as well as being the perfect house for your chickens, of course! Paint will not harm your chickens in any way. Just make sure you let the coop dry completely before you let your flock enjoy their fabulous new home! backyard Chicken Coops.com.au CAn I OIL MY COOP Instead? If you really want to oil, we have tried and tested 6 different types of oil and only recommend Intergrain UltraDeck. For warranty purposes you will need to use this oil or paint instead. There is no need to sand or prime beforehand, you can just paint the timber as is. However, if you re really looking for a professional finish, a coat of primer can be applied before painting. Read through the following pages to see which option best suits your needs. Let s Explore Your Options In More Detail > 2
LOCATION FOUNDATION Choosing the prime backyard spot for the coop There are a number of things that you need to consider when choosing the spot for your coop, especially if you re thinking of putting a concrete slab down you won t want to be moving that anytime soon! Access to Sunlight Chickens need somewhere that is partially shaded, and partially in the sun. Under a tree is a great option. Dust Bathing Chickens need a patch of dirt in which to dust bathe, clean themselves and keep their feathers free from parasites. If you don t have space, put a bucket of dirt or sand in the coop they ll be soooo happy. Other Trusty Options for firm foundations include: Pavers Pavers are easy to lay down and sturdy predators will be deterred from burrowing underneath. You can pave the entire base of the coop, or just put pavers around the perimeter the best part is there are lots of colours to choose from with this option. Concrete Tiles & Pavers Concrete tiles and pavers are another great option for a sturdy, safe base for the coop. No pouring required! Timber Sleepers Lay your sleepers down underneath the coop your local nursery/garden supplier will be able to supply you with good timber sleeper options. This is a more cost effective and less permanent option than a concrete slab. Wire Mesh Galvanised wire mesh keeps your flock safe whilst giving them the benefits of foraging you just lay wire mesh under the coop. This makes it difficult for predators to burrow underneath, but also lets the chickens access the grass. You can cut out the middle of the mesh so your flock has an area to dust bathe, without compromising their safety. A Firm Patch Of Grass If you re not letting the chickens out to free range and are keeping them in the run full time, then put the coop (or at least the run) on grass & dirt they need to have access to the fresh ground to forage for insects and grit to stay healthy! Your chickens will be perfectly happy foraging for insects and dust bathing in the dirt and grass. 3
Top Tips for The FOUNDATIONS OF Your Coop Where to put my coop, and foundation options Concrete or grass? Sunlight or shade? Read on to find out the options that are best for your backyard flock. Here are some options our customers have found successful: A firm foundation what to put underneath To easily open the doors and slide out the coop cleaning trays, a firm solid, level foundation is key. Naturally with time and weather the ground moves so to prevent future issues with the coop, there are a number of foundation options you can choose. A concrete perimeter, or full slab is a great foundation to construct your coop. It provides sturdiness, as well as being a great way to keep burrowing predators out. We especially encourage a concrete slab foundation if you ve purchased the Mansion, as it weighs almost 200kgs and needs a very firm foundation to sit on! Putting the Taj Mahal and Penthouse onto a firm, flat ground is fine, but a solid foundation like pavers or concrete is also advisable, especially if you have known burrowing predators in your area such as foxes they won t be getting through a layer of concrete anytime soon! Plus it makes cleaning a breeze! If you re not letting the chickens out to free range and are keeping them in the run full time, then put the coop on the grass, but keep the perimeter solid and the central, middle open they need to have access to the fresh dirt, insects and grit! 4
Bruce & Bindy s Diy Foundation & Paved Finish Laying The foundations Enjoying the Egg-cellent Job Bruce and Bindy gave their chickens the ultimate life of luxury when they bought the Mansion and four Mansion Runs for their flock to live in. Not only does it look incredible in their gorgeous garden, it s functional and practical for all their needs. Due to the threat of foxes in the area, the family decided to keep their chickens in the coop full-time. They designed a practical and stylish foundation for them that not only keeps their flock safe, it matches their beautiful garden to a tee! Bruce started off by making sure the girls had plenty of room to scratch around and dust bathe, so he added around 50cm worth of dirt to the floor. He then made a raised timber base (as the ground was uneven) using colorbond corrugated iron. This matched his beautiful garden beds, the children s cubby house and even the roof of his own home! Finally, Bruce finished off half of the run area with grass and trees, so he can move the girls around and let the grass replenish. An incredibly clever idea perfect for their backyard. They loved the timber look so they painted the coop with Delux exterior paint in brown to look natural, but requiring much less future maintainence. 5
David s Concrete Base This concrete slab is a very effective, sturdy base for the Mansion. David poured a slab slightly larger, which allows room to walk around and also is beneficial for predator prevention. The best part about a concrete base is that it makes cleaning the coop incredibly easy, as you can simply hose or sweep it out! Voila! For the Mansion Run, to allow the chickens to be safe from predators, and still have access to fresh grass and dirt, David poured concrete just around the perimeter. Not only is this more cost effective, it keeps the height of the foundations in line with the hutch, and most importantly the chickens can still scratch around naturally! Peter s Paved Base The paved base is a more cost effective but equally impressive way to give the coop a sturdy foundation without the expense of pouring concrete and measuring out barriers. Like David, Peter has laid the pavers around the perimeter of the run so it prevents burrowing predators, but lets the chickens have access to the grass and dirt. Putting pavers underneath the Mansion hutch also makes life easier when it comes to hosing it out. 6
Sleepers Cinder Blocks Concrete Fast and Cost-Effective Foundation Options pavers Metal Frames Sleepers Pavers SLEEPERS Bricks Sleepers Metal Frames 7
PRESERVATION Do you have a vision for a sophisticated Finish Get Painting! TOP TIPS FOR PAINTING your COOP Why choose PAINTING: We absolutely love it when our customers paint their coop, as we adore the painted look ourselves! It looks so incredibly vibrant in the backyard, the colour themes you can choose are endless & customisable to your tastes and you ll save money on maintenance. Less maintenance time and effort for busy bees We love painting our coops because not only does it look fantastic, it means you don t have to touch it up for at least 3 years! We recommend giving it two coats of a good quality exterior house paint we use Dulux, it comes in a wide variety of beautiful colours, and is a quality brand. If you re painting the Taj Mahal or The Penthouse, 2L of paint will be plenty. If you re painting The Mansion, and want to paint its roof, then you ll need around 5L for two coats. You must paint before assembly. Painting every edge of every panel (Don t be surprised if you start staring at your beautiful coop in envy of the chickens once you ve finished the final paint stroke ) A painted MANSION COOP Fast Facts on PAINTING Your Coop backyard Chicken Coops.com.au How Often Do I Paint? Every 3 Years What do I Use? Dulux Exterior House Paint How much do I need? 2 Coats Every Side, Every Panel 8
Do you favour the natural timber look? Use Oil! TOP TIPS FOR OILING your COOP Why choose Oiling: Oiling the coop is the perfect option for the classic timber look that is beautiful amongst the green grass in the backyard. Timber never goes out of fashion, and suits virtually all backyard themes. We only recommend using Intergrain Ultradeck water based decking oil For warranty purposes you ll need to use this oil. We have tried and tested many oils and this is the only one that coats the timber appropriately and repels water beads off the top! Oiling the coop should be done every 3-6 months, or whenever you see the finish is wearing off, to ensure its longevity. You ll need to do 2-3 coats on the coop, which works out to be 1L for the Taj Mahal, 2L for the Penthouse, and approximately 4-6L for the Mansion & Run. An Oiled TAJ MAHAL coop Fast Facts on Oiling The Coop How Often Do I Oil? Every 3-6 Months What do I Use? Intergrain Ultradeck decking oil How much do I need? 2 Coats every side every panel backyard Chicken Coops.com.au 9
Coop Decoration Inspiration Essential Tips When painting or oiling the doors of the coop, take care not to paint the inside railing where the door slides. If you ve bought one of our fabulous Auto Door Openers, painting railings can cause the door to stick, and interfere with it automatically opening and closing. You must paint or oil the inside of the roof panels and nesting box lid before assembly. Sarah B Arthur M QLD Marelene S Huonvile, TAS Handy Tips Painting the coop beforehand is essential as you can cover all the sides of the panel, especially the base pieces. Also it tends to be easier as you can paint all the pieces of our Penthouse and Mansion without using a ladder! 10
Customer s Coops Now you ve got all the options, the fun begins! Choose your colours, design your base and flap to it! 11
Need any more help or advice? Contact the team at Backyard Chicken Coops Phone: 1300 763 133 Email: sales@backyardchickencoops.com.au LIve Chat: www.backyardchickencoops.com.au 12