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"Villa Gallina" Tiny Chicken Coop, By Judith Correa

Few months ago I started an organic garden in my tiny backyard,combining/experimenting with SFG gardening & permacultural principles. Made 3 raised beds, and planted aromatics herbs, spices, medicinals, veggies as well as many ornamental...soon I started to think in adding a few chickens to get some organic eggs too... and that's how i get to find BackYard Chickens.Com... and fall in love with the coop designs and get addicted to BYC! Since then I started to play in my mind with the idea, more than that to get obsessed with the possibility...So after hours and hours of browsing the site i started (inspired by many wonderful coops here) to actually create some plans for a  3'x4' coop using simple drawing tools from PowerPoint. 

Villa Gallina  is a  3’x4’  - 2 nests  coop , with an attached PVC run  9’x3’x 4.5’ designed to use in a tropical environment in a suburban  small backyard.

There are not many   predators, God forbid a  burglar that jump the fence e or a stray dog. Safe enough to protect them from   “Guaraguaos” a local pray bird from the family of hawks as well as dogs.

It will host an initial family of 3 birds ( 1 rooster & 2 hens) but in theory may house up to 7 hens (giving more than 2 square feet per chicken in the run & 11“ each space in the roost inside the coop.

Its made out mostly of new treated wood panels  and 2”x4”, semi-industrial linoleum tiles, asphaltic zinc, 1”x1” metallic  wire & an attached  ¾”PVC tubing  and green plastic chicken wire run. We also re-design and adapt the original plan in order to save some money and re-purpose  4 good quality mahogany doors, laminated with Formica in the exterior side, savage from our old kitchen cabinets. Also door the in the run under the coop was a re-purpose canvas stretcher ( 28 years old) made out of good quality wood 1”x4”.

Here is a simple layout of the walls & floor, as well as the nest parts

Inside the coop ...

Front wall, back wall, ramp/ladder, roosts...

Side walls inside & outside...

Nests...

Side walls again showing the chickens door & the egg's door...

This is how I calculate how many chickens fit comfortable  inside the coop roosting space :O)

& this is how I calculate how many fit in the run space (each square represent 2 feetsquare) ... lol

3'x9' attached run & 3'x4'under the coop run...

as you see if we add the blue spaces we can add 3 more chickens... humm

Gathered the materials, buying little by little and searching for good materials to reuse.

List of Materials Used

COOP

• 1 panel 4’x8’x 3/4” (floor & front wall)
• 1panel 4’x8’x1/2” ( side  & back walls)
• 4 pieces 2”x4” x 6’  (posts)
• 6 pieces – 2’x4”x 47”
• 6pieces-2”x4”x 33”
• 6 pieces – 2”x2”x2’’
• 4 pieces- 1”x3”x48”
• 8  pieces 1”x2”x4’  (for trimmings & ramp steps)
• 78 - 3 ½”decking screws
• 1 box 1 ¾ “drywall screws
• ½  lb.  1 ½”nails
• ½  lb.  3”zinc nails
• ½  lb.  U shape clips
• 15’x3’ -1”x1”  wire ( New A GIFT FROM A FRIEND)
• 15- 12”x12” semi- industrial linoleum  tiles & 1 quart glue
• 1 ondura corrugated asphaltic roofing sheet – 48”x72” & 1  ondura asphaltic ridge cap 72”
• 1 set of hinges
• 3 latches
• 1 Gal semigloss exterior acrylic paint  color “Very Pink “& 1 Quart ” Plastic Vinyl  Enamel  “Deep Garnet

Re-purposed material:

• 4  cabinet doors  with knobs & hinges
•  1 wood canvas stretcher
• 1 piece 1”x10” x 5

RUN

• 10 -10’x3/4”PVC tubes ( cut ted in 8 pieces -53”, 6 pieces 33”,
• 12- ¾” PVC T’s
• 8- ¾” PVC corner fittings
• 1 – 1/8  PVC clear adhesive
• 2 rolls 25’x3’ – plastic chicken wire
• 2 bags 100pc plastic straps
• Re-purposed material:
• 1 piece 2”x36”  PVC tube

TOTAL APROXIMATE  COST $450

Finally spent my Christmas vacation building it. Is the first time I build something, but armed with a power-drill, a  jigsaw, a hammer, measuring tape and a square; started what my husband called the "Chicken Villa Project", and which end up at Villa Gallina.

I started on December 24 by cutting /assembling as much as i feel confident to do (My husband was willing to help me but working 6 days a week, don't leave him much time to do so, so I go on, asking him for advise in some points, and knowing that if i get stuck he will come to the rescue. As I started to succeed, I decided to keep on working, but still will leave him some to do ;)

First I cut & assemble 2 pieces -3'x3'x1/2" (walls; one with the chickens door, another with the opening that give access to the nests) 2 pieces- 3'x4'x3/4"  (one with a window opening 12"x36",and the floor. With some left overs built a 3'x4'wall with an opening door for give access to human for cleaning).

I decided to paint before assembling, so later we only need to retouch, and so far has been the best idea.

Cut and assembled the nests, 12"/14" x12"x36" with a center division,and 2 entrances (sloped top, so they don't use it to roost), and a ladder/ramp which my sweet MIL says wont be necessary as chickens fly (and she is rigth, but just in case)

The frame is 4 posts 2"x4" x6', six pieces 2"x4"x 47" & six 2"x4" x  33" (assembling the frame was so far the most difficult part of the process, first time it took me a whole day & came out twisted, so next day i had to disassemble and try again, one of the post was bended and a 1/4' difference at assembling made it all wrong, so I must took all the 72 screws and started again, this time I used only one screw in each end  just to hold it in place and started setting up the floor and walls, and then go back and reinforce with the other 5 screws.)

I covered the floor and top of nests with 15 pieces 12"x12" semi-industrial linoleum tiles

I use 4 doors from our former kitchen cabinets, they are covered with Formica, but i paint them

So far we are in this stage, the roof is not attached, just put on place

Still need to fix the ceiling, is still loose... I need to do another trip to the lumberyard but today is a Holiday in PR, 3 Kings Day :). Also need to cover the down part with wire and construct and attach a runner. (3'x 6' x6' if we decided to fix and use a re-purposed cage or, 3'x 4 1/2'x 9' if we decided to built a new one )

Guaili, our cat is inspecting the project  =^.^=

The roost also need to be fix, the latches to close the doors, a flower pot will be attached under the window, and plants will be put in the flower pot over the nests doors; some trimming here & there for aesthetic reasons, work the landscape around the coop & bring the chickens in (considering to buy from a friend 3 hens & and 1 rooster, almost a year old, already laying)... I'll keep updating. Blessings!

Almost finished... 7/1/2012

Villa Gallina PVC Runner

Today 1/15/2012, 3:30 pm...just finish the 3'x9'x4.5' PVC run frame... only need to cover in  wire, level the dirt floor, add wire doors to the area under the coop and we will be ready to bring in the chickens!!! 

Getting closer...

Today's achievements ( January 16,2012):

Under the coop runner is finished, door & locks installed

Only need to put some trimmings

& finish the PVC runr

JANUARY 22, Sunday

Finally  can say the coop is finished! Today I put up  green plastic chicken wire on the run...here are the pics so far,,,

With a leftover piece of the "ondura" corrugated asphaltic roofing sheet & PVC tubes built a little roof on the attached run over the door& ramp/ladder.

I hope they love it ( and pay the rent with many beautiful & tasty eggs)

I'll update when I get the chickens

January 29,2012

Last minute finishing touches with my husband's help & the Chickens are here!!!

Just for aesthetic reasons the front of  under the coop run 's wire was changed ( a suggestion of my husband)

 roost were reinforced & decorative painting was hang up inside

Guaili  made his last inspection of the coop & tried the nest's comfort...actualy spend a couple of hours chilling &   napping there  :O)

 I decorate a pot & put a smaller one inside with a cute flowering plant, my husband installed it to the front wall.

My hobi decided we may need electricity in the coop and make it happened! 

We add gravel inside & outside around  the run.

Probably we will put some concrete blocks (like we do for the rise- beds) around it.

Called it finished  at 5pm and of we went to get the chickens!

What I want to change / add to the completed coop?

Add a better feeding /waterier system

Increase the size of the run  ( make it 6'x9') and put a door in it.

Here they are!

They are bigger than I remember, still young, one year old  girls started laying last summer,

I'm told that they are Black Sex Link...

Hope this page serve as inspiration & may be of help to anyone planning on made a small coop as so many cute & functional coops in BYC inspire me & help me to design and built our little "Villa Gallina".

UPDATE

This weekend God willing will be adding some roofing to the run... is raining almost daily & i want them to be more comfort... probably will add some sand in the run under the coop too... pics soon!

Just add 2 bags of coarse sand under the coop where they have fresh water (change it twice a day) & food (30% protein mixed with layer's pellets). Greens,fruits,veggies scraps, lentil sprouts, crackled corn, oatmeal, yogurt,sunflower seeds are some of the goodies that are served sparingly/randomly  on a daily basis.

The girls tought the sand was a new kind of food... and you can see that one of the neighbor's  roos keep hanging around Villa Gallina, keeping our roo, Cheb Coco on guard!!!

And a piece of ondura corrugated asphaltic sheet was added to the run, hopefully this will help to keep them dry :O)

April 16, 2012

Latest ïmprovement, a door was finally added making possible to a human to get inside the run.  Is not the facier door, just a pvc rectangular frame covered with chicken wire & attached by plastic straps, as a closing device Im using and elastic band with hooks on each end.