Rusty's Ranch's Chicken Coop

 After we bought our hens (two Rhode Island Reds named Penny and Rosie) we got started on the coop.

 We decided to use an area already set aside for a garden bed. It measures approximately 4x10.

We already had an old tool shed we could use for parts, but decided we should elevate it to give the girls more room to run around and a dry spot if it rained.

We dug four holes for the pressure treated 4x4s and poured in concrete around them (so the coop wouldn’t blow over). Then we nailed on the base of the old shed. More pressure treated 2x4s were used to lay out the run. We just laid them temporarily in place.

 
We nailed on the framing from the old shed, less two feet we cut off the bottom so it wouldn’t be too tall (we don’t want the neighbors to complain!).

We temporarily covered the whole coop with exterior siding and nailed on a piece of plywood to attach the roof material to. Don’t use too thin a piece for this or you won’t have anything to nail to. We will make the cut outs later for the door, window and pop hole.

We took off the back and side to install the nest boxes and inside perch (later replaced by a shelf, the girls didn’t like the pole). Then we cut to fit a cheap piece of vinyl so we could remove it for cleaning. At this point we added a vent at each side of the coop, and made one end into a door for access.

Having the siding screwed on temporarily allowed easy access.

The run was framed in and weld wire was attached with an air powered stapler to keep the cats and dog out, and the girls in. The run is only about five feet high, so you have to duck down a little. This was done to keep the coop out of the neighbor’s view.( We don’t want any unwanted attention!)

 

. The top of the run also has chicken wire on it to keep predators out, and a piece of burlap was attached to the top and some plastic blinds to the sides to provide some shade in the summer.

An old window was framed in with wood so it would slide open, and the same type of installation with the pop hole.

 

We like the coop, but the girls still prefer the yard.