Yo_Chuci's Chicken Coop

So after doing lots of reading and researching on here I had a couple weeks off work so thought I would get my self in gear and get a Coop and Run built.

We had been talking bout it for a while so when we decided to go for it I went out and got the wood. I had got weld mesh off ebay about a month earlier

as it was a bargain (thinking if we didn't get chickens then that could be resold dead easy)...

So this is a page about my build etc so others can learn from it etc..

I didn't draw up plans etc in sketch up or anything just made a few sketches and saw build threads on here. Hopefully there should be enough pics to get

the idea on how i did it etc...

All the pics are in my Flickr Album if you wanna see the pics bigger etc.

The Base of the Coop. 3'x2' and 18" up from the ground.

Here I have the floor of the coop in place and the main vertical supports for the roof etc. With building the whole thing on top of the floor it will make

cleaning easier.

The rest of the verticals in place inc space for the access door.

Internal panels done. just need sealing the gaps etc. some of my cuts aint square but they were offcuts of ply I was using.

The sides are lower in height as these are gonna be left open for ventilation. might need to add more later but will see when done.

Here you can see where the access door will be (for cleaning) and Poop door. Opening at back for Nest boxes.

Which you can see here. There is a 4x2 on the outside of the main frame under the Nest box for extra support. But it basically sits on the coop

floor and is screwed down. It is a snug fit anyway and is screw to the vert on the left and the small spacer on right.

Also the rafters are on. I should have had more fall on the roof as i was going to put 6"x5/8ths boards overlapped for the roof but when I 

offered them up they were basically flat so changed my mind.

So threw on a piece of CDX. you can now see how the ventilation at the sides will work. And if it needs to be bigger will be easy to go

at with a saw... Or make holes in the underside of the roof to vent into the rafters.

On top of the CDX is a piece of 2core plastic roofing stuff. This is used on the roof sections of conservatory's in the UK etc and i bought

5 sheets of it cheap on ebay. I got it to use as the roof of the run to keep bad weather out etc and only needed 3 sheets for that so 

worked out great. each sheet is 4x3 so i only needed to cut i down width ways a little bit.

You can also see the front of the coop now has the siding on there... using shiplap that is gonna be stained. the gap inbetween the inner

and out skin is just an air space. I saw lots of coops that are only single skin and the chooks seem to cope fine but as last winter here

was a pretty good one, snow on the ground for a month and frozen car doors everyday I thought this may help with the temps. And as

the walls are hollow i could (if needed) insulate at a later date and add a window if i wanted.

Nest box done and access door trimmed up.

Roof trimmed up. Door made and Siding on. just need stain and hardware.

The plastic roofing sheet trimmed up. A: so it looks better, B: so it doesn't blow off lol. it has been cut to overlap the piece of wood so water

runs off easily.

With Poop door which will be hinged at the top. The overhang for the roof means that the ventilation bits won't get the winds blowing

straight in but means it can breath fine. The left hand side is going to be next to a hedge too. if i need to add more vents they can

be at the front in the wall or i can remove the front part of the roof overhang and cut holes etc behind then put the trim back on.

So here it is in location and with the run cover on it. couple of lengths of 3x2 and the plastic roofing panels on for ran and sun cover. this is looking west

so they get morning Sun and til about 3pm where the hedge blocks it out. the fence on the left stops the midday sun and also in this location they are

protected from the strongest winds etc.

The run is 8' from front of Coop to the fence and 8' wide and the fence side also. they will be able to go under the coop so the overall space is about

56sq feet. But they will get to free range when we are in etc.

I was going to make the run 6ft high but decided against it as cutting the hedge etc would have been impossible. The roof of the run can be removed

easily tho for when i need to get in.

Ramp in. Feeders in. A few roosts in. To the left of the roost will get a sand area for dust bathing when they have got all the bugs from the gravel.

gonna cut a couple of pieces of weldmesh to cover the opening on this side.

Having their first look about.

And a few days later having a look around the garden..