• Last updated 11/23/09 by MAllen

How To Build A4 x 4 x 8 Brood PenRecently I needed a new brood pen for some of my American Game Bantams & thought I would share how I build it. The requirenment is that it has to house a trio of chickens & provide a safe place for them to produce fertile eggs for my Dickey incubator. It must also provide protection from bad weather and must be easy to build using standard hand tools and be cost effective. To build this pen the way I did, using all new material purchased at Lowes, you'll spend about $75 (give or take) but while explaining how I built mine I'll point out... read more

• Last updated 11/22/09 by 6littlechickies

 Before I begin our story, a little back story if you will indulge me...Although I did not grow up in the 'city' we lived within city limits so we were never allowed 'barnyard' animals. So as a child I would satisfy my love of farm animals and country living by staying at my grandparents as often as I could.  They lived in what felt like the middle of nowhere and I just LOVED it!  One of my favorite memories of being there as a child is of waking early one morning to a very light dusting of snow outside.  I remember snapping a picture of their barn because I thought i... read more

• Last updated 11/21/09 by Just wingin' it

So the coop construction continues! Each day I take the chooks out to their outdoor temporary pen. I put Sam in charge of "babysitting" to make sure they stay in their area. He faithfully minds them as E and I continue the coop construction. Today I put Sophie in to try it out and see how she liked it. She fit far better than I did! After a few moments of scoping it out, she decided she liked it just fine and proceeded to make herself at home.  Sam of course had to check on his little chicken and see first hand that it would work for her. I think we got his nod... read more

• Last updated 11/21/09 by rbrink21

 Rustic Recycled Chicken Coop Hi! I'm Rachel and I'm a Chicken-aholic!We moved into our house in December 2008. At the time we had 2 hens and 4 small pullets who were all living in a fairly small coop. We needed something bigger and better.We now have 6 hens (my babies are all grown up!) and 5 more pullets. Our flock consists of 2 Barred Rocks, 3 Silver Laced Wyandottes, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Black Austrolorp, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Ameracaunas. Of course I want more! I'm addicted to chickens!I'm in the construction industry so this was almost second nature to me. I... read more

• Last updated 11/21/09 by feedstorechick

Feedstorechick's Mini CoopHere is a simple coop with run design that can be used to house a pair of bantams or as a grow out pen for chicks           Click on any of the thumbnail photos above for a larger view. Overall these "Mini Coops" are 4' x 8'. They are made in two parts. The house is 2' x not quite 4' wide. The wire run is 6' x 4'. As you can see in the third photo from the left, the house slides between the 2x4 runners to make the unit. Once in place, a single screw goes behind the little filler board on the house into the 2x4 runner to keep the house tight... read more

• Last updated 11/20/09 by Chick-a-roos

"page under construction"..... "the Chick-a-roos of Mayberry" Son's play fort before construction                                           Contruction begins for the coop/run-pop out door                 hinged door under nesting boxes/roost to clean coop....sand was placed under roost for easy poop scooping.                                    2 inside windows covered with wire, screens left in place.         Outside run with pop door/entrance ramp                                               Nesting boxes (3) - Roost... read more

• Last updated 11/19/09 by chicksrcool

 Our Repurposed Coop!Well here it is!  I had originally planned to turn the kid's wood playhouse that was attached to their swingset into our first real coop.  But my husband thought we should just use our boy's old playhouse that they outgrew long ago; and we were ready to yard sale.  So very simple yet it is luxurious enough to shield them from the cool night air, and predator proof.  It is pretty well insulated already, and we believe it to be waterproof.  So far it is working out famously.  They have their food and water hanging inside; and to top it off they have... read more

• Last updated 11/19/09 by chickachicka

Our Chook's Clubhouse Coop is made from a child's wooden playhouse.  Being short on time & no experience building coops or much of anything, this was our best bet.  We wanted it to be attractive & fit in our yard which is not that large. We were only getting 4 hens as that is all we really have room for. Our playhouse is only 43 inches by 41 inches.  I was very upset when it was first built because the dimensions on the box were VERY misleading.  I thought it was a little bigger than a 4ft by 4ft house.  Well, it turns out it is perfect for our needs....so, no worries! ... read more

• Last updated 11/19/09 by foweler

 My coop was inspired by a design in the BYC coop section:  http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=6916-Coop_Design I liked the idea of having it built on an elevated platform, both to keep me from bending over too far while servicing it and to have a shady section underneath for the girls to hang out in. The dimensions were chosen to keep waste minimal using standard sized materials. The floor is 40" x 88" allowing a single 4' x 8' sheet of 3/8" ply to be used as the roof.The framing members are 2x4's ripped in half to keep costs and weight down. I wanted... read more

• Last updated 11/18/09 by kingme

Granero de Huevos  Welcome to Granero de Huevos (Egg Barn). During the summer of 2009 I decided to give in to the desire to know where my food comes from. I also wanted to teach my daughters a healthy dose of self reliance so I put in a fairly large vegetable garden consisting of six 4'x8' raised garden beds and additional planting around the perimeter. While doing this I also started reading about what it would take to have some chickens and fresh eggs. So I built the coop you see here. The base building is 4' x 4' and is about 2 1/2' off the ground. Inside there are... read more