Stimpster
In the Brooder
- Oct 2, 2015
- 9
- 0
- 20
Here we have our coop and run in the yard. I will go back a few paces and show the build in the shed.
I started off with 100mmx100mm posts that I cut down for the legs and then braced them with 70mmx35mm framing timbers. The long lengths that over hang and take the weight of the nesting box is 90mmx35mm. The main body of the coop is 1200mmx1200mm and 1000mm high (the roof then went on and raised it about 250mm).
I used 9mm thick ply on the walls and made some windows for light and air. On the inside of the windows I stapled some wire mesh (US peeps tend to call it hardware cloth) to the inside. Made some frames to make it look a little nicer and screwed them in place.
On one side, I made a door to access the coop for cleaning. This was something I liked after seeing other chook coops on this site. Glad I did it.
The paint colour (not a spelling mistake for us Aussies. But for our American friends - color!) we chose the cream walls and black trim as out house is a cream brick and black trim. Our shed is also the same. I wanted it to blend in. The roof is Colorbond and insulation was added later. Like many other coops I have seen, we use a pulley system for the front door and the door is a 3mm thick aluminum plate.
The top photo was taken after we carried it outside. Bloody hell it was heavy. I grabbed some 200mmx50mm treated pine to board up the cage and level it out. The cage was from an old box trailer that was no longer needed by a mate. Works great. There are some gaps at the front but I have since boarded them up from the inside with some decking timber. Bird Avery wire was then placed over the cage and around the legs of the coop. Fairly secure now. Just ran out of wire for the cage door but will buy some more and fix that up.
We get a fair amount of Red Belly Black Snakes here and some Brown Snakes. Hopefully none will get in but we'll see. I have not seen a fox near our block but we live on an acre that is not too far from Cane Fields. So I reckon they'll be around. Once the girls are in at night, the coop is secure.
Feeder and water put in and then the chooks were added. We purchased 2 x Rhode Island Reds from a work friend that breeds them, 2 x Australorps, and 1 x Isa Brown. In the 6 days they have been with us, I have added a roof over the run for shade. They really loved this and spend more time in the run now and not hiding under the coop. To date, we have collected 10 eggs. Only 1 eaten so far as we were given a heap before we had the chooks put in. They wont last long though!
We let them out today for their first go at free ranging. They LOVED it. After being kept in for 1 week to get them used to their home, it was pretty easy to get them back in for bed time. Here are some pictures of them have a roam in the yard. Was great to see.
