BuckeyeDad
Hatching
- Jan 24, 2016
- 5
- 0
- 7
I thought since BYC has provided so much information for me, I thought I would share our coop build with the community. I hope it gives someone some ideas. We also appreciate any advice and input we can get as our project progresses.
We decided, after about of year of research, that we were going to get chickens. We are getting 8, all egg layers.
I have done an enormous amount of research on the past couple of months trying to decide if we should buy a coop kit, just build our own, what size, etc etc. I am sure you all can understand the amount of information that's out there can be a bit overwhelming
I decided on building my own as I felt we could customize it, make it any size we want, and after reading so many bad reviews on premade kits, I knew I could build one better at a cheaper rate. I decided on a 4x8 coop so that I could use full sheets of plywood and I knew it would be comfortable for the birds. I also decided on a pitched roof so that we could add some height.
I started the build this past week. We built the frame on 4x4 posts and buried them about 12in into the ground then filled it with cement. We get pretty high winds here, so security was a concern. From there I framed in the walls using pretty basic construction. We added a window on each end, a large swing door for clean out and access, and a nesting box. I didn’t follow any plans, just had a basic idea of what we wanted. Like I said, I have watched alot of videos, and read alot of blogs. I took what I liked from many builds and tried to incorporate them into ours.
I am very happy with the progress. Most of the building is finished. Still have to finish the roof, which will metal roofing mounted on plywood. Then the detail work, finishing the windows, painting etc.
Once the coop is finished, we will be building the run. It will be a 16ft x 8ft run. We will completely secure it with hardware cloth. But that will be a project for another weekend. I will be updating this thread with more pictures as we go along. Please feel free to ask any questions also if you have any advice from your own experience, I’d be happy to hear.
We decided, after about of year of research, that we were going to get chickens. We are getting 8, all egg layers.
I have done an enormous amount of research on the past couple of months trying to decide if we should buy a coop kit, just build our own, what size, etc etc. I am sure you all can understand the amount of information that's out there can be a bit overwhelming
I decided on building my own as I felt we could customize it, make it any size we want, and after reading so many bad reviews on premade kits, I knew I could build one better at a cheaper rate. I decided on a 4x8 coop so that I could use full sheets of plywood and I knew it would be comfortable for the birds. I also decided on a pitched roof so that we could add some height.
I started the build this past week. We built the frame on 4x4 posts and buried them about 12in into the ground then filled it with cement. We get pretty high winds here, so security was a concern. From there I framed in the walls using pretty basic construction. We added a window on each end, a large swing door for clean out and access, and a nesting box. I didn’t follow any plans, just had a basic idea of what we wanted. Like I said, I have watched alot of videos, and read alot of blogs. I took what I liked from many builds and tried to incorporate them into ours.
I am very happy with the progress. Most of the building is finished. Still have to finish the roof, which will metal roofing mounted on plywood. Then the detail work, finishing the windows, painting etc.
Once the coop is finished, we will be building the run. It will be a 16ft x 8ft run. We will completely secure it with hardware cloth. But that will be a project for another weekend. I will be updating this thread with more pictures as we go along. Please feel free to ask any questions also if you have any advice from your own experience, I’d be happy to hear.
