Building our Urban Garden Coop!

[ChooksinChoppers]

NICE! I really, really like it....still puzzling over the cutting of the rafters to get that shape..and how I would get that done without the right tools

 

[chicks4erin]

Wow!!! It looks fantastic, you must be so pleased as will your hens be

I love the addition of the window, very nice. Great colors as well. Thanks for sharing.

 

[drumstick diva]

It's beautiful. The only thing I can see is the bird feeder will attract wild birds that could spread parasites and disease . They will also eat the chicken feed and end up in your coop with your flock.

I would either use it for ornamental purposes (with no seeds) or relocate farther away from your coop.

 

[farmerinKC]

Your coop is beautiful! I saw your post when you first began and it turned out really nice! I am also considering the Garden Coop-I want to have a coop that would be big enough for 15 chickens. I did see on the Garden Coop site that it could be enlarged-can I ask-since you have just built one-do you think it would easy to adjust the size to house 15 chickens?

As you can see I am in Missouri too, I think this coop would be just what we need for our climate. My son built a coop style tractor that we are using until I can decide what I want as a permanent home for my girls. Good luck with your tour on Sunday. There is an urban farms and garden tour here in KC this weekend as well-I just bought tickets.

Again, lovely coop-your chickens are going to be very happy.

 

[elmo]

Lovely coop! I really like the Garden Coop type design.

The only thing I wonder about, though, is the amount of space. I'm not sure of your dimensions, but I think you might find 8 chickens in there kinda snug, both from roost space perspective and keeping it clean enough for sanitation. 8 adult standard size chickens produce a lot of manure on a daily basis, and if all of that goes into a relatively small area it gets very nasty very quickly.

The 4 square per bird indoors plus 10 square feet per bird outdoors guidelines are good minimums, I think.

 

[motherhenmindy]

It is a pretty coop. Is the top where the rafters are open? Or is there are hardwire cloth running the top of the coop, just under the roof? I am wondering too if 8 is too many though, but it depends on your dimensions. I have my girls in an open coop/run design, it's 4x8...I only have the 3 chickens. I might be able to squeeze a 4th chicken but I think I'd be pushing it. I let mine out for most of the day to free range in our backyard. I don't know if you'll be doing the same...if so, say good bye to your veggie garden or build a bigger fence around your veggies.

 

[berkeleyjack]

I love the modifications you made to the design, especially the additional cinder blocks all the way around the bottom.
I did mine more or less directly according to the instructions, and now that I'm done there are a lot of small changes I wish I'd made. Oh well!

 

[chicks4erin]

CRYROLFE, I would love to see any completed coop pictures if you have any. A year later I'm contemplating the gardencoop again. Never did pull the trigger last year on our chix only b/c we couldn't decide on a coop, but I think we are close. It's either going to be an Eglu Go and a walk-in-run or the gardencoop. I just love the look of the gardencoop, especially with your colors, yet I love the maintenance aspect of the Eglu. We are only getting 3 hens, so space should be an issue with whatever we decide.

Are you happy with the gardencoop?

 

[pudellvr]

I am building the Garden Coop as well. We have made several modifications to it. Bringing in The Wichita Coop henhouse ideas. Size remains the same. There are several things I would change about the plans after having built it. I need to start my own thread.

 

[chicks4erin]

I am building the Garden Coop as well. We have made several modifications to it. Bringing in The Wichita Coop henhouse ideas. Size remains the same. There are several things I would change about the plans after having built it. I need to start my own thread.

Please do, I would love to hear about your modifications before we start building. I definitely think nesting boxes on the outside, but whatever else you can recommend, I'm all ears. Thanks for posting!