Anujin
In the Brooder
- Jun 8, 2016
- 20
- 3
- 32
We just finished our coop and moved our 8 week old pullets in! We turned a shady underutilized corner of our yard and an old solid wood armoire into a coop and covered run. We got hinges, hardware and paint from our Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, used some extra plywood from another project and made about 1,000 trips to the hardware store for other odds and ends. The girls love it inside so far, even on a hot Texas summer day.
Here's a view with the doors closed (we have since added a big lock to keep the girls secure at night). The roof is a plywood base with metal roofing, with an overhang to prevent any rain seepage into the coop. The lower doors are a storage compartment for food/etc. The upper doors close and lock at night time.
Inside the upper doors is a screened in "window" of hardware cloth and a sliding door to access the nest boxes. The ladies have a roost at the front of the armoire, and another one towards the back wall. There is a trap door in the floor that can be opened and shut by a cord and pulley that runs to the exterior of the front of the armoire. A ladder in the trap door leads down to a covered run area.
The white wall across the back of the photo is the back siding for a larger attached run--yet to be completed. The run will also be covered by a roof and will have hardware cloth screens on the wall panels, and a people size door.
We set up a lounge area nearby so we can sit and watch chicken TV in the mornings; our pup Petunia finds it highly entertaining.
Here's a side view.
We kept the original footprint of the armoire in tact, but extended the floor and sides to the back fence (about 8 feet in total length). The finished coop is about 4 ft wide, 8 ft long and 9 ft tal (to the highest point of the roof line). It has plenty of ventilation on all sides and is super sturdy. A door in the siding lifts up and clips to a loop for cleaning. When it is closed it attaches to a lock.
The part underneath the coop is fully encased in hardware cloth and can serve as a run if we're out of town for the weekend. Two doors in the center of the "downstairs" open and can be attached to the outer frame with a hook and eye for greater access/cleaning and/or for when we finish the larger attached run.
I don't know that we saved any money by repurposing the armoire, but it sure looks pretty!
Here's a view with the doors closed (we have since added a big lock to keep the girls secure at night). The roof is a plywood base with metal roofing, with an overhang to prevent any rain seepage into the coop. The lower doors are a storage compartment for food/etc. The upper doors close and lock at night time.
Inside the upper doors is a screened in "window" of hardware cloth and a sliding door to access the nest boxes. The ladies have a roost at the front of the armoire, and another one towards the back wall. There is a trap door in the floor that can be opened and shut by a cord and pulley that runs to the exterior of the front of the armoire. A ladder in the trap door leads down to a covered run area.
The white wall across the back of the photo is the back siding for a larger attached run--yet to be completed. The run will also be covered by a roof and will have hardware cloth screens on the wall panels, and a people size door.
We set up a lounge area nearby so we can sit and watch chicken TV in the mornings; our pup Petunia finds it highly entertaining.
Here's a side view.
We kept the original footprint of the armoire in tact, but extended the floor and sides to the back fence (about 8 feet in total length). The finished coop is about 4 ft wide, 8 ft long and 9 ft tal (to the highest point of the roof line). It has plenty of ventilation on all sides and is super sturdy. A door in the siding lifts up and clips to a loop for cleaning. When it is closed it attaches to a lock.
The part underneath the coop is fully encased in hardware cloth and can serve as a run if we're out of town for the weekend. Two doors in the center of the "downstairs" open and can be attached to the outer frame with a hook and eye for greater access/cleaning and/or for when we finish the larger attached run.
I don't know that we saved any money by repurposing the armoire, but it sure looks pretty!
