My coop build - a raised coop with an enclosed run underneath. PIC HEAVY - still in progress

[Buckhunter76]

Nice start

.

 

[joan1708]

The nice thing about having to go slow, is you think things through more thoroughly. I think you likely make fewer mistakes that way. Very nice start. Keep plugging along!

 

[Stumpy]

You're doing a great job. I have been building an 8 X 12 run mostly myself and I have felt overwhelmed at times. Keep on keeping on!

 

[ImportTheBest]

I built my coop at naptime too Mama

You will get it done. Mine took me about a month but I already had chicks so there was an incentive for me to finish and get them out of my house!

Glad to hear I am not the only naptime builder!! Thanks for the encouragement! I PROMISED my husband I would finish the coop BEFORE getting the gals.....boy it's difficult to stick to that, but I am trying very hard to stick to my word!

 

[ImportTheBest]

It looks like your coop is coming along nicely.

Just a suggestion. If the bottom will be a run, you won't need those two 2x4s in the middle. Those boards are not supporting the coop. They will just make it more difficult for your chickens to walk around and scratch at the ground. As I said, just a suggestion.

I look forward to seeing it when the coop is finished.

Thank you!!!

Oh yes, about the run. For several reasons we've decided to have a floored run. The biggest reasons are that we're military and renters. Put those two together and we could move at any point with 30 days notice and we'd have to have all grass in that area already starting to regrow before we move or our chicken pet deposit is gone! Also we're the first tenants our landlords have ever had with chickens and they're somewhere between laughing and very concerned, lol! So I am trying to not only house the gals well, but also prove to our very nice landlords that they made the right choice saying yes.

If I was not putting a floor in I would definitely leave out the 2x4's though. But with the flooring, they are of course necessary. After a floor is in I'll be adding a 2x4 all around to make a lip to keep bedding in the run. There'll also be a small dust bath in there.

I am thinking of putting 6ft pine fence boards across the floor (sanded to avoid splinters), leaving 1/8" to 1/4" gaps between them...probably 1/8". Just enough for drainage if it gets wet in a rainstorm, but not enough that all the sand falls through immediately if we decide to use that. Also that should still keep the run predator proof enough, right? Hardware cloth will be used all around as well as in all vents, windows and roof vents for sure. If it's an entirely closed system like this do I need to close the pop door at night? or would I be ok with leaving it open during the summer months for a little extra air flow?

 

[ImportTheBest]

Thanks for the replies!!!

You're doing a great job. I have been building an 8 X 12 run mostly myself and I have felt overwhelmed at times. Keep on keeping on!

Oh my! You are brave! I'm very proud that I've gotten all the frames up by my self. But wow, it's not easy in close to 100F weather!!!

Ok so here's where I ended this weekend:


All sides are framed! The bottom left side of the coop was intentionally left without a piece of 2x3. This will be my other clean out door. It'll flap down from the support above it and I'll be able to easily shovel bedding and PDZ out when the big clean outs need to happen. Or simply be able to poop scoop the PDZ under the roost more easily. I haven't screwed in the roost yet (screws so I can easily clean or replace as needed) just in case I need to climb in and move around more easily when we do the roof and painting of the frame.

The pop door vinyl still needs to be folded through to the underneath and secured, but all my screws are too long, so it waits for now.


Then I worked on the nest boxes a bit.
View from the side that will be accessed from inside the coop:


Laying on it's front to show the hinged door closed (I don't have latches etc yet):


And then showing the door open:


I still need to break out my sander and clean up the door's edges. add some more hardware and prime paint with the kids helping

they help well, lol! I'll also add a piece of 2x4 or 2x3 to the back edge to help keep bedding and eggs in when we open the door. Not secured,just snug, so bedding can still be cleaned out easily.

Now I'm sitting with a note pad and pencil, trying to figure out vents etc.

Not entirely sure what I'm doing, but trusting that it will all turn out ok in the end!!

 

[ImportTheBest]

This is so funny. I have been building our coop myself too. Really my thing and not hubbys. Thankfully he takes charge of the kids for 3-4 hours at a time. You can see mine in other posts. Yours looks GREAT!!!! i dont know what i am doing AND i am using all scrap and piecing it together

Glad you're enjoying it and yay for another building gal!! I'm no pro, but I do LOVE this! 3-4hrs is a great amount of time to get to build! Most naps I get about 2 hours, then the older 2 get restless and my daughter starts getting into stuff lol!

Love your coop! I'll be watching that thread! I'm very impressed with your scrap wood usage. I planed on using scrap, but I either couldn't get to it or couldn't find it, depending on the day. So I gave up and went to Lowes....this isn't ending up as cheap as I hoped, but it holds my weight which is pretty impressive and so I am certain the girls will be safe!

ETA: I just realized were "multi quote" was, whoops. Sorry for the multiple posts, I'll use that feature next time!

 

[Kisska]

You are my hero!! One day I will build my own coop!! =)
I am interested in your pop up door! I have an opening in the floor of my coop like yours but I do not have a door. I am not sure yet what to do with it in the winter and would like to see the closer picture of your door please so I can get an idea! Now I am just confused on how it works!
I love what you've done!!

 

[ImportTheBest]

You are my hero!! One day I will build my own coop!! =)
I am interested in your pop up door! I have an opening in the floor of my coop like yours but I do not have a door. I am not sure yet what to do with it in the winter and would like to see the closer picture of your door please so I can get an idea! Now I am just confused on how it works!
I love what you've done!!

Whoops, sorry for the delay!
I haven't really figure it out yet, lol! I promise to post what I do once I have it all sorted out though! I am waiting a bit to finish figuring it out because I want more of the coop done. That way I can really see which way to do it would be best for me but still easy enough to finish quickly. I saw your coop on another thread - wowzers! That is one amazingly cute coop!

OK so with some..um.. "help" from the kids we got the nestbox (minus some sort of angled piece for the top to keep rain from pooling into and onto it) and the ramp platform (not the ramp yet) primed. The platform is actually cut to the wrong size - whoops - but I'll just make it work as I don't want to waste more time and money re-cutting it.



And then during naps I sweated it out in almost 100 degree weather both next to, and inside the coop, priming all the 2x3's minus the roost. I want to seal the wood as much as possible to prevent optimal conditions for mites to set up camp, and with semi gloss paint it should make it easier to clean too.



Still need to tack that vinyl down under the coop floor, so ignore that. I won't be painting the run, at least not at this point. Mostly as a time saver, so that I can get my girls sooner. I'll be ordering the hardware cloth on Amazon (better deal than at Lowes and I don't need a giant roll from wayfair).

Anyway, does anyone reading this know offhand the size and possibly even link to the type of washers to use to secure it when I screw it on?

I still need to add a floor to the run (predator proofing + rental yard saving etc) and make a lift up "door" there as well so that I can clean underneath the coop, in the run easily. I can see what I want in my head, so lets see if I can build it!

And my notoriously indecisive self needs to choose paint colors ASAP! I'll let y'all know what we end up choosing!

I emailed Mary at Blue Star Ranch here again (growers) and it sounds like my son will be choosing one of their bantam Cochins instead of a bantam frizzle, because they're out. But that's ok. I showed him some and he loves them already!

 

[Bullitt]

Thank you!!!

Oh yes, about the run. For several reasons we've decided to have a floored run. The biggest reasons are that we're military and renters. Put those two together and we could move at any point with 30 days notice and we'd have to have all grass in that area already starting to regrow before we move or our chicken pet deposit is gone! Also we're the first tenants our landlords have ever had with chickens and they're somewhere between laughing and very concerned, lol! So I am trying to not only house the gals well, but also prove to our very nice landlords that they made the right choice saying yes.

If I was not putting a floor in I would definitely leave out the 2x4's though. But with the flooring, they are of course necessary. After a floor is in I'll be adding a 2x4 all around to make a lip to keep bedding in the run. There'll also be a small dust bath in there.

I am thinking of putting 6ft pine fence boards across the floor (sanded to avoid splinters), leaving 1/8" to 1/4" gaps between them...probably 1/8". Just enough for drainage if it gets wet in a rainstorm, but not enough that all the sand falls through immediately if we decide to use that. Also that should still keep the run predator proof enough, right? Hardware cloth will be used all around as well as in all vents, windows and roof vents for sure. If it's an entirely closed system like this do I need to close the pop door at night? or would I be ok with leaving it open during the summer months for a little extra air flow?

Now I understand that you are building a floor. I also understand as a renter you have limitations.

The chickens should be fairly safe in the coop if you use hardware cloth. But if a raccoon can reach through the hardware cloth, the raccoon can pull a chicken's leg or wing out and start chewing. Hopefully you won't have that problem.