Hi everyone! Have been thinking of getting chickens for some time and my city finally passed ordinance to allow it in 2012. It has been on the back burner for numerous reasons, but when someone donated 4 heritage RIR's last week it got the ball rolling.
I don't know how old the girls are but they aren't laying. 4-5 months would be my best guess. I do know they need a home outside of a dog crate and a makeshift chickenwire fence "run".
So off to building this weekend. Just want to document what I'm doing. Most everything I'm hoping to incorporate came from reading these forums, but something may pop up new. Thanks for looking!
So far, I've been able to use reclaimed wood (others scraps and my own) in building this. I've had to purchase hardware cloth, roofing screws, some hurricane straps and a few pieces of lumber.
Had some feeders and watered donated and used them to hold down plastic covering the fencing panels I've already stripped.
I had a rough sketch of what I was planning. (Although it's changed somewhat. Imagine that! Lol)
The new design will be a split level roof. The coop is 6'x6'x8' and 3' off the ground. The run will be 6'x6'x8' plus under the coop.
Here I have framed the coop floor and test fit it.
I then moved it to where it will be located at the back of the garden, leveled it and started adding support bracing.
I thrifted a new vinyl window and dumpster dove to get some metal hinged "doors" from an entertainment center to use as shutters. The proportions ended up being amazing! (I also picked an old door up off the side of the road but don't have a pic of that yet.)
I had a friend in the dock making business donate some scraps of metal roofing to the cause.
My dad came over and helped get them all cut today.
I finished more of the framing and roughed the window in.
Then on a break to get my daughters glasses I came across this beauty on the road. I'm thinking grazing frame for the run.
(The foreground. The back is an arbor a neighbor donated that I'll use when I fence the garden in)
I installed all the hardware cloth for the coop section of the run and added boards to contain the litter better. Since doing that, however, I believe I'll remove two of them tomorrow and convert it to a removable board. There will be a clean out door on one side and a people door on the other.
So day three comes to a close but I'll update again when I get further along. I know there's not much there to go on yet, hope you like it!
P.s. - Hurry up man!
I don't know how old the girls are but they aren't laying. 4-5 months would be my best guess. I do know they need a home outside of a dog crate and a makeshift chickenwire fence "run".
So off to building this weekend. Just want to document what I'm doing. Most everything I'm hoping to incorporate came from reading these forums, but something may pop up new. Thanks for looking!
So far, I've been able to use reclaimed wood (others scraps and my own) in building this. I've had to purchase hardware cloth, roofing screws, some hurricane straps and a few pieces of lumber.
Had some feeders and watered donated and used them to hold down plastic covering the fencing panels I've already stripped.
I had a rough sketch of what I was planning. (Although it's changed somewhat. Imagine that! Lol)
The new design will be a split level roof. The coop is 6'x6'x8' and 3' off the ground. The run will be 6'x6'x8' plus under the coop.
Here I have framed the coop floor and test fit it.
I then moved it to where it will be located at the back of the garden, leveled it and started adding support bracing.
I thrifted a new vinyl window and dumpster dove to get some metal hinged "doors" from an entertainment center to use as shutters. The proportions ended up being amazing! (I also picked an old door up off the side of the road but don't have a pic of that yet.)
I had a friend in the dock making business donate some scraps of metal roofing to the cause.
My dad came over and helped get them all cut today.
I finished more of the framing and roughed the window in.
Then on a break to get my daughters glasses I came across this beauty on the road. I'm thinking grazing frame for the run.
(The foreground. The back is an arbor a neighbor donated that I'll use when I fence the garden in)
I installed all the hardware cloth for the coop section of the run and added boards to contain the litter better. Since doing that, however, I believe I'll remove two of them tomorrow and convert it to a removable board. There will be a clean out door on one side and a people door on the other.
So day three comes to a close but I'll update again when I get further along. I know there's not much there to go on yet, hope you like it!
P.s. - Hurry up man!
