is a small raised house and completely enclosed run chicken coop. I "borrowed" from a number of designs, incorporating the features that appealed to me. The Backyard Chickens website, and book "Backyard Chickens Guide to Coops and Tractors" was invaluable.I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about building a chicken coop. Even though I did not use the plans in the book, the dimensions for various parts that were given in the book, were helpful in coming up with my design. The house, including the 4 nest boxes is 4' x 4', and is built with a 2" x 2" frame with a skin of sheathing material designed to look like boards. The run is 9' x 6', and with the addition of the space under the house, gives me 70 sq. ft. of run. The inside height at the peak of the run is about 6' tall, which gives me enough head room to walk down the middle of the run without bending over.Cackle Cottage
The beginning . . . with Juju as helper.
Front and back pieces.
Platform base. The legs are treated 2 x 4's.
My son joins Juju as a helper.
Assembling the walls on the base.
Paint color test. Had to have a pink pop door for the girls!
Roof sheeting on and view of awning style window. The window
can be adjusted by shortening or lengthening the chain. It latches
down tight for the winter. All window panes are plastic.
After the hernia! Moved from the carport to the backyard.
The run has been assembled, painted and moved to the backyard.
View from the other side.
Neighbor's view - hardly noticeable!
The girls first day in their new coop!
It only took them a few seconds to figure out the ladder.
There is an access door under the house on this side to refill
the food and water containers. The people door is at the
front end of the run.
I put a 2' flange of 1/2" hardware cloth around the entire coop
to prevent predators from digging under. It is fastened to the
frame with screws and washers and landscape pins on the outer
edges. We are only a block from Hitchcock Woods (Aiken, SC),
which is the largest urban forest in the country. It is twice the
size of Central Park in NYC, and we frequently see fox, possum
and raccoons from the woods in our neighborhood. A few years ago,
a dog was killed by coyotes down the street.
I hope you enjoyed seeing Cackle Cottage!
The beginning . . . with Juju as helper.
Front and back pieces.
Platform base. The legs are treated 2 x 4's.
My son joins Juju as a helper.
Assembling the walls on the base.
Paint color test. Had to have a pink pop door for the girls!
Roof sheeting on and view of awning style window. The window
can be adjusted by shortening or lengthening the chain. It latches
down tight for the winter. All window panes are plastic.
After the hernia! Moved from the carport to the backyard.
The run has been assembled, painted and moved to the backyard.
View from the other side.
Neighbor's view - hardly noticeable!
The girls first day in their new coop!
It only took them a few seconds to figure out the ladder.
There is an access door under the house on this side to refill
the food and water containers. The people door is at the
front end of the run.
I put a 2' flange of 1/2" hardware cloth around the entire coop
to prevent predators from digging under. It is fastened to the
frame with screws and washers and landscape pins on the outer
edges. We are only a block from Hitchcock Woods (Aiken, SC),
which is the largest urban forest in the country. It is twice the
size of Central Park in NYC, and we frequently see fox, possum
and raccoons from the woods in our neighborhood. A few years ago,
a dog was killed by coyotes down the street.
I hope you enjoyed seeing Cackle Cottage!
