So once upon a time I had this little shed in my backyard,
And I decided to make it into a chicken coop.
I kind of went overkill on the nest boxes....rookie mistake.
Then I added a run.
And landscaping....
and all was well with the world.
Then years passed, and my flock thinned, and work and life got in the way, and I gave my older girls to my neighbor, and I was chickenless.... but I missed having eggs, watching chicken entertainment when I got home at night, and watching their antics.
Then this year I built a greenhouse....
And added a garden around it, and realized I needed chicken compost for my garden~!
So I decided to jump headfirst into chickens again. But my old chicken coop is now being used as a tool shed again, and has lots of power tools and stuff in it...and I am lazy. And i didn't want to clean all that stuff out of there and find a new home for it. So I got busy again. Because I like to build stuff.
The base for the new coop is 8x8, and made out of pt 2x6's, and covered with plywood I had hanging around. The corner posts are 4x4's that I had on hand, and I bought new wood to make the walls.
(this cute butt belongs to Lily Dog, she likes to help)
I really didn't have a plan for this when I started, I just knew I wanted it to be tall enough for me to stand up in, I wanted lots of windows, and enough ventilation.
I had to call in reinforcements to help me with the roof, as math has never been my strong point, and because young, handsome men are fun to watch when they build stuff.
This side with the two windows is the southwest side of the coop. So they will get plenty of sun and light and fresh air. The door and one window face more to the west...I used T 1-11 on the outside of the coop.
My in-laws had a bunch of old windows in their garage, so I asked if I could have them, and they were happy to send me on my way with them...
I trimmed them out on the outside with 1x4's, and they are hinged on the top, which will allow great ventilation.
The are trimmed with 1x2's on the inside, to seal off any drafts...
And I put hardware cloth on the inside, to protect the peeps from the nasty predators that live in the woods around me...
I found this cute little stained glass window this summer at a yard sale and I had to have it.
This is covered on the inside with hardware cloth, and also is hinged on the top so it can open for ventilation.
This is where I left off last night, doors and windows are in, and I just have to finish off the inside, I've got beadboard to attach to the inside walls, I've got their nest boxes pretty much figured out, and I've got to put up a couple of roosts...I'll be back in a few days to update with inside pictures and run pictures.
Update October 14th, 2016...
Here's an inside pic, but it's mainly of the peeps...I've got cabinets for nest boxes that they haven't shown any interest in yet, and beadboard on the walls...more pics to come after I do more this weekend!
Couple more pics, I haven't been able to work on it much lately.
Update: Coop number two has had to be moved away from the woods, and closer to the activity of the yard, due to the numerous predators in the area. Pics to follow....
Okay, so this coop proved to be a little too far away from the house, and too close to the woods. I lost several birds this summer, I am assuming to coons. Their run was made much smaller, and fortified, but I wasn't happy with their outdoor area, and I was always one edge about their safety. I acquired more lovely ladies from a member here, and moved the coop closer to the house.
For the record, I don't ever recommend doing this ever. It was a major pain in the a$$, and these gentlemen worked their butts off to get it moved for me.
The bonus of moving Coop Number Two, is that it allowed me to attach it to my pre-existing run, which is pretty big, and built like Fort Knox.
The ladies, and their roo were introduced this weekend, and all is well...
And I decided to make it into a chicken coop.
I kind of went overkill on the nest boxes....rookie mistake.
Then I added a run.
And landscaping....
and all was well with the world.
Then years passed, and my flock thinned, and work and life got in the way, and I gave my older girls to my neighbor, and I was chickenless.... but I missed having eggs, watching chicken entertainment when I got home at night, and watching their antics.
Then this year I built a greenhouse....
And added a garden around it, and realized I needed chicken compost for my garden~!
So I decided to jump headfirst into chickens again. But my old chicken coop is now being used as a tool shed again, and has lots of power tools and stuff in it...and I am lazy. And i didn't want to clean all that stuff out of there and find a new home for it. So I got busy again. Because I like to build stuff.
The base for the new coop is 8x8, and made out of pt 2x6's, and covered with plywood I had hanging around. The corner posts are 4x4's that I had on hand, and I bought new wood to make the walls.
(this cute butt belongs to Lily Dog, she likes to help)
I really didn't have a plan for this when I started, I just knew I wanted it to be tall enough for me to stand up in, I wanted lots of windows, and enough ventilation.
I had to call in reinforcements to help me with the roof, as math has never been my strong point, and because young, handsome men are fun to watch when they build stuff.
This side with the two windows is the southwest side of the coop. So they will get plenty of sun and light and fresh air. The door and one window face more to the west...I used T 1-11 on the outside of the coop.
My in-laws had a bunch of old windows in their garage, so I asked if I could have them, and they were happy to send me on my way with them...
I trimmed them out on the outside with 1x4's, and they are hinged on the top, which will allow great ventilation.
The are trimmed with 1x2's on the inside, to seal off any drafts...
And I put hardware cloth on the inside, to protect the peeps from the nasty predators that live in the woods around me...
I found this cute little stained glass window this summer at a yard sale and I had to have it.
This is covered on the inside with hardware cloth, and also is hinged on the top so it can open for ventilation.
This is where I left off last night, doors and windows are in, and I just have to finish off the inside, I've got beadboard to attach to the inside walls, I've got their nest boxes pretty much figured out, and I've got to put up a couple of roosts...I'll be back in a few days to update with inside pictures and run pictures.
Update October 14th, 2016...
Here's an inside pic, but it's mainly of the peeps...I've got cabinets for nest boxes that they haven't shown any interest in yet, and beadboard on the walls...more pics to come after I do more this weekend!
Couple more pics, I haven't been able to work on it much lately.
Update: Coop number two has had to be moved away from the woods, and closer to the activity of the yard, due to the numerous predators in the area. Pics to follow....
Okay, so this coop proved to be a little too far away from the house, and too close to the woods. I lost several birds this summer, I am assuming to coons. Their run was made much smaller, and fortified, but I wasn't happy with their outdoor area, and I was always one edge about their safety. I acquired more lovely ladies from a member here, and moved the coop closer to the house.
For the record, I don't ever recommend doing this ever. It was a major pain in the a$$, and these gentlemen worked their butts off to get it moved for me.
The bonus of moving Coop Number Two, is that it allowed me to attach it to my pre-existing run, which is pretty big, and built like Fort Knox.
The ladies, and their roo were introduced this weekend, and all is well...
