'Colorado Cackle-berry Castle'This our Poultry Princesses Palace, to be sure! If anyone ever scoffed after reading "best advised to have your coop/run built prior to bringing home the chicks", you actually need to take heed!
Our modest little structure, a hodge-podge of coop ideas viewed on this wonderful website, took 8 weeks to arrive at current presentation. This wasn't a full-time job, as my husband has one of these. But, it did keep him busy most evenings and weekends and away from his fishing pole and bicycle.
We spent about $500 on materials, estimate by my husband, possibly exaggerated. We were able to incorporate some re-purposed materials, such as the roof, some of the 2x4's, insulation & hardware.
We chose to keep the footprint of roosting/nesting house to 5x4', height was about 7 to accommodate recycled large vertical window, upon a 2' tall 5x4' base. The girls nesting boxes, 3 due to width of house are cantilevered to allow access. 3 walls were insulated between studs, we live at 7500 feet in Colorado, winters can be cold. Metal sloped roofing for snow load. Attached run is 12' x 4', of which 8' is covered. Partial cement board walled in on the North and Western corner of run due to our home being on a North facing ridge with some howling winds and weather. All exterior wire is 1/2" welded wire, stapled to 2 x 4" framing. Deer fencing buried under floors of house and run. Ventilation holes in east facing soffet. Working windows on North and South side of house. Both the front door and window are on hinges to open in tandem, allowing easy cleaning of house. Flooring was wood covered and topped with solid linoleum sheet. The chicken ladder in the house is attached to an outside accessible cable to raise and lower to keep the girls in at night. We did run an extension cord out with a heat lamp for chilly nights.
We have 5 chickens: Tallulah, Fernanda, Baby Chicken, Alice & can't remember her name....... Plymouth Rocks, White Rock & New Hampshire Red. Lost one in aforementioned chicken housing shortage as our cat was able to invade temporary housing.........
We are planning to finish the coop/run with cedar trim, lifetime spray & some paint. No idea on time estimate as chickens are now in. Still need more roosts in run and small gravel on floor of run.
Love the look of it and would never have had something like this if it weren't for my live in handy-man!