I had no idea I even wanted chickens until my town started buzzing with the possibility of allowing hens in city limits. I am the mother to 3 little boys, so really the last thing I needed was something else to take care of! The more I learned about chickens the more I wanted them. Luckily, the ordinance passed! So, we loaded up the car and went to pick up our chicks at the poultry farm about an hour away. We wanted the family to have the full experience…which included building our own coop! My husband was excited for an excuse to use his power tools and I was thrilled to get a custom coop!
Here’s our little coop in the city! It's 4'x4' with 3 nest boxes and a 16' run...



HERE ARE SOME PICTURES I TOOK ALONG THE WAY:

We started with 4 posts...the ground is not level so it was important that we had the floor level. Then we went around each wall and framed out the doors and windows. It is quite hot and humid here in the South so I wanted a lot of windows for ventilation.


We saved the external nest boxes for last. It was one of the most challenging steps of the build.

....CUTENESS INTERRUPTION...

This is Dixie, my Black Australorp, with my Golden Retriever, Daisy...and 2 of my boys giving a few chicks a ride in the dump truck! Now back to business...


Here it is with the walls...we put up the hardware cloth between the wood framing and the wood siding. That way there are no dangerous edges to hurt the chickens.


Then we added the doors, trim and the roost...and paint! I love the door to the run...I call it the EGGS-IT (Exit)! We went with a clear plastic roofing with grooves over the run and I really love it.


We attach the roost using hooks and O-rings. It removes easily for cleaning. The bottom of the roost supports are cut at an angle. You can also see that the coop is wired for electricity. We installed a porch light inside in case we need to supplement light in the winter. And there are outlets inside and outside. Dear Husband has bought a D-20 door motor for the chicken door, but we haven't installed it yet. We will need to before winter. I also may have to cover part of the the windows with plexi-glass on really cold nights.


My other MUST HAVE for the coop is the nipple waterer on a 2 gallon bucket! I always put 1/8tsp of oxine/gallon in there and the water stays fresh and clean. I just have to refill the water every 5-7 days when it gets low. So easy!



THANK YOU for checking out our coop! And best of luck on your chicken adventure!