• This coop began it's life as a 3x4 dog house that our 50lb dog walked into and out of twice and never went into again.
  • I took one side of the roof off and installed two hinges...I use bolts thru the lid to keep it raccoon proof.
  • I removed one of the fake side windows and re-framed it and put hinges on it to be a side door.
  • Inside I modified the opening to allow me to drop in boards to close it off when the ducks were ducklings, and now for when it gets really windy and cold.
  • I then re-purposed some small t-posts from my garden, 24" tall woven wire from around my tomatoes, scrap 1x2's to lay out the top rails, and a couple of leftover pieces of asphalt corrugated roof material to create the 32" x 7' covered area outside the dog house/coop.
  • This lets the ducks have a covered play area when they aren't loose in the outer pin.
  • I also added hinges at one end so that I can raise the "lid" to clean it out.
  • I use a couple carabiners to lock the side door, and some old pieces of PVC to hold open the lids.
  • To get light and heat, I simply tucked a surge protector (covered by a plastic bag) under the back eave, and then have two light timers to handle a light and a heat lamp and used scrap wire to cover the bulbs...I plugged it all into a GFCI outlet on my garage.
  • It all looks pretty dingy for now, but hey it was almost free (OK, I once purchased every thing new) and I will refinish the outside in the spring.