Rich & Sarah's "Cozy Cochin Cottage"

Updates:

Summer 2013
We did a total remodel on the inside of our coop. I did some reading about "poop boards" filled with PDZ powder that would work like clumping kitty litter and thought it could be great for keeping the coop cleaner. Some of our cochins can't jump very high, so on one side I made the platform only about 18" off the floor (with nest area under) and on the other side high enough to hang the food and water. Plywood and 2x3 for supports are AC2 treated, and 2x2 roosts, 1x3's around edges and decorative boards in front are untreated.





I am planning on getting some wicker baskets to put in front of the egg ports for nests:


Framing was done with 2x3s to make sure everything was sturdy enough to hold the birds, feeder and waterer.


A reptile sand scoop works well with the Sweet PDZ powder:



Spring 2013

We put in thick landscaping fabric in the beds around the run, and planted violas this year. I think most predators would probably be a bit confused if they try to dig under.


Found some cute fake flowers at Goodwill for the flower boxes. If you have chickens that can jump high, real flowers are not a good idea!



Winter 2012

Had fun decking everything out for Christmas this year. The lights were set to go out around 11 pm.

Fall 2012

We had a bumper crop of gourds that grew unexpectedly from our compost heap this fall. They were too hard to cut up for the chickens, but the squirrels sure did enjoy them!




Spring 2012 Egg Ports
We originally built the coop without outside access to the three nest boxes on the inside. Later we added these large PVC pipes and caps with handles to access the eggs from the outside.





Original Coop Build and Run Photos:

Building in 2007

Frame is made from 4x4 treated posts, leveled and cemented into ground several feet. Bottom is treated 2x6 boards. Ground to the top of the 2x6 boards is about 20 inches. The ground we dug up for the posts is almost pure sand, perfect for a chicken run!


We used the textured plywood siding from Menards.


Back 2x4's and siding plywood added.


Two front and a side window framing are in.


2x4's for roof supports on finished.


Roof plywood and some of the inner plywood has been installed.


Roof has drip edge and shingles. Working on the front siding.


Front siding is finished. Two lower holes are for windows, and the top square holes are for vents. We cut the window holes out after the plywood had been attached to make sure it matched up well.


Starting to paint!


Green paint finished. We used Dutch Boy "Airy Mint" from Menards.


Working on white trim paint and almost finished. We used Dutch Boy "Antique White" from Menards.


Sash/garage windows have been added. We used the pieces we cut out of the square vents and doorway to create flaps and door. We also added boards to the door to make it stronger. Flower boxes attached under each window.


This shot shows the door a bit better. Lots of room under the coop for chickens to get into shade or away from rain if they are too silly not to go inside.


Small chicken door on side.


Rungs seem to work best for the ramp. We tried outdoor carpet for traction, but our birds were not able to manage it. I imagine it would depend on the breed and agility of the bird though.


We installed our run with 8' treated landscaping timbers from Menards. Run door was also constructed out of the landscaping timbers. We buried chicken wire down a few feet, and also made a double layer at the bottom. You will also notice in our more recent photos that we installed treated 2x2's and bird netting over the top to protect from flying predators after a red tailed hawk decided we had a lovely cochin buffet:


We planted three crab apple trees in our run, but they did not fare well. The chickens dug at the roots so we covered the base with rocks but they also jumped on the branches and pulled many of the leaves off. Two of the trees died after a couple years, and the other we replanted in our yard before it met with the same fate:


Our run soon had all grass and vegetative matter removed by the birds, but luckily we had nice sand underneath. Not good for growing a lush green lawn, but very good for chickens and good drainage! Never add organic matter (straw, wood shavings, mulch) to your run as it will only make smells, bacteria and muddiness worse in the long run:


We planted the flower boxes at first, but now use fake fabric flowers since our chickens soon realized where to get an easy treat:


Initially we built a ladder roost but found it too messy, especially when eggs were laid underneath. These are the young Ideal hatchery cochins we started with years ago. It was fun getting such a beautiful mixture of colors for our first flock and the cochins really won me over.