I've always wanted chickens, and my husband wanted to get rid of the not so new eyesore of a swing set in our brand new back yard. While his job is more managerial now (he runs a construction company), he's truly a carpenter - and a good one. He built this coop for me using left over materials from old jobs.
Here's the finished product (with winter sides on the run). Normally, in the summer, the plastic is off of the run.
Scroll down for the process.
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This is kind of what we started with - after we had taken some bits down.
Framing the doors and windows.
Beginning the curved roof and the nesting boxes.
Putting the insulation in the roof.
Pre-insulation in the roof.
My husband putting the insulation in.
The interior. It wasn't until we got the floor in that we realized the 30 year old play set had become out of level... Very out of level... But we fixed it.
More insulation...
The interior finally put together. The interior is a mix of cedar paneling and siding.
My favorite part! The curved roof! (I think it makes it look like an elf lives in our yard.)
Better view of the roof.
Trim pieces getting put on, and the nesting boxes.
Framing out the run.
Hardware cloth on the lower part of the run, chicken wire on the top part. The 2x4s are buried to help with predator issues. We put the landing in to make it easier for me to get in the gate, but the girls love it as a sun spot.
My husband painted in the dark so that the coop would be my favorite color by the time I made it home from work.
The final product, compared with the "before" picture. This side shows the door for me to get in and change the water as well as the nesting boxes on the back. The bottom underneath the coop is covered in hardware cloth and is filled with sand. There is a heat lamp screwed in to the bottom of the coop (to prevent falling and breaking) that we turn on during the very cold days to warm up the sand for them to dust bathe in. They love pruning themselves under the heat lamp, but I'm still too nervous to have it on when I'm not there or during the night when I'm asleep. The enclosed glass on the outside is screwed to the frame of the run and it outside the hardware cloth to prevent them from accidentally breaking it by flying into it. I also hang and extra waterer and feeder under there.
This is the front view compared with the "before" picture. The front window is plexiglass, with ventilation around the outside of the window (doesn't cause a draft). It folds down so I can change the food out, do cleanings, etc. It will also change out for an open chicken wire window in the summer. The run currently has plastic covering the roof of it because we've had a lot of freezing rain and snow.
We put in a natural tree branch - it's their new favorite roost. It helps that this part of the run is covered in plastic, so they can stay there even in colder/wetter weather.
