Finally finished the brooder. Not perfect but pretty sure it'll work. Chicks arrive this week, getting excited. Will be starting on hoop coop this weekend. Hopefully the weather holds out.

Update 1: Got started today on building a forever home for the new flock. The hoop is framed and most of the heavy construction is done. Going to build a 4x8 coop on the back of the run.

Update 2: Starting on the coop. So far the plan is for a 4x7x4 high coop with a 4' x 16" storage area attached. Have the base and some of the wall frame done. The pop door is going on the end wall and will exit to the run. Tomorrow's task is to head to TSC and get enough hardware cloth to cover the run. Chicks will be a week old and it's about time to start getting them some fresh air and sunshine during the day. Want the predator proofing on the run done before they head out.

Update 3: The weather was good to me this weekend. Got the framing finished. The roof deck is on. Have the nesting box roughed in. And 80% of the wire is on the run. Moved the coop over to the run. Wanted to get them lined up before they got any heavier.
The chicks are doing great. So far still have 10 out of 10. They just had their first field trip. Let them out in the play pen during the day. They loved it. There's still plenty of room in the brooder, hoping I get 2 more weekends to finish their home

Update 4: Today is move in day. Going to let them loose in their new home. Walls are finished. And only have a few places to tie in the hardware cloth in the run. Still have some work to do on the roof and trim. Needs a paint job. But structurally it's done.

Update 5: Closer to complete. Paint is on. Trying an experiment with the roof. I was able to get some elastomeric roof coating, rolled on the first coat this morning. Have enough for three coats. I know it's weather proof, the only question is how durable.

I'd like to thank Mroo for pointing out some details that I missed. For predator proofing, all openings bigger than 1/2 inch are covered with hardware cloth. I will be putting a HC and patio block skirt around the run, as soon as time and cost allow. The coop itself has HC on all openings. The human doors all overlap the opening by at least 1 inch. There is no access from the storage into the living area, so if anything manages to get to the feed it's still blocked from the living area. The pop door (12"w x 16"h) is set into a steel frame and overlaps the door edges by 1 1/2 inches on the sides and bottom, not leaving any gaps where it could be grabbed and lifted. The plywood door will be skinned on the outside with some sheet metal to make it more difficult to grab. The tunnel started as a platform for the ramp. Originally planned on the coop and run butting up. I decided to leave a small gap for maintenance access. Since the platform was already there I added a cantilevered roof over it. All framing was done before sheathing went on so I had time to make any changes. Once the paint and roof are finished all the HC will be laced together with wire to tighten any gaps.
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