9 feet deep by 11 feet wide
4 - 4X4 Posts
4 - 2X6 around the top of the Posts
10 - 2X4 as the roof structure & metal hangers
5 - Corrugated metal roofing panels (12" long)
2 - 2X4 for vertical support at the door & midway on the back side
2 - 4' tall 50' long rolls of chicken wire
1 - Screen Door
1 - 2X4 Roost
2 - Shipping pallets
3 or 4 bags of quickcrete (for the posts)
Coming up with a name for every coop is always hard, we just need some sort of shorthand around the house so everyone knows which coop we are referring to. In this case, this coop is made of almost entirely 4 posts and not much else, so the name 4 Post Coop just stuck.
Our first photo shows the 4 post coop (left) with the roof already on. I don't have any photos of construction because it went so quickly. We had this up and finished in 2 days.. 1 day to set the posts and the 2nd day to finish everything else! The perch is sort of rigged up and resting on the pallets on one end and attached to the vertical 2X4 on the back side. There is a skirt of chicken wire laying on the ground and covered up with dirt & rocks to prevent any accidental escapes.
At the time everyone living in this coop was very young, and still several months from laying. Once we started getting to laying age nest boxes were added, and because winter is coming, we added a privacy fence panel to the left side, which is where the prevailing winds come from. The fence panel was also added to help take the brunt of the wind on what will be a wall covered in plastic sheeting. Winter here is quite mild, rarely getting below freezing, so wrapping the coop(s) in plastic for a couple months of the year is the best solution we've found. We could make more sturdy coops with walls, but for the rest of the year, it would be too hot and stuffy. We're big fans of open coops and love what they offer.
This coop is 99 square feet and graduates from 7' to approximately 8' tall in the back. There is a lot of vertical room to grow if needed. It's just thrown together really, with very little planning. Originally I thought I would change the perches and maybe do a little of this and that, but it's been in use for a few months now and I couldn't be happier.
Always note the dogs in my photos, they are our predator protection system, which is why we can build such windproof but not predator proof coops. Our entire yard is fenced in allowing the dogs full access to the perimeter & yards surrounding the coops. We have 2 full time outside dogs, and 2 inside/outside dogs and we usually have a foster dog or two as well. The birds and the dogs here live harmoniously partly due to training and partly due to luck, and so we are very fortunate to have that balance.
Always note the dogs in my photos, they are our predator protection system, which is why we can build such windproof but not predator proof coops. Our entire yard is fenced in allowing the dogs full access to the perimeter & yards surrounding the coops. We have 2 full time outside dogs, and 2 inside/outside dogs and we usually have a foster dog or two as well. The birds and the dogs here live harmoniously partly due to training and partly due to luck, and so we are very fortunate to have that balance.
