Outside the Coop
The coop is 2 ft. off the ground. This allows for easy access for cleaning as well as preserves more ground space for the chickens to roam. We tried to add lots of elements for entertainment and exercise in the run and we are all about recycle and reuse as we did with the metal roof and siding. Here is a stump we got from a neighbor who had a tree taken down for our chickens roost on.
You can see that we planted grass to give the girls at least a start with some green. There is additional fenced space outside the run that we will allow the chickens in, only when we are outside in the yard as well. They have a swing made from an old screen door that came from a historical house and the chain is some extra we had from our indoor pot rack.
There are two roosts here, one from tree branches, the other, another piece from that old screen door.
This roost was an old post we hung plants on. The bottom was rotten so we cut the bad part off, recycled-reused and we think the chickens will love it.
You can’t have a run without a dust bath. We used the old planks from our old chicken pen. The bath sign was an old decorative planter I painted and we added the wood slice to the top for an additional roosting spot. We use dirt, sand, peat moss and diatomaceous earth in our dust bath.
We added a wood slice to the top of this planter so it can be used as a roost.
Here is the 5 gallon waterer we chose and our DIY feeder. We raised them both off the ground for easy access for the chickens and to help keep them clean.
We were given several wood slices so we couldn’t resist. We had to make a wood slice staircase. I do have to say, the wood slices were not properly dried and several have split so we have braced them from the underside to hold them together. It is now very sturdy but I am in the process of drying new slices for when we need replacements. I’m in love with the staircase.
If I were a chicken, I would want corn shutters. So my husband cut them out and I painted them.
We added a solar light by the run door, from tractor supply. The door knocker was on the house my husband grew up in and of course you have to have a welcome sign.
I have to say, we are not carpenters and we are in our sixties. We looked online, like you are now. We gathered ideas from great people who shared and we came up with a few of our own. If we can do it, so can you! God Bless!
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