My first attempt Making Anything (coop)

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Being an accidental (impulse) chicken owner few years ago, I had to find a coop that is functional, economical and as quick as possible before my wife change her mind to let me keep the chicks. I almost bought one of those premanufactured coop kits that I found online, after all I’ve put together toys for our kids that took forever to assemble (sarcastically) until I saw and touch one in our local store. I asked myself if I want to invest my $500-600 hard earned money on this cute yet flimsy wooden coop? And jeopardize my first venture with chicks and hearing my wife “I told you your a city boy, get rid of those chicken”? But being from the city and not knowing anything about building a coop, predators, and farm life, I started researching and reading about chickens, pre-ranging and coop safety. Thanks to BYC, Chicken Chick, and YouTube learned a lot within a weeks time on what to look for and what to avoid. I hate to admit I was jealous of Martha Stewart’s coops that I bumped into YouTube search, but I don’t have her money to hire someone nor the property for it.

These sleepless nights of mini research led me to conclude: I will design, gather materials as cheap (yeah right) as possible and build my own coop. Now my job requires me to work 50-55 hours a week that requires traveling often, considering of my lack of knowledge about building and construction of anything also I don’t own any tools except a screw driver and a hammer that my wife’s aunt gave us as a wedding gift. So might take a long time to build with my inexperience. To make long story short, I doodled a couple design for coop, copied a few features here in there and end up calling it a cape cod garden shed/coop. In case chicken doesn’t work out I can convert it to a shed or even to our kids play house or the mowers parking spot.

I decided on 10x12 and 10’ high coop with lots of windows and multiple doors. I’ve checked on prefab doors but way over my budget so are the windows. So I ended up watching YouTube over and over on how to make doors, and found 4 windows online for minimal $$. Here’s when I first started the project that’s been evolving almost every season.



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What did I got myself into?

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Learning as I go, never knew there’s so much detail to making doors and windows frame cutout.
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Decided to insulate from cold and or heat

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Now interior walls and vinyl protection for easy cleanup

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Almost forgot the pop door before putting the FRP liners

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*Garden was neglected since am working on the coop and run

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I decided a quick place to park their Eggs, after all I might used them garden pots for tomatoes

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Another quick ideas that came up before I fly to another city for few days.



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Added more roof to the run, the half roof doesn’t cut it.


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And the Expensive Rewards of Hard Labor

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About author
Spartan22
An Accidental Chicken Owner with zero experience with chicken or any livestock.

Kris

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Nice job! Around how much did it end up costing?
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Spartan22
Spartan22
As of today more or less $1,100
AMAZING coop! And especially for your first "attempt", it came out to be a success!
Seems like your wife likes! She’s added some beautiful fern decor! My fav when adding colour to our coop. Good job! Very impressive for a first timer!

Comments

Your attention to detail is highly respectable. I'm curious how long it's been "fully operational coop"? How much time passed till the runs roof was extended/finished?

How ya feeling about your success? How the parents/in-laws respect for your talent? (Winks) keep up the learnin' & tweakin' dude!
 
Omg!!! That’s incredible and I’ll bet the wife’s thoroughly impressed! Gotta love all those beautiful eggs and the sense of accomplishment you must feel!!! Wow!!! I want one hahahahaa🤣
 
Your attention to detail is highly respectable. I'm curious how long it's been "fully operational coop"? How much time passed till the runs roof was extended/finished?

How ya feeling about your success? How the parents/in-laws respect for your talent? (Winks) keep up the learnin' & tweakin' dude!
Thanks, it was fully operational coop without the run within 6 wks since the fluffy butts we’re growing fast and my garage we’re becoming dusty. The run and roof was extended within 2 months after. So far it been almost 6 yrs to date by late June and I had built a second breeding coop 2 yrs ago. I’m ready to update the paint on the exterior by next month if it ever warms up.

In laws were impressed and enjoying free 2 dozen colorful eggs a week except winter time.
 
Your attention to detail is highly respectable. I'm curious how long it's been "fully operational coop"? How much time passed till the runs roof was extended/finished?

How ya feeling about your success? How the parents/in-laws respect for your talent? (Winks) keep up the learnin' & tweakin' dude!
Thanks, it was fully operational coop without the run within 6 wks since the fluffy butts we’re growing fast and my garage we’re becoming dusty. The run and roof was extended within 2 months after. So far it been almost 6 yrs to date by late June and I had built a second breeding coop 2 yrs ago. I’m ready to update the paint on the exterior by next month if it ever warms up.

In laws were impressed and enjoying free 2 dozen colorful eggs a week except winter time.
 
Thanks, it was fully operational coop without the run within 6 wks since the fluffy butts we’re growing fast and my garage we’re becoming dusty. The run and roof was extended within 2 months after. So far it been almost 6 yrs to date by late June and I had built a second breeding coop 2 yrs ago. I’m ready to update the paint on the exterior by next month if it ever warms up.

In laws were impressed and enjoying free 2 dozen colorful eggs a week except winter time.
Seriously awesomeness.
 
Curious if you can share some of the YouTube videos and websites that particularly helped you to build this. I'm also looking into building from scratch with little to no knowledge.
 
Curious if you can share some of the YouTube videos and websites that particularly helped you to build this. I'm also looking into building from scratch with little to no knowledge.

Huh, it’s been 6 yrs, those weeks of sleepless nights watching YouTube. They were all in my old lap top (3 laptops ago). I googled how to make cape cod style shed; how to make a-frame roofing; framing windows and framing doors; how to do shingle roofing. I watched them over and over taken notes of tools and materials needed. If I make mistakes I wing it by drawing on a note book how to shorten or lengthen certain pieces. Remember I didn’t have a lot of money for redo and time were scarce working,traveling, raising 3 kids and a wife that might tell me to chuck it lol. I borrowed tools and ladders to save cash.
 

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Spartan22
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