Describe 'Ruedgers Roost' here We also decided to be frugal about our beginning coop. My husband began collecting red oak pallets from the different job sites he was working at and would bring them home and pull them apart keeping all the good boards. Our coop cost us about 150.00 after all was said and done, we used all recycled wood except the plywood floor and back. I put stick on linolium squares for quick clean up. The coop is about 36 inches off the ground and has 2 doors in the front that allow you to sweep all the wood chips into a rubbermaid and put right into the garden. We have 6 pullets we bought from TSC. they are now around 12 weeks. Our coop is five feet long by four feet deep. we added the nesting boxes on the outside for ease of egg collecting. the area we fenced in for the pulletts is about 500 square feet. They love foraging in the weeds and tall grass for bugs and treats I throw out for them to keep them busy. When we finished we added a planked walkway for them to enter and leave their coop more easily. Every morning they cant wait to get out into their yard. The coop being so far off the ground deters mice and rodents and other predators from entering the coop. We have two vent windows that we can open on the east and west side for ventilation and a window in the front all which are covered with hardware cloth to keep our hens safe. Every night they go to roost at 9 oclock which makes it easy to shut their door and keep them safe and absolutley free from danger. I have the fever for more hens now and have discussed making another bigger coop with exactly the same things as the first just larger like 5 feet deep by ten feet long. We are enjoying the antics of these lil darlings. I am pretty sure that one of my pulletts could be a rooster. we live in the country and if I could have a rooster raised with all the hens, they should start giving me mutts in about 6to 8 weeks. I say mutts because I have buff comets and red stars and two barred rocks . the rooster I believe is a red comet so who knows what kinda chicks they would be. I dont really care if they are mutts as long as they are good egg layers and meat birds. If we get a broody hen we will let her hatch a brood and stew the roosters but keep the hens. To any one saying its to hard I say try it you might suprise yourself with your outcome. we did!
