The Coop & Run
We are chicken newbies here at Dixie Creek Farm, so you won't find any fancy ideas from us! In fact, most of these ideas are variations of things I've seen throughout the chicken forum and decided we just *might* be able to do ourselves. In May of 2011, we converted an old, two-story shed into a chicken coop and built a large pen onto the side. And we did it all on a budget. A very small one. We built nesting boxes out of an old shoe rack I wasn't using anymore. And built the roost out of pieces of the rack, plus some wood leftover from a leaning pergola we took down when we moved into our house. The paint we used on the boxes and the roost was leftover from the previous owners.
We cut a hole in the side of the building and built a ramp outside for the chickens. The door opens on a pulley system outside of the pen, so that we can open and shut the coop without entering the coop or the run.
The run has actually been built twice. The first time we built it, we did not have a "roof" on top. After having the chickens for awhile, we knew we'd feel more comfortable putting chicken wire all along the top in addition to the sides. Now the girls have a safe place to go when they aren't out free ranging!
To read more about our chicken journey so far, check out our family blog here: http://www.blueskiesatdixiecreek.com.