THE CIDER SHACK
An Appalachia / Cider Shack inspired dwelling for 17 chickens, 5 ducks, and occasionally our daughter.
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Build Time (to move in the girls): Approx 5 weeks working a few hours on average every other day.
Build Time (to "finished"): WIP Probably 8 weeks total
Build Materials: a blend of reclaimed wood, accessories, etc with store-purchased needs (standard lumber, roofing, screws, nails, etc) (full list at the end of this post)
Indoor Space: 10'x12'
- Built on uneven grade, thus the deck/floor height is either 12" or 24" off the ground level.
- Simple Sloped Metal Roof
- Front is 8' high from floor
- Back is 7' high from floor
- Large overhangs protect the indoor Coop
- Repurposed old windows (3) for viewing and airflow
- Repurposed old doors (2) for access into Indoor Space
- 8 Hatching boxes for hens with outdoor access to eggs
- 2 Lofted Roosting ledges to hold all the hens with poop tray catchers for easy cleanup
- Sand used as layering/flooring inside (for dust baths, grit, and easy cleaning of poop with scooper)
- 3 hatching bins for ducks
- 1 Automatic/electric coop door (set on timer for close at dusk, open at dawn)
- Electric run to provide power for coop door, indoor lights, and exterior lights. Will be used to provide power for auto pumps/water for duck pond.
- Floor coated with 2 coats of epoxy primer/paint to preserve the wood and prevent any water/poop infiltration of the wood floor.
- Oversized commercial intake/exhaust fan on thermostat plug to help with super hot days.
- 2 passive high vents for more airflow and to keep drafts away from the girls.
- Siding is reclaimed/repurposed pallets and old fencing
Outdoor Run (Total enclosed space 520 sq ft)
- Entire outdoor run covered with hardware cloth buried 6" down and flared out/away from run minimum of 18"
- Entire outdoor run (outside of fence) with 6" of woodchips providing a 4-8' surround.
- Height of enclose area ranges from 8' to 6' depending on the grade of terrain and location inside the run
- Covered/rain protected Outdoor enclosed space behind the indoor area - 120sqft
- Open sky outdoor enclosed space 400sqft
- Sand floor under the covered area
- 2 roosting perches for hen
- 1 "cookie command" viewing perch in center
- 1 "in ground" duck pond with gravity/farmer drain and sand surround/flagstone walk
- Solar night/floodlights with motion sensors on corner posts for aesthetics and some fun critter deterrents.
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So before I begin, I wanted to say this largely started as a progression of our homesteading vision and turning some property into gardens/farming/farmland. Also because my daughter loves all things animals, and I swear there will be a deer living inside soon. Also because my DW wanted ducks. Also because my capricornian nature went with “well, 16 chickens are cheaper to purchase than 10.” Lol. Live and learn right?
Also, wanted to say the build (to get the chickens inside and secured)took about 5-6 weeks in off-hours and weekends, and am now finishing up the last little bits (tracking down pallets/wood for the siding has taken a bit of time, that and I had to figure out what to do with nearly 6 truckloads of woodchips quickly).
ALSO as a disclaimer - I consulted experts/folks who have done full fabrication/building before really jumping in….as I myself had only a smidge of actual building/fabrication experience. This was more of a grand adventure/exploration into design/building/play with the ever so important task of actually getting the damn thing built in time.
Also note - do not raise baby chicks inside your house.
Also note - do not raise baby chicks AND baby ducks inside your house.
Also note - if you for some godforsaken reason decide to ignore the above, most CERTAINLY do not tell yourself that because there is an unused open hardwooded floored room on the second floor of your dwelling that it’s a great idea to put both baby ducks and chickens in pens/large caged areas in that room. Good lord the underestimation of:
- Cleaning
- Dust
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Yes. The above happened. By week 4 when that room was a proverbial dust storm, and my somewhat OCD of cleaning was about to go bonkers, and my DW had some sort of allergic reaction…. It was all hands on deck to get the girls out of the house. Step one was a one week vacation to our enclosed back porch (why we didn’t put them out there in the first place, I’ll never know. Maybe our daughter convinced us she wanted to sleep close to the chicks at night. Next time it’ll be a sleeping bag on the back porch “there you go.”
In that transition week, I did probably bust out 6hr days working on the coop to get it finished to move them in.
After this intro, I did want to say that looking back, it’s another example of building memories….and for that I’m thankful. I mean, it’s almost silly stupid just what we did, or undertook, and… it all worked out. I knew it was going to be all ok especially since my daughter is a straight-up animal whisperer, and my DW I swear was probably some Forrest elf queen that anytime she walked through a forest all the animals would just follow her and trust here….so going into this, the amount of love, care, and oversight over our chicks/ducks was gonna be spectacular. And it is.
I will just NOT raise 16 chickens and 5 ducks INSIDE the house ever again.
Ok, let's get to the build.
So, if you’re like me, I spent hours, and hours, and hours, trying to read, envision, and plan out the plan for my plan to build our coop and run. Don’t quite recall when I stumbled across MBC, but I did, and as a visual person, was (And still am) thankful for the pictures, feedback, and help folks were offering to the community.
I knew I wanted a large coop with a large run, as I knew that my daughter would be all but living inside the place spending tons of time with her imagination and care just being. I also knew that the place was gonna turn into a mini-education and experience center for all her friends. So...that kinda put me into the category of “chicken mansion” of coops. Dream big or go home kind of build.
*gulp*
After honestly trying to find blueprints for builds, and not really seeing anything that “felt” right, I found fireguy56s build.
Thank the good lord.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/fireguy56s-chicken-coop.48317/
With his photos (and size of the coop/run), this was basically exactly what I needed to help me have a pseudo blueprint to attempt to build my coop. I knew I would be making changes, but at least there was enough of a 'base' to get me started on building something.
So I studied those photos, mapped out the location on our property where I would build, studied some more, made lists and lists of materials I’d need to assemble, and then…
Got started.
Ordered I’d say 75% of the stuff from home depot. I’ll say 75% because I thought I was ordering 100% of what I needed ( I like efficiency. I thought I got everything I needed in one shot. Lol. cmon, I’m not THAT good….foolish me.) Also, mind you, this was legit in the height of lockdowns/etc, so, I HAD to order supplies, and, of course, that got delayed, and screwed up orders. All good. I had enough to get started.
That's the biggest thing I can say. Just start. You never, ever, know what you're going to come up against. You never know what twists/turns it's gonna take. Be patient, maybe utter a few curse words, laugh, and then revel in actually "doing" something. At least this was my experience. And to be frank, there were things that magically "just worked out." Literally, from building around trees, roots, etc, working with the land (vs against it) actually made this thing both more challenging and more unique.
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DECK/FLOOR BUILDING
Materials: 2x6s (12', 10'), 4x4s,concrete, nails
So, if you haven't build a deck/frame/base before, get used to your rule of 3/4/5, make sure your corners are square, and level, level, level. I used a method to mark out my corners first, dug holes, built the base-frame, moved it to it's final spot, then I put the posts in/set into concrete, braced under the frame as I screwed in, and let it set for 24 hours.
As you can see, I chose a spot under dogwoods and pine trees. Partly because I wanted the natural shade. Partly because it felt right to nestle this in that little pocket.
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Deck & Framing Start
Lots of strand board, 2x4s and more.
The beauty of 10x12 deck - easy 4x8 layout for floor, walls, and more. Your 4x8 should perfectly line up along your floor joists (16" on center). Put some horizontal spans between your joists for extra stability/ for your subfloor/floor
Throw down your floor, screw in, and bob's your uncle. Now you got your platform.
Constructing Walls/Framing
Materials: A crap ton of 2x4's, nails, screws, etc.
This is the front wall of the indoor section. I framed it on the deck/base. Measure so the final height of the frame is 8' from the floor. Framed for door and two windows. Get upright, then make sure it's plumb, square,and set braces to support while getting the other walls built.
Interlude - Starting the outdoor run
Materials: 4x4s and concrete
Raising the walls is hard by yourself. Without someone else, I decided to use my time and jump to start to set posts for the outdoor run section that would butt up to the indoor section. I set the posts 24" deep. Depending on the grade, used 8' 4x4's or 10' 4x4s.
Second Wall
Framed the back wall. This one measured 7' tall from the floor. Framed for a back door, and another window. Again, make sure it's square, plumb, and then brace.
Moving To Fast
Gotta keep moving. Forgot to take photos, so you won't see the two other wall frames. These also were 7' high. One side only has/will have the chicken door. The other (by the dogwood) will have the hatching boxes/roosting boxes. You'll see these in pictures below.
Got all 4 walls up, joined together, and started laying the sheeting over the frame. Also got the 16' long roof joists up and tied town with hurricane ties. This will provide 3' overhang on the from and back.
Here's the one wall that will house the good lol egg delivery boxes LOL. Notice we already got the roof up. A note about that. Put down our sheathing, covered with felt, and then put the metal roof ontop. WOO! Also added a 18" overhang on the sides to provide some balance to the roofline and provide some additional coverage/shelter when going to get the eggs, as well as cover the chicken door on the other side
Here's the back of the indoor section.
Chicks are getting big! Gotta get this thing built ASAP.
Side note. My daughter locked herself in the cage...that was NOT me.
INDOOR
Building the boxes - Crude I know. LOL. but, they'll work ( I hope). Just kinda winged this (no pun intended). Some plywood, 2x4s, and nothing some sanding and paint can't fix. Little ledges so the girls can hop up onto, and I'll fabricate a ladder as well for the top boxes sometime.
Jumping back outside, got most of it wrapped. Also worked on the hinged doors for the boxes.
Got the door hung as well as windows, and started to get some trim up. Had some help painting the outdoor run posts as well! Tubes of endless hardware cloth right there as well!
Realized...if I finish the outdoor run, there would be NO WAY for me to finish the siding. Crap. Have to pivot, find pallets, rip them, and get that siding up ASAP before I can put up the hardware cloth. You can see below, got about 1/2way done the siding, and have to finish the soffet/roof overhang on that side as well.
Closer detail. Did I follow a design? Nope. Lol. I legit just went with my gut, making sure though that I put the first run down and overlapped so that the water / rain would actually flow DOWN the wall. Also, chicken door framed.
BACK OF THE COOP
Got that siding done. Got the hardware cloth mostly up, and started to build the covered outdoor area behind the coop. That's just simple 1x6x8 planks in a DYI fence (wanting to provide some privacy for the girls in that covered area...as that is close to another outdoor run (for dogs, and future goats/etc).
The obligatory hammock was already up. Perfect for relaxing and watching the girls do their thing.
NOTICE that back door. I ripped it down so it's basically a hobbit door now. The Space above it was fitted with a salvaged commercial exhaust fan. I still have to build a winter cover for that (and/or engineer some automatic leuvers).
Another view of the side and back run area. Notice the passive vent on the indoor area, and that big ol rock that I built the fence around. Nothing like working with nature.
Another view of the outdoor run. Built the doors...use some simple latch/locks (and eyehooks for the inside so when you go into the run, you can lock it from the inside as well). And I just realized my daughter has the girls in the kiddie pool. lol.
Auto Chicken Door installed! Chicken stoop installed.
One of our girls - Elsa! No...we don't have carpet in the coop. LOL.
THE INSIDE
Sorry I didn't get more pics. This is when I head down trying to finish this ASAP to move the girls out. Ran wiring. Wired up boxes, junctions, and switches. Insulated all the walls and then covered with thin backerboard. Good ol duct tape for seams cause why not. Painted the nesting boxes,and got 2 layers of epoxy paint down. OH, I also put another layer of particle board on the floors (so 2 boards thick) to give some extra strength as I had decided to use sand as the floor covering (instead of pine shavings or hay). You can see that big a** commercial fan there. It provides passive ventilation when I don'thave a cover on the back side, and I'll plug that sucker into a thermostat plug so it'll kick on above a certain temp inside the coop. Just hope it doesn't suck one of my girls out.
Got two levels of roosting bars up. Below each one is a platform that holds cafeteria trays to catch their poop at night. Makes EASY cleaning for sure. Simple ladder up, and the duck boxes (holes yet to be cut and framed over with wood) below.
The recessed lighting WORKS. Except for that one.... lol. figured it out later. But, I think I could land a 747 with how bright they are. Makes cleaning easy. And I get a suntan.
You can see the roosting bars and trays better in this pic. The bars are about 10" off the wall, and the trays below extend out about 5" on either side to catch poop regardless of how the girls are facing.
The bars are just a 2x4 with the flat/wide side up. Oh, I created a lip for the trays using old oak flooring strips from our house. oooo, fancy. Actually, it's what I had available and perfect size.
Outlets are spread around the coop so I can plug in brooder lights or heat lamps if needed. Or charge an iPhone. Or plug in a mini-fridge in case I get in trouble with the DW and have to camp out with my girls. just kidding.
Outdoor covered area covered. Chicken wire up. Outdoor run FINISHED!
Yup. My daughter used the door first.
Sand down in the outdoor covered space. Little roosting bars up outside.
Duck pond installed with retaining wall and flagstone surround (lol). Used a ball-valve and simple gravity drain so I can fill/change the water easily. Will eventually run water out to here, install a float, and have it setup automatically. Till then, a good old screen (lol) as my pre-filter to keep out all the wood chips from the drain.
Eventually added sand around the pool to keep the wood chips out of the pool.
Ducks love it.
The chicks dig the sand. And old ikea furniture lol.
Thanks for reading and watching this build. CHEERS!
Outdoor finishes.
Added the outdoor lights, got the woodchips down and surrounding the entire build (Will eventually build a deck on the front). Planted (moved from other places on the property that we turned into gardens) some shrubs. Setup our lawn chairs. Added a playhouse to the outdoor run (thanks daughter).
still to do:
- Finish the siding
- Run the full electric and water out.
- Build front deck and bar area
- Setup auto-water feeders for the girls
- Setup auto-water float for duck pond
- Explore a fishpond that receives the offflow-water from duck pond?
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BUILD LIST
(NOT EXHAUSTIVE BUT CLOSE)
Common 19/32 4x8' Board - 8
50lb Fast setting Concrete Mix - 15
2x6x10 ground contact lumber -7
Homewrap installation tape - 2
2x4x16 ground contact - 12
216 sq felt roof protection - 1
Hardboard Tempered Panel (1/8" 4x8) - 10
1gang electrical outlet box - 3
#9 3 1/4" 16-penny sinkers (5lb) - 2
1 Gang wall plate - 1
T&G oriented strand board (23/32" 4x8) - 8
1x3x8 common board - 8
1x2x8 common board - 7
3ftx100ft housewrap - 2
2x4x8 stud - 100
Zmax hurricane Tie - 15
3" construction screw (10lb box)- 2
2" construction screw (10lb box) - 2
4x4x10 pressure treated lumber - 4
2x6x12 pressure treated lumber - 6
4x4x8 pressure treated lumber - 20
250ft 14/2 romex - 1
15amp single pole lightswitch - 1
R13 insulation rolls - 9
Corregated Metal Roofing - 9 panels
Hardware Cloth (150ft rolls) - 3
Chicken wire mesh (50 ft rolls) - 2
Sand
Woodchips
Kiddie Pool
Brown Paint
Reclaimed Windors
Reclaimed Doors
Pallets, pallets, pallets
hinges
Locks/latches
Staples.
