Let me start by saying that DH doesn't ever do things by half....and unfortunately I didn't take many pictures during construction, tho I have plenty of the finished product....
This is our first coop, and our first flock of Ameracaunas and Buff Orpingtons.
Our lanai is 36 x 16, covered in clear plexiglas. He started the coop by extending the roof by 12 feet: so a clear covered roof of 12 x 16.
He then dug and cemented in an additional 6 posts. An 18" ditch was dug, into which construction cloth (thick wire with 1/2" openings) was inserted, and then nailed to the posts and alternating 2 x 4's all the way to the top. (we have mongoose and hawks here.....not to mention our two VERY interested dogs.....). He put an HD steel screen door at the front of the coop for access to the run
He cemented 2 more posts as part of the floor base, then in the lanai/coop corner started building the coop. The floor is two feet off the ground and is 6' x 8' by 7-9' high. Bead board 4 x 8 sheeting was used for the walls, nailed to 2 x 4 studs, The floor was covered with a Home Depot linoleum remnant. Windows were cut in 3 sides, then covered with screen and construction cloth for safety, The wood which was cut out reattached by hinges and closed by hook/eye sets. The ceiling is covered in shade cloth stapled to the the 2 x 4 roof studs to keep the coop from getting too warm in the Hawaiian sun.
On the lanai side, he placed access to the next boxes, so we don't have to get our tootsies wet to collect eggs. Two hinged lids open to reveal 4 nest boxes.
Next to the nest boxes, he cut a 3" x 18" slit, covered it with plexiglas (so we can monitor the feed amount), then built a feed box around it. There is a slanted board inside the feedbox to keep the feed flowing, and the box itself is 20" wide, 32" tall and angled from top to bottom to keep the feed flowing. A sloped roof inside is covered with corrugated roofing to try to keep the chicks from standing on top and pooping! Access is from the lanai via a chute he constructed.
The pullets exit/enter thru this door, which is on a self-closing hinge attached to this wire, which we can access from the lanai.
There are several roosts inside and out.
The water system is very elegant! I have a video here:
A hose runs under our lanai from the exterior faucet, enters the bottom of the coop, taps into a 50 gallon cistern from HD. He put a toilet float inside so it is self-filling. A pvc pipe at the front of the cistern has 5 watering nipples. Another pipe then runs out the bottom of the floor, to another pvc pipe outside which has another 4 nipples.
And a bunch of extra pics:
This is our first coop, and our first flock of Ameracaunas and Buff Orpingtons.
Our lanai is 36 x 16, covered in clear plexiglas. He started the coop by extending the roof by 12 feet: so a clear covered roof of 12 x 16.
He then dug and cemented in an additional 6 posts. An 18" ditch was dug, into which construction cloth (thick wire with 1/2" openings) was inserted, and then nailed to the posts and alternating 2 x 4's all the way to the top. (we have mongoose and hawks here.....not to mention our two VERY interested dogs.....). He put an HD steel screen door at the front of the coop for access to the run
He cemented 2 more posts as part of the floor base, then in the lanai/coop corner started building the coop. The floor is two feet off the ground and is 6' x 8' by 7-9' high. Bead board 4 x 8 sheeting was used for the walls, nailed to 2 x 4 studs, The floor was covered with a Home Depot linoleum remnant. Windows were cut in 3 sides, then covered with screen and construction cloth for safety, The wood which was cut out reattached by hinges and closed by hook/eye sets. The ceiling is covered in shade cloth stapled to the the 2 x 4 roof studs to keep the coop from getting too warm in the Hawaiian sun.
On the lanai side, he placed access to the next boxes, so we don't have to get our tootsies wet to collect eggs. Two hinged lids open to reveal 4 nest boxes.
Next to the nest boxes, he cut a 3" x 18" slit, covered it with plexiglas (so we can monitor the feed amount), then built a feed box around it. There is a slanted board inside the feedbox to keep the feed flowing, and the box itself is 20" wide, 32" tall and angled from top to bottom to keep the feed flowing. A sloped roof inside is covered with corrugated roofing to try to keep the chicks from standing on top and pooping! Access is from the lanai via a chute he constructed.
The pullets exit/enter thru this door, which is on a self-closing hinge attached to this wire, which we can access from the lanai.
There are several roosts inside and out.
The water system is very elegant! I have a video here:
A hose runs under our lanai from the exterior faucet, enters the bottom of the coop, taps into a 50 gallon cistern from HD. He put a toilet float inside so it is self-filling. A pvc pipe at the front of the cistern has 5 watering nipples. Another pipe then runs out the bottom of the floor, to another pvc pipe outside which has another 4 nipples.
And a bunch of extra pics:
