Upgraded!

Hello friends! I hope I'm adding this correctly to my page... Still learning how to navigate this space!


Since I posted about our upgraded run I thought I would also include photos from our recently upgraded coop. We currently have 3 adult chickens and are expecting 5 chicks. I had it built bigger than what we need because of chicken math!

Let me start by saying, we didn't need to upgrade, but I've been daydreaming about getting a cute coop someday. I was inspired by photos on Pinterest and my love for tiny houses. So, I decided to just go for it and went all out!

Before photos:






We hired Riverside Structure in Erie, PA to build our new coop. They work with the local Amish community. They were fantastic to work with. I was able to customize everything from the nest box height, roost bar height, roof color, floor layout, roof ridge ventilation, window location, etc. They also delivered it and moved it into place. Prior to delivery, we had to prepare the space. Our neighbor came with his big tractor and moved it for us. We were able to use our tractor to level the area and remove dirt. Then we put down limestone and pea gravel. This will allow the treated skids to sit on something and hopefully prevent rotting.





Exterior Specs:

• I would recommended an airless sprayer for this job. I tried using an HVLP gun ($80 for this machine) and it was extremely heavy, I could barely hold it to paint. It works better for small jobs. I went out and bought the Graco Magnum X5 airless machine and WOW! I was impressed! I was able to paint everything in a day. No pouring paint into a container and spilling. It goes right into your paint can & you just....paint. It was worth every penny and I'll be able to use it to paint our basement and other large jobs. It runs about $380. (Graco Magnum X5 here)
• White exterior paint is Sherwin Williams Dover White
• Green exterior accent color is Eco's Paint in bowling green (see below for more info on Eco's paint)
• Roof pitch is 8/12 which is the highest they can deliver on a trailer
• Nest box access is on the exterior (no specific reason here. I just like to access it from the outside)
• They included a prebuilt ramp. I used Cabot exterior stain tinted to Chestnut Brown for extra weather proofing. Found here
• I still need to drill holes in the flower boxes for drainage and to prevent rotting.
• Metal roof in Tan and I requested to add ridge ventilation
• Dutch door

Interior Specs:

• The new coop is 8x12.
• The feed room measures 5x8 and is wired off with 1/2in hardware cloth from chicken area. This space will be used for storage, a sick pen and to integrate baby chicks. I didn't paint the hardware cloth but I do think I could have. A few spots accidently got painted and it made the wire invisible. Maybe another day!
• The chicken living area is 7x8
• Nest boxes are 18in from the ground, with 4 in total
• Roost bars are 2x4, flat side up sitting at around 20in from the floor.
• We have an automatic Omlet door. It's been great for the last 3 years, so we just moved that over. It opens and closes with the sun which makes mornings and bed time a breeze! A note on this automatic door is that the light sensor unit isn't quite as long as I would hope, so just be mindful of your space. It's probably 2 feet long and barely reaches. (would love for Omlett to make an extension or a longer cord option)
• 3 windows, 2 vents (and I plan to add more ventilation myself)

Interior Details:

• I had to sand everything because it was all raw milled wood. I used a sander for this (I can't remember what grit I used, sorry!) I did all the areas they would be accessing (roost bars, nest box, etc)
  
  
• I painted the entire interior with Eco's primer and paint in color Sweet Spring.
  • The first step was to tape off all the windows and the hardware cloth. I used painters tape and newspaper for this. Then I used the airless sprayer to paint everything.
  • I found Ecos brand while doing research for non-toxic paint. They make a pet dwelling friendly, non-toxic, no VOC paint. It runs on the expensive side at $100 a gallon. You can order samples for a small fee or paint cards which are free. I couldn't find a store that carries it, so I ordered it online. It ships super quick. Check them out here: Ecos paint. The interior took 2 gallons of primer and 2 gallons of paint.
• The flooring (runs through the entire coop) is vinyl sheet I found at Ollies. It cost around $60 total. I would have liked for it to be one sheet but this was 2. It was pretty easy to install. Just stapled it down along the edges. I also added trim so that the bedding isn't as prone to get under the floor and caulked it. Once the girls were moved in, I realized that even with 3 bags of bedding, they were slipping on the floor. I went to Rural King and purchased a - cut your own- rubber matt (8x4) to put down. It cost $12 (although, I think they charged me the wrong price but I wasn't about to argue.) I tossed some large pine shavings from Rural king on top.
  
  
• Behind the roost bar I stapled white polycarbonate paneling to keep droppings off the wall, purchased from Lowes. I thought this might make the deep cleans easier. Polycarbonate Panels here
  
  
• I added some extra house installation (the pink kind that comes in rolls) I had on hand behind the polycarbonate panels. Not necessary, but I did.
• For the nest box, I installed the curtains from my old coop, using a cheap rod and curtains from Amazon. I just used screws and they're resting on the screws.
• I added 1/2 inch hardware cloth to the outside of the window above the nest box to prevent predators from getting in. I just stapled it down.
  
  
• I got most of my decor from Michael's craft store when they were having their spring sale! I attached the greenery with zipties and small nails for the picture frames.
• I still need to add lighting- so that's next on my to do list.
  
  
  

Picture of our coop and run:






If you made it this far, thanks for reading!