Well I've kind of done this the wrong way around but after seeing some of the great builds on here I want to share too. I built my coop a few months ago and have had chickens in it for three weeks now. They have settled in well but I didn't take any work in progress pictures. I found Sketchup the other day so I decided to model up what I had built (with the odd improvement) so I could share my build. Here's what I did:
I started with a paddock
that slopped down hill from left to right.
I concreted in 4 100mmx100mm posts
Framed out the floor,
And then added plywood to the top.
Then I built a basic frame out of 50mm x 50mm pine. The size of the coop is 1.2m x 1.2m as I found some cheap bollards that are normally used for stairs.They came in 1.2 lengths and that made for less cutting, wastage and easier transporting.
Once that basic form was up I added some bracing (although the 9mm ply exterior would have probably sufficed) and additional supports for the doors and nest box.
Then I attached the ply.
Cut out the doors. A big one for me and a small one for the chooks.
Finally for a basic structure I added on the nest box with 3 sections, and a ramp for chook access.
This is the opposite view showing the door.
I just like the way this one rendered
Then after seeing some of the fantastic finishes on BYC I added some trim, metal roofing tiles to match my house and painted it inside and out.
And this is what it looks like:
You can only see 4 of my 6 pullets in this photo. I have 1 each of; Barnvelder, Coronation Sussex, Silver Laced Wyndotte, Plymouth Barred Rock, Australorp and a Dorking. Please excuse my shabby looking run. This is temporary while they got used to their surroundings and now they free range during the day. They get locked in at night.
If anyone has a desire for the full plans I have uploaded them to the Sketchup 3D Warehouse. There are two models called Chicken Coop - Basic Plan and Chicken Coop Detailed Plan. For the rendering I used Maxwell Fire.
Update: February 2013
My girls are all grown up and just about to start laying. Time for a run so they all learn to lay in the right place. We have no serious predators (except pet dogs) so they will get let out around lunch time to forage. I don't intend to trim their wings as I want to give them a head start if a dog does show up. A full y enclosed run is definitly a must.
First things first, back to sketch-up to design the run. Due to the slope this was a little tricky but after a couple attempts I settled on something I was happy with. It looked like this:
Then I built this. There is a layer of bricks under the outside to about 300mm. The whole thing looks pretty basic but took more time then I expected due to contending with the slope of the hill.
One week after construction I have 4 of my girls laying. My 6 year old loves going down after school to collect the eggs.
I started with a paddock
that slopped down hill from left to right.
I concreted in 4 100mmx100mm posts
Framed out the floor,
And then added plywood to the top.
Then I built a basic frame out of 50mm x 50mm pine. The size of the coop is 1.2m x 1.2m as I found some cheap bollards that are normally used for stairs.They came in 1.2 lengths and that made for less cutting, wastage and easier transporting.
Once that basic form was up I added some bracing (although the 9mm ply exterior would have probably sufficed) and additional supports for the doors and nest box.
Then I attached the ply.
Cut out the doors. A big one for me and a small one for the chooks.
Finally for a basic structure I added on the nest box with 3 sections, and a ramp for chook access.
This is the opposite view showing the door.
I just like the way this one rendered
Then after seeing some of the fantastic finishes on BYC I added some trim, metal roofing tiles to match my house and painted it inside and out.
And this is what it looks like:
You can only see 4 of my 6 pullets in this photo. I have 1 each of; Barnvelder, Coronation Sussex, Silver Laced Wyndotte, Plymouth Barred Rock, Australorp and a Dorking. Please excuse my shabby looking run. This is temporary while they got used to their surroundings and now they free range during the day. They get locked in at night.
If anyone has a desire for the full plans I have uploaded them to the Sketchup 3D Warehouse. There are two models called Chicken Coop - Basic Plan and Chicken Coop Detailed Plan. For the rendering I used Maxwell Fire.
Update: February 2013
My girls are all grown up and just about to start laying. Time for a run so they all learn to lay in the right place. We have no serious predators (except pet dogs) so they will get let out around lunch time to forage. I don't intend to trim their wings as I want to give them a head start if a dog does show up. A full y enclosed run is definitly a must.
First things first, back to sketch-up to design the run. Due to the slope this was a little tricky but after a couple attempts I settled on something I was happy with. It looked like this:
Then I built this. There is a layer of bricks under the outside to about 300mm. The whole thing looks pretty basic but took more time then I expected due to contending with the slope of the hill.
One week after construction I have 4 of my girls laying. My 6 year old loves going down after school to collect the eggs.
