GeekAthair
Chirping
2 months later, our chicken coop is done! Man, what a process. Early in the quarantine, we started to talk about getting chickens to fill our summer a bit, knowing we weren't going to be running around with friends and family. After lots of research and budgeting, we targeted a coop style by a company called Carolina Coops. Though they make an I credible coop there was no way we were going to be able to afford one ($3800 + 900 shipping) with the upgrades we wanted. Having enough woodworking experience to feel comfortable stepping up to the project I decided I'd need to really sketch it out if we were going to do this.
Normally, I'd hit my notebook and begin sketching it but really wanted to use this as an opportunity to learn how to use SketchUp. After a few weeks of taking measurements from YouTube videos and scraping CC's website, I was able to get the bulk of the design-build, with adjustments made to fit our specific space and design taste. It was a long process but I'm really happy to add a new skill to my belt.
2 months, $1100, and a handful of new gray hairs later we have some very spoiled chickens living out a life of luxury in their new home. All open spaces are protected with black, pvc coated, galvanized hardware cloth to keep predators out. Under the run floor we have additional hardware cloth to keep anything from digging under and harassing/killing our he a during the day and the henhouse is pretty impenetrable for the types of predators we have in the area.
Were excited to have the possibility of getting some eggs this fall but are not expecting any until the spring, depending on how warm/light things stay through our Pacific Northwest fall/winter. Once the hens start laying we'll remove the plywood panels keeping the egg box closed and start introducing them to the new space.
Here's a link to the build gallery for those who were wanting more pictures! https://imgur.com/gallery/JaFhcZ4
Normally, I'd hit my notebook and begin sketching it but really wanted to use this as an opportunity to learn how to use SketchUp. After a few weeks of taking measurements from YouTube videos and scraping CC's website, I was able to get the bulk of the design-build, with adjustments made to fit our specific space and design taste. It was a long process but I'm really happy to add a new skill to my belt.
2 months, $1100, and a handful of new gray hairs later we have some very spoiled chickens living out a life of luxury in their new home. All open spaces are protected with black, pvc coated, galvanized hardware cloth to keep predators out. Under the run floor we have additional hardware cloth to keep anything from digging under and harassing/killing our he a during the day and the henhouse is pretty impenetrable for the types of predators we have in the area.
Were excited to have the possibility of getting some eggs this fall but are not expecting any until the spring, depending on how warm/light things stay through our Pacific Northwest fall/winter. Once the hens start laying we'll remove the plywood panels keeping the egg box closed and start introducing them to the new space.
Here's a link to the build gallery for those who were wanting more pictures! https://imgur.com/gallery/JaFhcZ4
