Any Ideas or Suggestions

[MadChickenMama]

Originally I was going to use the old dog house my sister has for my chickens, but then she told me to go ahead and use the coop her husband had started.

I'm itching to get this thing done, but I want to be absolutely sure I can see exactly how it's going to be. I don't want to end up having to repeatedly do something because it keeps not being right.

So here are pics of the coop/run:

Essentially this is how it looks:

As you can see, some of what I guess are supposed to be support pieces I've drawn a little longer. That is to tell myself that they on on either the inside or the outside of a bigger part of the frame. Why my BIL didn't put them right inside the areas is beyond me. He did not plan anything and I'm guessing his stopping was because since he didn't plan he had grown overwhelmed as he couldn't see exactlt how it needed to be done (big thing with ADHD people not being able to see steps but just seeing the bigger picture, I have ADHD and this is a huge thing for me and can make me severely overwhelmed and so I stop and never finish).

I would like to extend the run at some point, but for now I'm just going with what I've got. The coop part is a little over 3ft deep and a little over 8ft long. I can't remember the height off the top of my head.

Originally it was supposed to be a chicken tractor but they decided to not do that. So the frame for the run is all...1x1...2x2?

My granddad said we could use the fence panels he's had sitting in the yard for years. Apparently they've been there since before my niece was born, so over 11 years and they look in really good condition, they're just heavy.

One question I have is should I pull the boards apart or can I just sort of throw them up for the sides of the coop? Figured doing as little cutting as possible would be best and turning the coop part into a wall in bit would be nice.

The whole thing (coop and run) is about 8ftx12ft.

Here is the fence panels:

 

[True Patriot]

Sounds like an interesting project. Those look like 2x2 which don't have a tremendous amount of strength. If you're not sure of the size, standard framing lumber is 1/2 inch smaller than it's name. Ex. A 2x4 actually measures 1 1/2 x 3 1/2. The angled braces are a good idea. Triangles are structurally very strong. Those fence panels would add too much weight for what I see in the picture if added whole. They definitely can be repurposed into other parts of the coop though. If you pull the nails rather than cutting each fence panels should give you three 2x4 and a bunch of planks to use for walls floor etc. I can't say I'd recommend anything on the 2x2s other than hardware cloth or netting. Happy building. Good luck.

 

[MadChickenMama]

Sounds like an interesting project. Those look like 2x2 which don't have a tremendous amount of strength. If you're not sure of the size, standard framing lumber is 1/2 inch smaller than it's name. Ex. A 2x4 actually measures 1 1/2 x 3 1/2. The angled braces are a good idea. Triangles are structurally very strong. Those fence panels would add too much weight for what I see in the picture if added whole. They definitely can be repurposed into other parts of the coop though. If you pull the nails rather than cutting each fence panels should give you three 2x4 and a bunch of planks to use for walls floor etc. I can't say I'd recommend anything on the 2x2s other than hardware cloth or netting. Happy building. Good luck.

Thanks! Yeah just the coop part itself would have wood covering it. Underneath it and the run would just have the wire mesh. Unless I want to make the coop taller so I could walk in if need be.

 

[TK421]

You’ve got the start of a great coop. I second the notion of not using it as a tractor. It will be way too heavy and maybe even fall apart once finished out. You can roll it around now but not once you start adding weight to it. Here are some ideas:
1 pull off the 1x2 and 2x2s and replace them with 2x4s
2 make sure the outer covering is flush with the supports so you may need to move supports internally. 3 hardware cloth secured to bottom and “aproned” outward to deter digging animals
4 human. Sized. Door. So jealous
5 use the fence panels but make sure they don’t touch the ground to keep them from rotting. Pull them apart and nail or screw them to your frame. That will help you keep it flush and predator proof. Make sure you still use the hardware cloth.
6. You’ll need to add more support pieces unless you’re ok with the fence panels becoming part of the structure. This means that you can’t add on later and if you ever replace the panels you’ll have to remove and replace only a few boards at a time.
7 bolt the 2x4s to the frame instead of screwing then in
8 I don’t like the plywood nest box door. It will warp big time and let in water and predators. Trust me. I used a very similar design for my clean out door and it only lasted a few years (and mine was protected by a roof and a wall).
9 definitely consider a roof or other for other cover, even if netting. If you use net, though you will have to build a lockable door for the coop on the inside (bc netting is not predator proof)and you’ll have To close it each night.
10 good luck and have fun!

 

[MadChickenMama]

@TK421 Yeah I'm not doing a tractor. Even without the fence panels I doubt this thing could be moved easily.

I was thinking the same thing about the drop down doors. I think they've even started messing up already.

The coop itself will have a roof but the run will have the wire mesh over top as well.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions! It really helps ^.^