Building a coop... And a flock.

[Jay Turner]

My family of 8 decided to raise chickens this year after several years of contemplating doing so. We went out and got some chicks

and are currently building a coop by repurposing the kids old swing set/play house.

Day 1.
We cut about 18" off the legs and removed the swing portion all together.

Day 2.
We relocated it to a more suitable location and began construction. My fine crew is doing an awesome job.

Day 3.
We added the run portion framing.

The plywood roof was only to keep it dry during construction.
The coop has a linoleum floor and 8" tall PVC sides for easy cleaning.

This is the access/clean out door on the rear.

There are three PVC lined nesting boxes on the side with side access.

More trim boards have been added and a window installed.

Now we are ready for paint and then hardware cloth and the metal roof. And chickens of course.

 

[Circle W Farms]

Welcome to BYC. That's a nice looking coop.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Welcome to BYC and the chicken keeping adventure! So glad you've joined us. Keeping a flock is a wonderful family activity.

 

[Hope Hughes]

Welcome!! Awesome coop! I cant wait until my new one is done to post the photos of it! its always exciting with new birds and projects!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!!

Very cute babies you have!! Love your coop too! I am sure they are going to love their quarters.

Make yourself at home Jay and enjoy BYC!!

 

[AllynTal]

Nice job. I would offer up that it all looks a little too tight. If it were me, I'd leave off the sheathing in the gables and put 1/4-inch hardware cloth there instead to allow more ventilation. If there were no blocking between the rafters, and the soffits were open, you could use the hardware cloth for the soffits, too. Secure the hardware cloth well so nothing can push the hardware cloth in (a big raccoon can throw his weight into it and push fairly hard). If you're not doing a roof-over, you might even consider doing a ridge vent. You want plenty of ventilation to rid the coop of moisture and ammonia -- very important for chicken health. I don't know what part of the country you're in, but unless you're in the wilds of Alaska, don't worry about winter temperatures. Chickens are fine as long as the coop is dry and draft-free but with plenty of ventilation.

It's a very nice coop in progress -- awesome repurposing of the play house.

 

[drumstick diva]

Nice job. AllynTal has given some great suggestions.

 

[Jay Turner]

Day six on the coop.

Installed large vent in coop over nesting boxes and ridge vent in roof.

Painting in progress and almost ready for wire.

 

[AllynTal]

Very nice job. Something of a roof-over and a ridge vent, kudos. The chickens will appreciate the ventilation and the roof-over makes a huge difference inside the coop if you get hot summers. The sand in the run should be coarse sand (all-purpose sand or construction sand) NOT playsand or beach sand, yeah?

I don't know what you're going to cover the run with and whether your plan is to make the run predator-proof. If you're just using chicken wire or 2x4 welded wire, the gap under the run door won't matter because the run won't be predator proof anyway. If your aim is to make it as predator-proof as you can by using 1/2-inch or smaller hardware cloth, block that gap under the run door. A gap of as small as one inch is big enough to let a predator in that can wipe out your flock. If nighttime predators are your concern more than daytime ones, as long as the coop itself is secure and the chickens are locked in at night, getting gung-ho on the run isn't as big a priority, imo.

It's a really nice coop and run. Love the family out there pitching in to help. You're gonna enjoy having chickens.

 

[Jay Turner]

Thanks. I am installing 1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth on EVERYTHING. The Windows, screen door, vents and all. Even the roof vent. And yes, I have a plan to tighten up the door as well. I also plan to install 2 more vents on the gable ends of the coop. I got the sand from a masonry yard so it is not bleached. I plan for the run and coop to be predator proof and still secure them in the coop at night.

My "crew" has been great and very helpful.