Building a new area for the birds - Please Help me do it right.

[Enchanted1s]

Slowly but surely... I am HOPING, tomorrow I will have the coop section done enough that the babies can have their first night OUTSIDE tomorrow!! According to weather.com, it is supposed to be a low of 33 tomorrow! I was really hoping to get it done enough to let them stay outside tonight, but I didn't quite get there. Temps are supposed to be mild all week

So - for my 200th post here at BYC - my coop progress.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Slowly but surely... I am HOPING, tomorrow I will have the coop section done enough that the babies can have their first night OUTSIDE tomorrow!! According to weather.com, it is supposed to be a low of 33 tomorrow! I was really hoping to get it done enough to let them stay outside tonight, but I didn't quite get there. Temps are supposed to be mild all week

So - for my 200th post here at BYC - my coop progress.
View attachment 1253008 View attachment 1253009

Looking good Maybe over the weekend you could dismantle the smaller coop and reuse it to finish the new one

 

[Enchanted1s]

Oh, I am going to use better lumber than that cheap balsa wood from the coop in a box. I was building this coop for the babies, but I fear the older ones may have different ideas? I am planning on using 1x6 from the play house for the front - probably with roofing tin or a heavy tarp behind it for insulation. I DO plan on re-doing the other one as I used what I had to get it up in a hurry during storms. I had goat fence at the time. BUT first - I have to get these babies outside! They are calling for a low of 34 tonight, and similar temps all week.

 

[Enchanted1s]

WELL... I decided that the coop was going to be really big for just three little babies. I have also been wondering if the flock would decide they liked the new coop better... SO, today I decided to make the coop with a removable wall in the middle - making it two separate coops OR, remove the wall and it is one bigger coop! Now, if they all want to sleep together - they can. If we need to isolate anyone - we can. I put a sliding door on the back coop. The front door isn't done yet but will likely hinge. On the south end (sharing the wall of the coop) I built storage for their PVC water bucket, treats, etc. I don't have those doors done yet either - I am thinking double doors there.

Since the roof is not on yet, I covered the coop(s) section with some solar pool covering that I had AND>>> we did it!! we put the babies in the back coop, outside, for their first night ever! It is supposed to get down to 32 by morning.

What do you think? Slowly but surely... I ripped the roost bars to 4 inches wide. Both sides done almost the same, the back roosts are one inch wider than those in the front. The lower roost is 8 inches off the floor, the higher one is 12 inches off the floor. The floor is 36 inches off the ground. The entire coop section is about 31 inches wide and 51 inches front to back and 3 foot in height at the back, 4 foot at the front.

My next challenge will be to figure out how they are going to get up to the coop. There is only 36 inches from the north wall to the coop wall inside. That is going to be too steep for a standard ramp. For the front coop door, I will have about 4 foot to the run fence - again, too steep.

 

[Enchanted1s]

We spent today caulking and tweaking the back coop. The babies spent their first night outside last night. I'm not sure if it was harder on them or us! LOL I reworked the tracks for the sliding door and the removable wall so that everything slides nicely. After looking at the front coop again, I think I will be rearranging the roosts there. Hopefully - staring on the front of the building and the front coop door tomorrow.

Still hoping some ideas will inspire me for the ramps for them to be able to get info the coop by themselves. Figured I better get a couple of pictures of the removable wall and sliding door on the back coop while I can. Once the north wall is built it will be next to impossible to get them.

I would love to hear (or see) some ideas for their access ramps. For each coop entrance - there is only about 3 to 4 feet before a wall or fence. The floor of the coop is about 3 feet from the ground.

 

[Enchanted1s]

I don't think I will be able to work on the coop / run / structure much the rest of this week. But - (except for the roof) I am about done with the coop part! I have the nest boxes framed in on the South wall. I still need to add the doors to the storage section, build the nest boxes, and finish the siding on the South wall. THEN - I just have to add the front door, and the roof, and the structure will be finished! Still have to do the run, but getting there.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I don't think I will be able to work on the coop / run / structure much the rest of this week. But - (except for the roof) I am about done with the coop part! I have the nest boxes framed in on the South wall. I still need to add the doors to the storage section, build the nest boxes, and finish the siding on the South wall. THEN - I just have to add the front door, and the roof, and the structure will be finished! Still have to do the run, but getting there.View attachment 1258038

Looking good

 

[Enchanted1s]

Well, not a lot of progress last week - but the top had bothered me since the day I put it up. So, I re-worked that and got the ramp issue solved to the back coop. The babies went to the coop all by themselves tonight. Now if the wind can just calm down for a few days so I can get the roof on before it rains!

I'm still not sure how to resolve the ramp issue to the front coop. I'm thinking maybe a ladder that can be easily set or removed when needed? For right now - I still think the entire coop is too big for just the three babies. The older ones have not shown any interest in the new coop - but, I have been out there when the door was open - time will tell.

At least I am starting to see the end. I have to build the nest boxes and hang the door - and the dreaded roof...

 

[Enchanted1s]

Well, it's raining But, just as it started sprinkling last night, I nailed down the last piece of OSB on the roof! No, not ideal - but the babies are dry!! I was hoping to get the metal on the roof today, but that OSB is going to have to dry a little first.

QUESTION about the nest boxes... What is a good size? I was thinking three boxes - one for each baby (I mean young lady). The opening I framed in is 3 foot wide and 15 inches tall. I was thinking one foot wide for each. How deep should they be? Does 12" wide and 15" tall sound about right?

I didn't realize I had not updated this thread with the ramp issue/resolve. The babies have gone to their coop - BY THEMSELVES - for the last three nights, since I resolved their ramp issue. They have to hop up to the nesting box roost and then another hop up to the much less steep ramp. I have been leaving the divider in the coop and the babies in the back coop because I felt the entire coop would be too big for just the three of them. Today, I partially opened the removable wall so they can check out the front coop while it is raining? Today will be the 4th day they have been out with the rest of the flock - unsupervised. There have been no issues. In fact, the babies have spent most of their time inside the big girls coop/run! They stay in there while the big girls lay their eggs too.

I am hoping to finish the roof and hang the door this week. Then the nest box and the structure is (mostly) completed! I am still on the fence (pun intended) about the run! The other coop does not have a pen around it any more. I am thinking the babies may never choose their own house if it is behind another fence? I am really considering NOT putting up the fence?? Anyway - here is the latest pic. It was pretty much dark when I finished last night, so not the best pic. Last pic is our baby 'Little Bit' with 'Tina' (the pullet that just started laying this week) in the big birds coop/run on Monday - their first unsupervised day.

UPDATE - It rained (not a hard blowing rain, but a light rain) all day and the coop & the entire area surrounding the new shelter was completely dry when we went to shut everybody in. I got a much needed day of rest! Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow...

 

[Enchanted1s]

SLOWLY but surely...