So I got my new ducklings and chicks in mid-march, thinking I'd have lots of nice weather to build a coop. The goal was to have it ready within four weeks because at that point they're too big (and smelly) to be in the house anymore.
Well... the weather hasn't really cooperated so I've been hastily assembling their shelter whenever I could stand to be out there working.
Here's the base, built on a nice March day. It measures 6' by 3'.
After linoleum applied to the base we moved it back to the corner of the yard. The window I salvaged from an old shed I tore down years ago. I used as much scrap and salvage wood as I could get my hands on.
I went with corrugated metal roofing from lowe's. Underneath it I laid some old fake-wood looking particle board that used to line our kitchen walls. And sandwiched between them I used a thin metallic insulation. In the summer I think that roof would be too hot to have on there without some kind of barrier.
The windows are also made from salvaged glass. I had four pieces so I double-paned those two smoked windows you see there. Just cut some grooves in 2x4s for them and caulked it. There are vents at the top on three sides, all secured with hardware cloth.
The backside has two large, side opening doors for easy cleaning access. Though it gets cold here I didn't insulate the walls. I may eventually add some.
Between the weather and work progress was going too slowly. So I made a big push this weekend to finish the coop enough for the birds to move in. Below you can see I added a pop-out nesting box. There are two floors to it, one up high and one down low. I made a miscalculation on the dimensions which made it a little lopsided. Too late to fix it, though!
Nest box door is secured with a carabiner at bottom and another clasp at top. Can't be too careful. The walls in there are insulated a bit. I added a hinged door to cover the top vent on the north side. That's where the wind comes from most often. And with sub-zero temps I wanted to reduce the draftiness.
Ramp is simple and attached with a hinge. The plexiglass door slides up and down via string. That side of the coop open onto their run, but as you can see I still have a ways to go before that's done.
Lots more trim-work to do and then painting. I'll be replacing the bricks the coop rests on now with pre-cast concrete footers to hold it in place.
I ran out of paint before I could do the entire inside. But I got everything from the bottom up to about 2'. Knowing ducks they'll somehow get poop up higher than that...
The chickens mostly hang out on the shelf above the ducks. I added a roost bar there made from leftover fencing. They don't use the little ladder I made them. So far I can confirm the chickens use the poultry nipples for water, but not sure if the ducks do.
Since it's been dipping into the teens at night and the birds are all around 6-7 weeks I added the heat lamp. I don't plan on keeping that in there once it warms up a bit.
Most of the ideas I got from these forums. I have no idea how I would have built it without this community.
Three days in and my ducks and chickens seem happy as clams with their new digs
Well... the weather hasn't really cooperated so I've been hastily assembling their shelter whenever I could stand to be out there working.
Here's the base, built on a nice March day. It measures 6' by 3'.
After linoleum applied to the base we moved it back to the corner of the yard. The window I salvaged from an old shed I tore down years ago. I used as much scrap and salvage wood as I could get my hands on.
I went with corrugated metal roofing from lowe's. Underneath it I laid some old fake-wood looking particle board that used to line our kitchen walls. And sandwiched between them I used a thin metallic insulation. In the summer I think that roof would be too hot to have on there without some kind of barrier.
The windows are also made from salvaged glass. I had four pieces so I double-paned those two smoked windows you see there. Just cut some grooves in 2x4s for them and caulked it. There are vents at the top on three sides, all secured with hardware cloth.
The backside has two large, side opening doors for easy cleaning access. Though it gets cold here I didn't insulate the walls. I may eventually add some.
Between the weather and work progress was going too slowly. So I made a big push this weekend to finish the coop enough for the birds to move in. Below you can see I added a pop-out nesting box. There are two floors to it, one up high and one down low. I made a miscalculation on the dimensions which made it a little lopsided. Too late to fix it, though!
Nest box door is secured with a carabiner at bottom and another clasp at top. Can't be too careful. The walls in there are insulated a bit. I added a hinged door to cover the top vent on the north side. That's where the wind comes from most often. And with sub-zero temps I wanted to reduce the draftiness.
Ramp is simple and attached with a hinge. The plexiglass door slides up and down via string. That side of the coop open onto their run, but as you can see I still have a ways to go before that's done.
Lots more trim-work to do and then painting. I'll be replacing the bricks the coop rests on now with pre-cast concrete footers to hold it in place.
I ran out of paint before I could do the entire inside. But I got everything from the bottom up to about 2'. Knowing ducks they'll somehow get poop up higher than that...
The chickens mostly hang out on the shelf above the ducks. I added a roost bar there made from leftover fencing. They don't use the little ladder I made them. So far I can confirm the chickens use the poultry nipples for water, but not sure if the ducks do.
Since it's been dipping into the teens at night and the birds are all around 6-7 weeks I added the heat lamp. I don't plan on keeping that in there once it warms up a bit.
Most of the ideas I got from these forums. I have no idea how I would have built it without this community.
Three days in and my ducks and chickens seem happy as clams with their new digs
