We have a "storage" house on our property that we have been using as shop space (costuming and metal/woodworking). It was at one time a residence, so it has a nice covered porch. In planning for the coop, I saw this as an advantage. If we built the coop under the porch, we'd have a pretty solid roof, and posts to attach things to. These pictures represent about a month of after-work cobbling along with weekends doing what I could. There is a bit more to go....mostly putting up the rest of the hardware cloth for the run....but the coop proper is pretty much done and ready for occupation. We are still debating between kitty litter and other alternatives for the flooring.
This is my first coop, and everything you see here is from knowledge gained from this site. If anyone sees anything that can be improved without a complete rebuild, please let me know. I'd love to hear thoughts on this from you, the experts!
A couple of long-shots:
The coop itself. The footprint is 6' x 4'. We will initially have three in there (a Buff Orpington, a Light Brahma, and an Easter Egger) and will be adding two more when they reach the proper age (Welsummers)
I still haven't made the gangplank...
I have two ventilation windows...one on each side...and a largish one on the main opening door (no hardware cloth covering that one yet).
The run area had to be leveled out a bit....the height to the porch varied from about 5 feet up to 6 feet. It's now at about an average of 5'6" from the ground to the beams. I, at 6'1", can stand up between the beams, but I have learned that I am going to have to paint them a very bright colour to avoid any more headaches.
. I sunk painted wood between 8" and 12" into the ground, and attached the hardware cloth to that before covering up the trenches.
And finally, the nesting boxes from the outside. There isn't enough room in there to take good photos of the boxes themselves, so I apologize.
I already know that the next one I am going to build will have a lip on the pop door built-in. I had to add a strip of wood on the inside so whatever we have as flooring will not come tumbling out each time we open the door.
Alright, please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you!
This is my first coop, and everything you see here is from knowledge gained from this site. If anyone sees anything that can be improved without a complete rebuild, please let me know. I'd love to hear thoughts on this from you, the experts!
A couple of long-shots:
The coop itself. The footprint is 6' x 4'. We will initially have three in there (a Buff Orpington, a Light Brahma, and an Easter Egger) and will be adding two more when they reach the proper age (Welsummers)
I still haven't made the gangplank...
I have two ventilation windows...one on each side...and a largish one on the main opening door (no hardware cloth covering that one yet).
The run area had to be leveled out a bit....the height to the porch varied from about 5 feet up to 6 feet. It's now at about an average of 5'6" from the ground to the beams. I, at 6'1", can stand up between the beams, but I have learned that I am going to have to paint them a very bright colour to avoid any more headaches.
And finally, the nesting boxes from the outside. There isn't enough room in there to take good photos of the boxes themselves, so I apologize.
I already know that the next one I am going to build will have a lip on the pop door built-in. I had to add a strip of wood on the inside so whatever we have as flooring will not come tumbling out each time we open the door.
Alright, please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you!
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