- Mar 24, 2011
- 49
- 0
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First time chicken owner, and it's been an adventure so far. The girls are going on 4 weeks, so I thought I might want to start building somewhere to GET THEM OUT OF THE SUNROOM!!!
I've never really built anything but have a few criteria for my coop / run. It has to have great ventilation, since it's hot in Georgia. Enough space to keep the girls happy. As predator proof as I can make it. And VERY easy to clean / maintain.
I've spent the last several weeks studying and reading as much as possible... and thanks to BYC got some great ideas / advice.
So here goes... bear with me!
Oh.... and another criteria ... the coop has to look decent, since I am an avid gardener and wanted to coop to fit in.
I am trying to save as much as possible, so I've decide to finally tear down this old metal shed in my yard, which I've always hated. The floors have started rotting out, I've never stored much in it since I bought my house. It's just too darn creepy in this old shed, full of critters. But it's got lots of great "parts" I can use to save costs.
and the tear down begins.....
Got the base built and cemented the posts. The coop is raised 36 inches off the ground. This will give much needed shade underneath and help save my already bad back.
Here's the front. I have a ton of ventilation running across the front top, matched with ventilation across the backside. It will also be re-using 3 old storm windows from the shed, so 3 sides of the coop will have windows. External egg boxes and a big "door" to clean out the coop.
And here's the back. You can see the where the "door" on the backside will be.
Hopefully another beautiful day here in Ga., so I should be able to get more done. I'm hoping to finish the framing, get the windows in, build the nesting boxes and maybe get the inside painted.
Speaking of painting. Do I need to prime the coop? If so, what about Kilz which helps with mold / mildew. I'm just afraid it might be harmful since it does put out alot of vapors. Thoughts on painting the inside? I've seen alot of people use porch paint or exterior house paint.
I've never really built anything but have a few criteria for my coop / run. It has to have great ventilation, since it's hot in Georgia. Enough space to keep the girls happy. As predator proof as I can make it. And VERY easy to clean / maintain.
I've spent the last several weeks studying and reading as much as possible... and thanks to BYC got some great ideas / advice.
So here goes... bear with me!
Oh.... and another criteria ... the coop has to look decent, since I am an avid gardener and wanted to coop to fit in.
I am trying to save as much as possible, so I've decide to finally tear down this old metal shed in my yard, which I've always hated. The floors have started rotting out, I've never stored much in it since I bought my house. It's just too darn creepy in this old shed, full of critters. But it's got lots of great "parts" I can use to save costs.
and the tear down begins.....
Got the base built and cemented the posts. The coop is raised 36 inches off the ground. This will give much needed shade underneath and help save my already bad back.
Here's the front. I have a ton of ventilation running across the front top, matched with ventilation across the backside. It will also be re-using 3 old storm windows from the shed, so 3 sides of the coop will have windows. External egg boxes and a big "door" to clean out the coop.
And here's the back. You can see the where the "door" on the backside will be.
Hopefully another beautiful day here in Ga., so I should be able to get more done. I'm hoping to finish the framing, get the windows in, build the nesting boxes and maybe get the inside painted.
Speaking of painting. Do I need to prime the coop? If so, what about Kilz which helps with mold / mildew. I'm just afraid it might be harmful since it does put out alot of vapors. Thoughts on painting the inside? I've seen alot of people use porch paint or exterior house paint.
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