DIY Coop and Run -- Design Feedback

[dvsmith]

Soooooo tired.

Almost as tired as the chickens.

The structure is done, the run is fully enclosed, the watering system works, the door opener works and the birds have (sort of) figured out the ladder.

It was a joy watching them
Run around the run.

I’ve two thermometers in the henhouse — a basic dial on a rafter that is visible on the camera and a electronic weather station with humidity and temperature that’s at the height of the highest roosting bar and visible through the front doors.

Cleanup, painting, some henhouse tweaks, and planting is next on the list, along with a couple of remaining features I want to add.

Better pics tomorrow.

 

[dvsmith]

As promised, some daytime photos.

Still need to drill out more ventilation, build some storage, craft a built-in feeder solution, finish the siding and paintwork.

 

[KimbosKluckers]

As promised, some daytime photos.

Still need to drill out more ventilation, build some storage, craft a built-in feeder solution, finish the siding and paintwork.

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Fantastic job! Love it.

 

[dvsmith]

Fantastic job! Love it.

Thank you!

 

[dvsmith]

Today’s work may not be immediately obvious, but it was critically important.

The weather has turned from weeks of daily torrential rains, severe thunderstorms, and temps in the 70ºs and 80ºs to bone dry, wind-less, with highs in the mid-90ºs (35-37ºC).

I spent most of the day adding screw eyes to the rafters of the run, relocating the center roosting bar brackets, adding more siding to the front, and removing the blocking from the henhouse eaves and replacing them with hardware cloth, as per @aart ’s wise suggestion and after reading @3KillerBs ’s article on helping chickens survive the North Carolina summers. (The blocks will return, but in an optional fashion that I’ll detail later.)

The girls took less than 6 minutes to exit the henhouse this morning, according to the camera; all but one made it into the henhouse before the door closed at dusk (we put her in ourselves).

 

[dvsmith]

Small update today. We had a friend over who’s raised chickens for years to take a look at the coop and give me feedback. It passed her inspection.

I finished getting the siding on, tightened up the hardware cloth and adjusted the fit of the front doors.

 

[dvsmith]

It’s been a slow few days lately, as I take care of stuff at home and work in the evenings to avoid the heat of the day.

I’ve primed the henhouse and added two features I’d planned if I had time and materials: a storage cabinet under the nesting boxes and a hopper-style feeder.

The cabinet is self explanatory (I’ve built the carcass and need to build the doors).

The hopper uses a leftover piece of roofing, a slanted floor, a ladder base, a plexiglass window to view the feed level, three hooded ports, and sits in a bay of the run. It conceptually holds more than 150lbs of feed, but we probably won’t exceed 100lbs.

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

View attachment 3869410

It’s been a slow few days lately, as I take care of stuff at home and work in the evenings to avoid the heat of the day.

I’ve primed the henhouse and added two features I’d planned if I had time and materials: a storage cabinet under the nesting boxes and a hopper-style feeder.

The cabinet is self explanatory (I’ve built the carcass and need to build the doors).

The hopper uses a leftover piece of roofing, a slanted floor, a ladder base, a plexiglass window to view the feed level, three hooded ports, and sits in a bay of the run. It conceptually holds more than 150lbs of feed, but we probably won’t exceed 100lbs.

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I love that feed hopper! If it's humid in your area just beware that any moisture may accumulate and cause trouble in there... You may want to make sure that's not happening before loading up with $$$ of feed that could get moldy and spoiled all at once

 

[dvsmith]

I love that feed hopper! If it's humid in your area just beware that any moisture may accumulate and cause trouble in there... You may want to make sure that's not happening before loading up with $$$ of feed that could get moldy and spoiled all at once

Is there a food safe way to allow moisture to escape, without allowing vermin and insects in?

North Carolina can be very humid, although the hopper is located under the roof and the interior is painted with ann exterior grade sealant.

The lid is not airtight and does have some venting at the back, against the hardware cloth. I also need to add a drip edge to the lid.

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

Is there a food safe way to allow moisture to escape, without allowing vermin and insects in?

North Carolina can be very humid, although the hopper is located under the roof and the interior is painted with ann exterior grade sealant.

The lid is not airtight and does have some venting at the back, against the hardware cloth. I also need to add a drip edge to the lid.

Good question, I don't know. The sealant definitely sounds like it'll help avoid vapors migrating into and through the wood, so maybe it'll be fine. Sounds well designed