Doghouse chicken coop

[Scrumdidlyump]

This is my first attempt at building a chicken coop/run. I built it from an abandoned dog house and a bunch of trash I found in the woods and barn. It is funky, and my chickens seem happy. My cats helped me build it (they supervised. The only thing I paid for was some wire, staples and screws, so it was about $70, once we added the outdoor run which is another 20x15 ft area ( and proved useless until now that the new ducks now took part of it over, because the chickens just flap over the fence.)
It was a fun project and the whole thing took about 2 days to build. A lot of that was spent cleaning dirty materials. The most fun was rolling the doghouse down the hill.
I learned a lot by watching how my chickens use it (i had the ramp to steep so they had a horrible time at first until I switched to an old ladder that is longer.) i used old curtain rods for roosts, which is nice because I can move them around. I learned not to put them over the nesting area after recovering poop laden eggs one morning. And the chickens taught me that they prefer their food in the shaded area underneath the coop, which requires more contortionist behavior than I prefer in the mornings, so I may add a little gate to the side. Or maybe I will start a new trend: Poultry Yoga

 

[rosemarythyme]

Funky is fine, chickens sure don't care, but is there any ventilation in the coop?

Also not sure what types of predators you have, but chicken wire isn't predator proof. Might be something to think about upgrading at some point, even if it's a bit costly.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. You've done a great job with salvaging materials, but it appears that there is no ventilation at all. Can you replace the triangles at the gable peaks with wire?

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters a lot.

 

[Callender Girl]

I admire your salvaged-materials construction. I think you've done a nice job, and chickens really don't care about high-end materials.

Also, your chickens are already training you how they like to be served by their human; good work letting them!

If you can build all that, it won't be hard at all to add some hardware cloth behind a cut-out at your roof gables. It seems counter-intuitive to put air flow into a coop when you're trying to keep birds warm, but they give off so much respiratory moisture that you have to ventilate. I don't think my dad ever did that, but our coops were so rickety (he liked to convert other buildings) that the ventilation probably came right through the walls where it shouldn't have.

He also used chicken wire extensively, and we lost chickens to predators.

I think hardware cloth is essential IF you are going to leave your chickens unattended. I have it everywhere after a mink slipped into one of my coops and killed three hens. However, since I am home all day and the coops are right outside my windows, I do have one "playpen" for broodies that has chicken wire. It keeps them safe because I can watch them, and the rest of the flock -- including two very noisy "watch" geese -- is free ranging all around them.

The downside to hardware cloth is the price. I have actually scored some more cheaply at area farm auctions.

I love the idea of poultry yoga to describe some of the contortions needed for coop cleaning, for example. I like the way you think!

Welcome to BYC; it's a great place to share and learn. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

 

[Scrumdidlyump]

Lack of airflow!
Wow.... so I live in a valley between the two highest mountains east of the Mississippi, and it is like a wind tunnel. Everything flies off my porch unless I attach it. The chickens often flap around like yhe Wicked Witch just got airborne.
They have been in their lovely doghouse 13 months. I positioned it on the property so it gets a good amount of this wind, which moves well through the ample cracks between the barnwood and the roof. I also made the floor of their roost coop wire so I can clean it out really well, and even though I am technically in a rainforest and 20 feet from a large branch, everything has always been dry and surprisingly not too stinky. I made removable insulation panels for the winter and that worked well.
I did have a war with a weasel early on. He dug under and killed a hen. So I spent a day crawling all over the inside with more wire and a staplegun. He has made more attempts, but i think ive got the entire inside, roof walls and floor buttoned up nicely.
Hardware cloth would be nice.
Also, I got Casey my silkie rooster off a local list serve after that and he does a great protecting them while theyre free ranging.
These are my first poultry of any kind and its so neat to watch them explore everything I build.
Im thinking a chicken ferris wheel tractor might be next.

 

[Scrumdidlyump]

I admire your salvaged-materials construction. I think you've done a nice job, and chickens really don't care about high-end materials.

Also, your chickens are already training you how they like to be served by their human; good work letting them!

If you can build all that, it won't be hard at all to add some hardware cloth behind a cut-out at your roof gables. It seems counter-intuitive to put air flow into a coop when you're trying to keep birds warm, but they give off so much respiratory moisture that you have to ventilate. I don't think my dad ever did that, but our coops were so rickety (he liked to convert other buildings) that the ventilation probably came right through the walls where it shouldn't have.

He also used chicken wire extensively, and we lost chickens to predators.

I think hardware cloth is essential IF you are going to leave your chickens unattended. I have it everywhere after a mink slipped into one of my coops and killed three hens. However, since I am home all day and the coops are right outside my windows, I do have one "playpen" for broodies that has chicken wire. It keeps them safe because I can watch them, and the rest of the flock -- including two very noisy "watch" geese -- is free ranging all around them.

The downside to hardware cloth is the price. I have actually scored some more cheaply at area farm auctions.

I love the idea of poultry yoga to describe some of the contortions needed for coop cleaning, for example. I like the way you think!

Welcome to BYC; it's a great place to share and learn. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Thanks for the advice. I am a librarian, so I read a lot before I built, but experience has taught me more, both personal and from others!

 

[MichelleHubs]

I'm not sure if anyone else has commented on this already but cedar shavings are toxic to chickens, please do not use. Replace with pine.

 

[Toryhillc]

Lack of airflow!
Wow.... so I live in a valley between the two highest mountains east of the Mississippi, and it is like a wind tunnel. Everything flies off my porch unless I attach it. The chickens often flap around like yhe Wicked Witch just got airborne.
They have been in their lovely doghouse 13 months. I positioned it on the property so it gets a good amount of this wind, which moves well through the ample cracks between the barnwood and the roof. I also made the floor of their roost coop wire so I can clean it out really well, and even though I am technically in a rainforest and 20 feet from a large branch, everything has always been dry and surprisingly not too stinky. I made removable insulation panels for the winter and that worked well.
I did have a war with a weasel early on. He dug under and killed a hen. So I spent a day crawling all over the inside with more wire and a staplegun. He has made more attempts, but i think ive got the entire inside, roof walls and floor buttoned up nicely.
Hardware cloth would be nice.
Also, I got Casey my silkie rooster off a local list serve after that and he does a great protecting them while theyre free ranging.
These are my first poultry of any kind and its so neat to watch them explore everything I build.
Im thinking a chicken ferris wheel tractor might be next.

Good for you. I too have repurposed an older building for my birds. With all the cracks that we have covered in hardware cloth it gets ample ventilation and predator proof. As I am selling eggs the girls buy their own feed and upgrades.

 

[Scrumdidlyump]

Good for you. I too have repurposed an older building for my birds. With all the cracks that we have covered in hardware cloth it gets ample ventilation and predator proof. As I am selling eggs the girls buy their own feed and upgrades.

How many chickens do you have? What kind?

 

[Scrumdidlyump]

I'm not sure if anyone else has commented on this already but cedar shavings are toxic to chickens, please do not use. Replace with pine.

Yeah, I use pine. And straw.