Tore down our coop at the end of this winter, as it was starting to rot and fall apart (I used leftover OSB to build it two years ago, but installed a pond for our surprise duck arrival, and the splashing caused most of it to rot).
Learning moment: don't use OSB near moisture. It would've been fine otherwise, as I'd coated it inside and out with weather-resistant deck stain.
Couldn't decide on coop styles, but knew I needed to rebuild. Poor chickens have been camping out on our windowsill, but luckily we're in Texas and we haven't had any freezing nights since demolishing the old coop.
Someone donated a pile of old doors a few weeks ago, and I'd been pondering what to do with them. They're hollow-panel doors, so not exactly weatherproof, but I figured that maybe with a decent coat of exterior-grade paint, they'll probably last at least as long as the OSB coop I had before.
In addition to all this, our son is a huge Dr. Who fan (as are we).
Sum total of parts:
- 8 door panels (free)
- 8 2x4 studs (also free, leftover from another project)
- 1 1x8 board, for joining two doors together vertically (still leftover, and free)
- various wood scraps for the perch (more free leftovers)
- paint: $22 for a gallon of exterior-grade blue paint, and around $6 for the other colors which I found in the "oops" bin at home depot
- 1 box of 2.5" deck screws: $9
- 2 hinges for the door: $3
Finished product: (well, almost finished. have to cut a door for the chickens, right now I'm just letting them in and out manually)
Dimensions: a few inches larger than 3'x6' because I'm terrible at math and always forget to account for the width of 2x4s.
Sleeps: 8 chickens, 2 bantams, 1 bantam roo, and 1 mallard duck
Interior - can see a bit of the roost here
Will probably raise it up on some bricks soon to keep the bottom from getting rotten if it rains. Otherwise, son is thrilled, wife loves it, and chickens don't care one way or the other.
Enjoy and feel free to ask questions about coop building if you like!
The doctor says my foot is broken in two places. So I guess I have to admit it's broken now. Have a boot and will follow-up with an orthopedic doctor next week.
Hope it heals up quickly and properly for you.
