Though it took a lot more money, time and tears than I anticipated, I am VERY proud of my results.
My coop is 6x8 footprint, and 6' tall in the front sloping to 5' in the back. The pen is 6x20 and 6' tall. My brother and I built it in about 5 full days, with a little bit of help from the DH. It's a tiny bit smaller than I really wanted, but to go bigger would have increased the wood and wire budget significantly and left me with a lot of scrap. Soo, my 7 Jersey Giants, 4 Orps, and one possible Silver-Spangled Hamburg (I think that's what it was suggested to be) will have slightly small digs. If it goes well though, I'll be able to free range. My dogs are pretty good about not chasing the smaller animals around them. We'll see. XD
I went kinda crazy, and did 2x4 welded wire, with chicken wire around the bottom, buried and cemented into the ground about 6" deep. The top is covered in chicken wire too, but that may be upgraded to welded wire when I can convince my DH that he really likes the chickens. XD Also, I put in two nice vent hatches on the sides that get the most breeze, and a skylight for those winter months. The birds are already digging it, aside from running and huddling in terror under the nesting boxes every time I appear.
Here are some pictures!
And yes, that is duct tape on the middle of the nesting boxes. My brother insists that no home project is complete without it.
I'm going to update tomorrow when the flock heads outside for the very first time and I can get some more inside pictures without terrorizing them. XD
My coop is 6x8 footprint, and 6' tall in the front sloping to 5' in the back. The pen is 6x20 and 6' tall. My brother and I built it in about 5 full days, with a little bit of help from the DH. It's a tiny bit smaller than I really wanted, but to go bigger would have increased the wood and wire budget significantly and left me with a lot of scrap. Soo, my 7 Jersey Giants, 4 Orps, and one possible Silver-Spangled Hamburg (I think that's what it was suggested to be) will have slightly small digs. If it goes well though, I'll be able to free range. My dogs are pretty good about not chasing the smaller animals around them. We'll see. XD
I went kinda crazy, and did 2x4 welded wire, with chicken wire around the bottom, buried and cemented into the ground about 6" deep. The top is covered in chicken wire too, but that may be upgraded to welded wire when I can convince my DH that he really likes the chickens. XD Also, I put in two nice vent hatches on the sides that get the most breeze, and a skylight for those winter months. The birds are already digging it, aside from running and huddling in terror under the nesting boxes every time I appear.
Here are some pictures!
And yes, that is duct tape on the middle of the nesting boxes. My brother insists that no home project is complete without it.
I'm going to update tomorrow when the flock heads outside for the very first time and I can get some more inside pictures without terrorizing them. XD
