First time coupe!!

[kimbo5387]

I plan on building a coupe for my chicks but need to know what are some important features to have in them so far I figure they need nesting boxes, a perch, and their food and water should be in cover too right?! I keep reading about poop boards do these go under their perches?! Do I need to make something under the nesting boxes to clean them out or just change the bedding out?! What is the best type of wood to use to construct the coupe and boxes pressure treated, ply wood?! Any suggestions and opinions welcome! We just got two chicks from our local farm supply store I have never raised them before I've been doing a lot of reading an teaching and sharing with my 4 yr old who is in love with his chicks!

Thanks!

 

[Gatorbait]

Dont use any treated....I built mine out of cedar....a bit more costly but well worth it.

 

[kimbo5387]

Thanks! I figured there were cons to usin treated wood but I see a lot of people using it so wanted to double check!!

 

[Niki the chicky]

Same!! I am looking for a coop to buy too. What kind of chicks did u order? I have 2 sex linked. and I just ordered 5 buff orbingtons and a rooster. The coop i am looking for has to be cheap. LOL!!!!

ANY QUESTIONS feel free 2 reply!

 

[kimbo5387]

I need a pretty inexpensive one also!! We are tryin to come up with a plan to incorporate our large unused dog lot. I only purchased 2 I am brand new to this whole thing. One is a Rhode Island Red and one golden link also! I'd like to add more once I get things going and I figured learning to care for two may be easier then 5! But 5 is my goal!

 

[rooster king]

hi i know away to build a good coop for cheap but it is home made you could make one out of a shed and for cleaning purposes put down a tarp and cover it with wood shavings so you can just lift and pour the shavings off and wash it,

and Niki the Chicky is my sisters dead chicken it sadly died from either a hawk or my new German Shepard and she believes it is a hawk but i believe it is the dog because it killed my pet.

 

[TattooedKeeper3]

When I didn't have much money I used this chain link dog kennel as a chicken tractor/coop. I put chicken wire on the top with a tarp for a roof and put tarps or fabric (during summer) on the sides for extra shade or protection from inclement weather. I used hardwood tree branches in there for them to roost on. I would move this on average about every 3 days; using 2 polls near the top for us to pick it up a few inches off the ground to move it. It housed my 4 adult hens from chick to adult. They were very happy in there until we moved in December and now they have a permanent coop and run. Sorry the only pictures I could find were the ones I took at night. Oh I ran a thick outdoor extension cord with a 3 way plug to the tractor for heat lamps and the christmas lights you see there. I like christmas or halloween lights to light the coops at night if you want to. They use very little electricity and I find my Ladies like them too.

 

[lititzchic]

My new coup. We used recycled pallets and bought some wood.

 

[kimbo5387]

Here is our coupe!! It's not 100% finished. I plan to take the coupe out of the dog lot and move it to the gate but I have to get hardware cloth to put around the bottom of the coupe before I can do that!!!

 

[kimbo5387]

On the back of the coupe is where the nesting boxes are, they stick out like a bay window or something, and I have a door on them so I can clean them out and retrieve eggs!!!