Former New Yorker Builds First Chicken Coop!

[bluey]

I never imagined a day would come when I raised chickens!

Last spring, my daughter brought home a baby chick from school. After several temporary shelters and the spectre of the coming winter, I bit the bullet and started perusing the internet for coop ideas. This one is my own design based on the conglomeration of coops I saw. It cost about $300 in materials and pushed my miniscule carpentry skills to the limit.

We free range our chicken, Churkey, so she comes and goes as she pleases. The coop has a lower level that provides her a covered outside shelter and a 2nd story for her egg laying. I have three nests inside with room for 2 more. The inside also has a 3 foot perch pole that is above the cutout in the 2nd floor, so droppings fall through to the ground. There is also a removable front panel for egg collecting and nest cleanup.

Churkey seems to be very happy with it and will soon get bunk mates. Since I am an absolute novice at coop building, any suggestions for improvements are more than welcome!

 

[Moselle]

It's amazing what we'll do for our kids (never mind a chicken!)

That's just sweet! Churkey will definitely appreciate having a feathered buddy or two. She's lucky she gets to free range. Can you take more pictures - like the inside or anything? We LOVE pictures!

 

[bluey]

This isn't the greatest picture in the world because you can't really see the nesting boxes up towards the front since they are below the opening but you can see the roosting bar in the top on the high back end of the coop.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

That is great! I love how the nest part covers the open underside. That way they can scratch for bugs even when it's raining. Good idea.