FREE chicken coop plan (nice one too) on the Purina Mills Website

[definit]

Hi all, I had a question about the materials for the coop..


Quote:
I've bolded the parts I don't understand.. what does it mean to be tapered? Is this something I can get done at Home Depot?

 

[hondo58]

Hi all, I had a question about the materials for the coop..



I've bolded the parts I don't understand.. what does it mean to be tapered? Is this something I can get done at Home Depot?

The front of the coop is higher than the back. The reverse is true for the nest box. Tapered refers to the cut of the side panels that will be longer on one edge than the other. For the side panels it means the front edge is 48" long and the back edge is 42" long. For the nest box side panel(s) the front is 12" long and the back is 14"

 

[pikeman94]

I too am building this coop design. There are so many things to like about this design: ventilation, access to clean, access to eggs, protection from predators, protection from drafts during the winter. On top of that this design is rather easy to build. I have an album up currently of my build:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/album/view/id/6215133/user_id/66378

The biggest modification I made was to make the coop 4'x8' instead of the 4'x4' design. Since I don't have need for a run, the 4 sq ft per bird rule kinda goes out the window for me as the birds range on a half acre. The birds only sleep and nest in the coop.

Let me know if anyone has any questions on how I went about building this coop.

 

[TheBrumstead]

For the nest box side panel(s) the front is 12" long and the back is 14"

Are you all finding that 12" deep is big enough for the nest box? I am using a covered cat litter box inside now, but just picked up two hens yesterday so am now up to 4 (max for me). I'd like more room in there and almost have hubby convinced to build me an external nest box.

 

[CGinJCMO]

The only thing is I dont want the nests inside the coop. But I also dont want it on the down side of the slope. Cause if its raining and Im trying to get eggs..well you know where thats headed.

That's what I told my DH. He put the roof down sloop on the people entrance/nest box side on the coop. I asked if there'll be a way to put a a gutter to catch the rain. he put the slope facing south so we can put on a solar panel to light the coop with. Sometimes men have good ideas, but they don't always think of everything.

CG

 

[kamir]

Greetings from Pennsylvania.

I've been searching for coop plans and came across the Purina design the other day in this forum. I read all 193 posts (195 now) before going ahead with acquiring the materials.

I am using 2X3s rather than 2X4s as I don't see the requirement for wider, heavier, more expensive lumber; it's a chicken coop! Naturally, some of the dimensions will change.

A reader wrote that the 49 inch spacing between two of the roof members should have been 48 inches, as that's the dimension of the enclosure, however, I believe 49 inches is correct. The roof is not parallel to the 48 inch square enclosure so the 49 inch spacing allows the tilted roof members to fit over it. It's simply a clearance issue.

EDIT: I just realized I was looking at the roof 90 degrees from how it is to be attached to the side posts, therefore 48 inches is correct as the OP said.

The plans call for cutting the sheeting to 48 inches square for the front, back (48X8 and 48X34), and sides. Doing so will leave a gap, which is equal to the sheeting thickness, where the sides meet front and back.
Either the length of the coop, or the width, should be reduced by twice the sheeting thickness.

An observation was made that due to the slope of the roof, cleaning out the interior while rain is falling leaves one wet. Since the clean-out area at the rear is the most convenient location for me, I'll add a board to the rear roof line to hold and divert water to either side.

So far, the floor frame is built, the roof frame is built, but no siding as I have no way to transport even a 4X4 sheet of plywood. I'll have to have it cut into 2X4 sheets, and add additional cross members to attach to.

Five New Hampshire Reds and five Delawares are to be shipped June 20 so I have plenty of time to finish the coop.

Regards,
kamir

 

[beardedmessman]

I have been building this design and am almost finished. I am working on putting the nest box together. I have cut all the pieces to the design dimensions and when I started trying to put the box together, the pieces weren't making a box without air gaps; no matter how you put it together. Has anyone else that has built the nest box run into this problem? Thanks for any assistance.

 

[pikeman94]

I have been building this design and am almost finished. I am working on putting the nest box together. I have cut all the pieces to the design dimensions and when I started trying to put the box together, the pieces weren't making a box without air gaps; no matter how you put it together. Has anyone else that has built the nest box run into this problem? Thanks for any assistance.

I did, but that is only because I didn't take into account the wood dimensions on one of my cuts. You are building the box per the instructions? How thick is the wood you are using?

 

[BigRooNTN]

Link dont work

Try to putting your mouse on the pix of the coop and click. it will bring up the article in PDF. then you can save it as you seem fit. hope this helps.

 

[RonC]

My nestbox lid did not seal correctly. Think they got lazy when they got to the nestbox on the plans or maybe I was tired of cutting and reading instructions. Wound up with a gap between the lid and front panel on the box. My plan is to add pieces around the edge of the lid to form an overhang.

Although my door was raised about 3 inches my bedding kept falling out. Also got tired of bumping my head on the nest boxes and having it as high as the roost. If you have already built yours per the plan all is not lost. I took the nestbox off, removed the front and rear panels. Take the front panel and flip it upside down and mounted it on the rear. Remount the nestbox. That lowered the nestbox about 3 inches off the floor. The old door is now a small window in the back above the nestbox. I cut a new door about six inches from the floor level in the old rear panel and reintalled it on the front. I had already cut all the sides at 42 inches for more ventilation around the sides and front. That might be another mod for you to thnk about. You can see pics in my previous post. I would post a pic but I've lost my buttons to add pics and such for some reason.