From tool shed to Coop?

[jthornton]

JT, you have a lot of time on your hands. These are some great ideas.

I'll need to start out a little simpler for now, but I'm bookmarking this great stuff.

What is the main benefit of this design? Keeping the hens from eating the eggs?

Texas Wine Guy

Actually the front roll out inside nest box is a much simpler design and I'm drawing it up now.

The advantages are:
Clean Eggs
Keep the Hens from eating them
Did I mention Clean Eggs
No Straw to clean I use a carpet runner.

Just the opposite on time... never can find my Round Tuit so I have to hit and run so to speak.

What I think I'll do as I have a 8' wide poop table is to put the nest box in the middle and two smaller feeders on each side based off my feeder design. I should make that an article but no time.

JT

 

[jthornton]

Here is what I cobbled up real fast tonight. You can see it's pretty simple and I'm thinking of just having a couple of cleats under the egg cover to keep it in place so no hinges to mess with. Cleats under the false floor to set the angle. To clean or replace the carpet runner you lift the back of the false floor and slide it out the front.



TWG thanks for inspiring me to think outside the box!

Chicken Time!

JT

 

[TexasWineGuy]

Here is what I cobbled up real fast tonight. You can see it's pretty simple and I'm thinking of just having a couple of cleats under the egg cover to keep it in place so no hinges to mess with. Cleats under the false floor to set the angle. To clean or replace the carpet runner you lift the back of the false floor and slide it out the front.

View attachment 1851218

TWG thanks for inspiring me to think outside the box!

Chicken Time!

JT

If you get detailed DWG's please post them in PDF format. I'm watching this carefully.

I just applied the second coat of Black Jack #57 on my new coop floor, so I'm literally ready to start building the new "coop furniture". Curious to see what you come up with!

Texas Wine Guy

 

[jthornton]

If you get detailed DWG's please post them in PDF format. I'm watching this carefully.

I can do that as well in SolidWorks, I just posted the jpg so you could get an idea of what I'm talking about. I'll see about building one tomorrow. Too hot to do anything else outside.

JT

 

[TexasWineGuy]

I can do that as well in SolidWorks, I just posted the jpg so you could get an idea of what I'm talking about. I'll see about building one tomorrow. Too hot to do anything else outside.

JT

Tell me about it. 95 degrees here with 85% humidity = brutal. I'd like to work most of the day on this to get it done but the weather just saps the strength out of me after a few hours.

I was planning on building my nest-poop-tray-roost perch tomorrow but I will wait to see what you come up with.


Texas Wine Guy

 

[jthornton]

Made a few changes to the construction mostly due to my old sheet of plywood was not very flat lol.

This is the completed frame except I forgot to offset the 1x2's in the back for the thickness of the osb back.


This view you can see the 1x2's that support the false floor and pull the plywood into submission not to mention flat too.


This shows the yet to be cut piece of OSB that will be the removable false floor. I make it removable because you need to clean it from time to time and sometimes hose off the carpet runner when an egg breaks.


More news at 3...

JT

 

[jthornton]

All it needs now is some curtains and carpet runner. Too hot to try and install it today, so I'm taking the rest of the day off...







JT

 

[TexasWineGuy]

Betcha you could sell those . . . .

TWG

 

[blackdog043]

Looking good @jthornton , You should make an article on your build.

 

[TexasWineGuy]

Update on the build:

With some prompting from @jthornton I started to build the coop nesting box/poop table/roost combo. I have the nesting box tray (48x20") and the Poop table tray 48x24" done. Each has a hinged front edge so that I can easily clean the areas as needed. For a front edge locking mechanism I chose to insert some 1/4-20 T-nuts in the front ledge and then just hand thread in a SS 1/4-20 bolt from the left and right side. See pic below. Works well.

I also got my 2 coop windows in the mail today and managed to get one of the installed despite the 95 degree - 90% humidity that today brought. I modified the top and bottom frame 2x4's to accommodate the pleats in the shed wall metal. Note the relief cuts I made in the 2x4's so they would fit flush. Everything fit together very well (except of course I botched the lengths of the top and bottom 2x4's on the frame. Minor issue that I will correct when I install the second coop window tomorrow.

Yesterday I also installed a 30 AMP fused disconnect box high on my house outside wall, just under the soffit. From there I will run UF wire through PVC conduit to get underground. UF for the main length, then conduit again to come up out of the ground and through the shed wall. My IUF wire should arrive in a coupe days.

I wish it was October.

Texas Wine Guy