Got my coop framed out, whew! **UPDATED 6/14- MOVING DAY TOMORROW! **

[will hunt for food]

Roof and door completed. I have to paint the door, and make a chicken door, then it's on to the run! At least I can move my birds out real soon.

I used a door that was on the way to the dump. With some careful cutting, we were able to salvage the inner panels and still leep the integrity of it's structure. The blue stuff on the hinges is masking tape. It still needs a latch and door stops on the inside of the frame.

 

[will hunt for food]

Yikes! This took WAAYY longer than I planned on. I still have to do the run, but that can't be near as much work as we put into the coop. The birds move in tomorrow! I can't wait to pack their bags tonight!

Sanding the roost board. I took a router and rounded the edges of the 2x4. My daughter smoothed things up.

My wife made a couple of brackets to hold the access doors open:

Here is a view of the nest boxes. We made 3:

Nest box access from inside the coop, and water and food area:

Pop door in the down position. I still have to do a "cat in the hat" rigging so I can open it from outside the coop:

Roost ladder. I cut down an old rickety wooden ladder:

Poop board covered over with wire, below the roost. Reminds me of a bunk bed with the ladder:

Everything is removable; the ladder, the poop board, the roost and the wire frame over the poop board. I used wing nuts with carriage bolts, and simple drop in brackets:

Rear window propped open. I am going to rig a rope with a pulley to raise and lower it to an infinite # of positions:

Recycled front door. My buddy was going to dump this if I did not want it. It is a nice old heavy wood exterior door that my wife and I cut down to fit:

I covered any possible access in hardware cloth, including the vents. I already caught 3 coons, and the hens have not even moved in yet:

As a final note, this was way more work than my schedule could handle. I am glad the hardest part is done, and my hens can move in. On to the the enclosed run!

 

[branfan]

can you explain the cat in the hat pop door construction?

 

[will hunt for food]

WOW! I can't believe this thread was dug up. It has been a little over 5 years since we built the coop. I still have a couple of hens from my original flock. I now house 20 chickens in the coop/run.

As far as the pop door goes, I simply ran a chord from the top of the pop door to a pulley above it, and then out through a hole to another pulley outside to a cleat where I tie the chord off. I open and close the door from the outside by pulling the chord. In the ummer, the door stays open (entrance to the attached run).

 

[Finnie]

Seeing as this thread was dug up recently after 5 years, can you give us an update of how it has evolved since then? I found it today because I am researching pop doors. I see lots of threads on new coop builds, but it would be nice to also see some that have been in service for years and stood the test of time. Have you redesigned anything? What is your favorite part of your coop?

 

[will hunt for food]

I would not change a thing. As a matter of fact, I have never even had to do any repairs to the coop or run. We have had as many as 20+ chickens at one time with zero problems. I am very satisfied with it. Thanks.

Edit: I added to 2 nest boxes for a total of 5.

 

[will hunt for food]

 

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[will hunt for food]

Those are new construction pictures. It looks better now since the wood has weathered.