Helpful hints for building coops

[aart]

A stainless steel burn cage that we have used for all kinds of things including chicken yard waste that we don't compost. Good for biosecurity if needed. Where we live there is no trash service (or any service for that matter!) Pricey, but lasts a lifetime. http://www.drpower.com/power-equipment/burncage/View attachment 1112112

That's pretty sweet....can you burn up plastic in it?

 

[CapricornFarm]

That's pretty sweet....can you burn up plastic in it?

I would not want to burn plastic, too many nasty fumes!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Great thread! I check in every night now. It seems we are constantly evolving our coop and run. Some of the things that have worked to make things easier for us and the flock:
View attachment 1111973
I added 4 removable for cleaning 2x3 roosing bars at 12" x 12" intervals. You could use 2x4's with larger breeds. We also use trays under roosts and hanging feeders. Trays available at
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/s?keyword=garden+tray or at:
https://www.chewy.com/s?query=dog+crate+replacement+pans&nav-submit-button=

View attachment 1111975
I originally wanted plastic 2x4's but realized they would sag over a 6 ft span.
View attachment 1111976
I added window screen over the predator screen on vent holes today to keep out mosquitoes (not shown). We put vent holes along the sides and at the rooftop. I have plexiglas squares to cover the holes by the perches in cooler weather.
View attachment 1111978
Added raised bed herb boxes around the coop for nibbles and whatever benefits they may supply. Note the wire fencing arch over the bed to keep girls from tilling the bed.

View attachment 1111981
We added a 275 sq ft run made of dog run fencing (2 gates) and dried it in with 2x4 rafters and corrugated Polylite at a 7 degree pitch for runoff. Once we are finished with the adjacent garden, we open the gates and let the girls enjoy the leftovers and till in this year's compost. The compound is surrounded by an electric Premier 1 Poultry Mesh, which hasn't been breeched in the 18 months we have used it.

I used Premiere 1 fencing for my goats and it does work quite well. Thanks for posting!

 

[CapricornFarm]

CapricornFarm: "What types of chickens do you have?"

1-Partridge Rock (the Henmaster), 2-AmberLinks, 1-SL Wyandotte, 3-Welsummers, 3-Light Sussex, 2-Ameraucanas, 2-Olive Eggers, 1-Black Copper Marans, 1-Blue Copper Marans, 1-Buff Orpington, 1-RIR, 1-Jubilee Orpington roo, 1-Coronation Sussex roo

They all get along as well as chickens can. The PR rules the roost, even the roos don't mess with her. The roos get along so far and are watch over the girls, so far they also get along fine with us as well. We spend a lot of time working in the garden around the chickens and I think that helps with the attitude.

It was cleaning day today. A little off topic, but here are a couple accessories for the chicken yard and garden that have come in very handy:
Pooper Scooper (a great idea from a BYC post) and a garden Tubtrug (online at Amazon.com or Tubtrugs.com) that is easy to clean and sterilize. One of the kennel trays from Chewy.com that we put under the crumbles.
View attachment 1112109
A stainless steel burn cage that we have used for all kinds of things including chicken yard waste that we don't compost. Good for biosecurity if needed. Where we live there is no trash service (or any service for that matter!) Pricey, but lasts a lifetime. http://www.drpower.com/power-equipment/burncage/View attachment 1112112

Great selection of chickens! Thanks for sharing those useful items.

 

[CapricornFarm]

The chicks are here!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Coop progress, one wall left to complete!

 

[dunnmom]

Ok. So, I got a few pics of our coop. As I said, I will tell you what went right and what went wrong.

First off, I love the design! I like the way the roof pitches, the height is just right (no need for a ramp), really easy to clean with a push-broom and something to catch the bedding underneath. Since the whole front opens, we have full access to every corner from the outside. The hens seem happy with their allotted space. The sand under the coop stays dry, so they always have a dust bath spot. Coop and run have been predator proofed. No gaps. Here's where I start complaining. My husband constructed the entire thing with screws and bolts. He also attempted to seal the wood with deck sealer. The run door sticks horribly in overly wet or hot conditions. He could have made a half inch reduction on 3 sides to help with that. Also, the over-use of screws just lets moisture into the wood, even with the Thompson's Water Seal over it. As you can see, we're losing a panel on the weather flap because the screw just pulled right out when I opened it after some rain. Something similiar is going on with the coop door, and it's just going to get too soft and break one day when it's swollen. At some point, he'll redo the door and the weather flap for me, and hopefully the less mobile parts of the coop and run will hold together better. He built this according to minimum requirements of space for 12 standard chickens. We found out it wasn't enough space for that many the hard way. I wished he would have listened to the advice of building twice as big as you think you'll need, but it ended up working out because I only really have time to take care of 6 chickens anyways.

Edit: I forgot to mention that this coop holds heat really well in the winter. Probably due to the small size. Once we figured out we needed to put the insulation foam board on the outside the walls (chickens ate it when it was inside), it stayed at least 10 degrees warmer (more when they were all inside) in there with no added heat source, even with the chicken door open. No frost-bite last year at all.

 

[aart]

The chicks are here!View attachment 1112251

WooHoo!!
Is that 1/2" mesh under them? Kinda hard on the tinies feet.

 

[CapricornFarm]

WooHoo!!
Is that 1/2" mesh under them? Kinda hard on the tinies feet.

There are paper towels in most of it. They went to the back when i tried to get a picture

 

[CapricornFarm]

Ok. So, I got a few pics of our coop. As I said, I will tell you what went right and what went wrong. View attachment 1112512View attachment 1112513 View attachment 1112524View attachment 1112527
First off, I love the design! I like the way the roof pitches, the height is just right (no need for a ramp), really easy to clean with a push-broom and something to catch the bedding underneath. Since the whole front opens, we have full access to every corner from the outside. The hens seem happy with their allotted space. The sand under the coop stays dry, so they always have a dust bath spot. Coop and run have been predator proofed. No gaps. Here's where I start complaining. My husband constructed the entire thing with screws and bolts. He also attempted to seal the wood with deck sealer. The run door sticks horribly in overly wet or hot conditions. He could have made a half inch reduction on 3 sides to help with that. Also, the over-use of screws just lets moisture into the wood, even with the Thompson's Water Seal over it. As you can see, we're losing a panel on the weather flap because the screw just pulled right out when I opened it after some rain. Something similiar is going on with the coop door, and it's just going to get too soft and break one day when it's swollen. At some point, he'll redo the door and the weather flap for me, and hopefully the less mobile parts of the coop and run will hold together better. He built this according to minimum requirements of space for 12 standard chickens. We found out it wasn't enough space for that many the hard way. I wished he would have listened to the advice of building twice as big as you think you'll need, but it ended up working out because I only really have time to take care of 6 chickens anyways.

Thanks for showing us your coop! Was the wood wet when it was stained?