Helpful hints for building coops

[CapricornFarm]

All the plywood is up , except the small piece over the front door. The back wall is the only one not painted on the outside. I still have lots to be painted on the inside.

 

[GardenTillers44]

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

You can burn about any combustible material in it, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should. Agree with Capricornfarm about the plastic and containers with plastic liners etc that produce smoke and fumes that are probably not healthy to breathe. We try not to burn any petroleum based refuse. We recycle everything we can at a county collection site where they take most plastics. Whatever is left that we choose not to burn or can't recycle goes to our business dumpster in town.

 

[dunnmom]

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

Not at all. Because the door fits so tight, the stain and seal rubbed right off from the friction of opening and closing it. All that wiggling and wobbling to fight the door open and closed is what's causing the water to be able to get into the wood. We should have made allowance for the wood to expand and contract with the weather, and we didn't. Lesson learned!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Not at all. Because the door fits so tight, the stain and seal rubbed right off from the friction of opening and closing it. All that wiggling and wobbling to fight the door open and closed is what's causing the water to be able to get into the wood. We should have made allowance for the wood to expand and contract with the weather, and we didn't. Lesson learned!

Yeah, it can be difficult to get doors just right. You don't want a big gap but you don't want it too tight. I still have to build one door and hang one door for my coop. Hopefully they fit! Thanks for sharing.

 

[dunnmom]

Thanks for letting me share. I know it's just a small coop, but it has been really efficient and user friendly for us and our tiny backyard flock. We're pretty proud of our first attempt.

 

[Namrag]

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

I use a burn barrel too as we also don't have trash pick up. Then I turn the ash over in the compost pile.

 

[CapricornFarm]

It is great fun to build something useful. I have been working on this coop for almost a month! Still a lot of work to do, then i have to assemble the runs and build tops over them! I have vinyl to install on the floor before i build the divider.
I am glad to have anyone share their coops, big or small. We can learn something from every build!

 

[CapricornFarm]

Someone give me strength! The big storage buildings are coming today! I am so tired i just want to go back to sleep. Husband will want to get it filled with our stuff and organized.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Going to work on painting today. Already started painting the boards for making the divider. Need to finish inside and the back wall outside. Already used a can of paint inside, and almost another outside. Plus what i used on the boards and plywood for the floor! Must be 5 cans already!

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

Rule of twos....
Make it twice as big as you think you need, walk in....
Put in twice the amount of ventilation you think you need.
It will cost twice as much as you planned.
It will take twice as long to build as you thought it would.

If this is your first flock build coop first, then get chicks.
Since you built it bigger build in a in coop brooder/chicken jail.
Dirt floor for DLM

Gary

I agree by the rule of two! When our first coop project was finally finished, we realized that it was twice as expensive as we expected, but mainly because we did not go to the restore for good used materials. It was faster and easier to go to Home Depot/Lowe's and get them...but convenience came with a cost! We did make ours very large, because even though we had been keeping only about 20 hens for the past few years, we now have over 50, because I like to sell the eggs in our rural community. Our coop is a half-hoop coop and has a brooder inside, as well as all of the nesting boxes and roosts. I use the DLM with pine shavings, which the chickens keep churned up. So far we are very happy with with the new coop. Since my spring incubation resulted in 15 roosters, I now have a separate rooster coop and run, just to help my hens focus on their "job". I spend a lot of time with my girls talking, petting, and caring for them. I love my new BYC t-shirts...