Here's our coop....almost finished!

[idispatch4911]

I just had to share. A friend at work actually built it for me and put the rock on the front and back of our "chicken chateau." I built the ramp to the covered roost - and we're covering it with 1/2" hardware mesh since we have 2 curious dogs (pit/lab mixes) and we'll have to put some down on the edges so the dogs don't dig under. I'm still working on the "man door" - hinges in place, door frame mostly done. Can't wait for my 1 week old chickies to grow up and use it!

It was supposed to be a small chicken tractor, but when someone else is building it, they have their own ideas. The structure footprint is about 5ft by 8ft. I've installed a roosting pole and will put in a few more here and there. I'm thinking the food will be under the covered section in case of rain, etc.





And the other view...



Any suggestions? I'm a little concerned about the actual size of the covered area where they'll lay. It's about 4ft wide by 3ft wide with the a-frame roof. Is that big enough? Or should I expand that out a bit?

Thanks.

 

[BlueBetween]

how many chickens? I might cover the other side of the house area with a roof too. they'll need shade and shelter from the rain.

 

[idispatch4911]

Just 4 so far, but I keep looking at the "for sale" boards here. It gets pretty windy here, and I'm also thinking about a wind break on the bottom. We'll see how things develop. Thanks for your input!

 

[bryan99705]

Nice looking coop!

If you cover the other half of the roof and one end then run another perch they would have a choice of where they want to be and can move out of the wind when they want to

If you tack a ring of wire to the underside of the base and that will help with stopping the digging and will move with the coop. Dogs typically start digging right next to the fenceline or wall

After your builder is done, you can always extend the bottom rails, attach wheels and rig a hand rail on the opposite side to move it

 

[epeloquin]

It is a nice looking coop. Very portable...almost more of a truck. With those dimensions I would definitely not exceed 4 chickens.

 

[chickenlickin8]

Quote:
I like it! Can you post pics of the inside? Looks kinda small for nesting and roosting areas. Adding an external nest box would help create more space inside as well

I've learned over the years that coops are always a work in progress....I'm always looking to make upgrades

 

[idispatch4911]

Just from the few suggestions here, I think I'll sink another $50 and a few weekends into it to make my girls super happy. I'm also toying with the idea of a separate run with some extra space I have. 3ft by 30ft. How many chickens would that add? LOL!!

I think the nesting box needs some major adjustments, but that will take time - and I have twin 4 year olds who keep me busy and I work full time.... Maybe it will get done by the time my chickies start laying.

For roosting area, I'll just drill some 2x2 pieces of wood to the corners of the bottom and middle so they can hop on the open ground and on the roost.