How far would you go to make a nice coop?

[Wise Woman]

Thank you birdicus7 for the warm welcome. I definitely feel that if I am going to try to change our ordinances, I have to be a good example. In the meanwhile, they are leaving me alone and I like that a lot! Although it has never really been our chickens that are the problem, it is our goats. But now that I have won my case, they don't bother me about either thing.

I will be looking for a good deal on hardware cloth. I am sure it will cost more than we think, but we are just going to go step by step and each payday, buying what ever materials we can, install them and wait until next pay day. So we will just keep going till it's done. I hope to turns out nice.

 

[yelim]

I wanted to start with 25 birds so $2000 later I have a 10 X 12 with large run that so far nothing has gotten into. Poop door stays open 7x24. I have ferral cats that roam the area but no losses from breeching the run or coop. Before purchaseing birds I put an open can of tuna in the run over night and was not touched the next morning.

 

[calista]

Hi, and welcome! You're spot on with your stated goals and the process to get there, IMHO. The end result will no doubt pay off in ways for you and your neighbors that you haven't even dreamed of yet.

As long as you're soliciting input, it would be a big help to identify your climate and general location, along with posting some "BEFORE" pictures.

 

[abundantwife]

I think you should build your "dream" coop as budget allows. I spend a lot of time with my birds and having a nice coop is a bonus. Check out all the coop design threads on this website and you may even discover some ideas that you'll want to use in your new coop.
Take pictures as you build and submit them to one of the coop contests-- sounds like you are going to build a winner!

 

[kraftyladies]

I love your ideas! And someone else stated I think, that you will be the one looking at it every day, so you need to be the one pleased with it. I have been looking over plans and trying to decide what I want. I want it to be functional, but also cute, fun and pleasing to the eye. I am finding what I can to use that is reclaimed, or found, but also want it to last, so will be like you, purchasing what I can when I can. I don't plan on spending a fortune either, as we don't have it. Would love to see before, during , and after pictures. I bet it's going to be great!

 

[Wise Woman]

Quote:
Hi Calista. I live in the mountains in southern California. So we get all four seasons. It can get into the 80's in the summer and down to single digits in the winter. Heat waves of 90 or higher are rare and when they do occur, it is generally only for a few days a year. Same with the single digit temps. Generally it goes into the 20's or 30's in the winter and high 70's to low 80's in the summer. We can get as much as 3 or more feet of snow in one storm and in wet years, we get several of these storms or a week of rain. This is why I want a covered run attached to the new coop and the covered run will have a door for them to go out into the big goat pen if they want to. But in the winter they will have somewhere covered to go. We will be putting plastic around the covered run so it stays snow and rain free. The whole coop and covered run will be surrounded by railroad ties as a buffer to the snow and rain as well. We will be putting rain spouting on the new coop/run as well.

There are two oak trees to the left of where the coop will be that will provide shade in the summer and let sun through in the winter. There are oak trees, apple trees and a peach tree around the goat pen as well for the same reason. The coop will be raised about 3 ft off the ground so they will have the room under the coop as well. Their food and water will be in the covered run and the cans with food and scratch will be under the coop. We will be using a light bulb in a cinder block to keep the water warm in the winter. The new coop will have a sleeping shelf with a perch in front of it and a small ladder up to it and there will be a heat lamp above that for winter. There will be lots of screened doors and windows to open in the summer to let breezes flow through. It will be vented as well for good air circulation. We will be putting a solar motion sensor light on the outside.

I am trying to think of every thing, so this coop turns out perfect. I have spent way too much time at the coop pictures here and everytime I think I am set, I see something else I want! I really appreciate everyone sharing their coop pictures and stories. Thanks so much.

 

[CacklingCarolyn]

I am a newbie and the coop design is what brought me to BYC. I say go with your ideas. I have looked into Peddler's Malls, consignment shops, Craigslist etc for things to reuse or repurpose. Your ideas sound wonderful. I would love to see pictures as well.

 

[calista]

Thanks for the additional information, and I can already see it coming together in my mind's eye...

One tip I can share that worked for us is checking with your local county extension service's poultry specialist, or whatever the equivalent is in your area. This person will have a wealth of local lore to share about what kind of coops are in use, what works and what doesn't, and maybe even a few people amenable to letting you come tour their setups and ask your questions.

 

[coloradonewbie]

I am in the midst of building my coop, so I'm definitely a newbie, but I read somewhere on BYC that the press-on tiles become an absolute nightmare, so you might research that some on here . . . .

Your coop sounds wonderful! I may have to unscrew everything and start all over, hee, hee!

 

[fried green eggs]

I told my husband when he started calling our new coop the Royal Palace - I wasn't building our new coop for the chickens - I was building it for me LOL so, I say build what makes you happy

and build it for low maintance. You would be surprised what great stuff you can find at Resale/Reuse shops. I found 4x8 and 4x10 heavy plastic sheets (used for around bath/showers) at the Habitat Resale Shop for $5.00 a sheet. I put it on the interior walls instead of plywood, used it for under poop trays, nesting boxes and I even put it on the floor instead of buying linolium because the stuff is tough. I caulked all seams and corners and now I will be able to power wash the inside of our coop to keep it clean.

Good Luck building your new Coop!