Wow, y'all have some great set ups! I'm constantly amazed by the creativity and differences in coop/run designs.
Here's ours:
We went with a portable coop/run since our back yard isn't all that big. The two pieces are separate and each can be moved by one person, tho because of the bulk, it's easier with two. Takes about 5 minutes for DH and me to move the rig, which we do every 3 or 4 days so they always have fresh grass.
The entire roof is hinged so we can get in for maintenance and spreading more bedding. Half of the lower wall in front there is hinged and folds down for access to the nesting boxes. The same set up on the other end folds up so we can rake out the old bedding straight into the wheel barrow. The coop is about 4' x 5' feet for our 6 hens.
Here's a close up of the nesting boxes through the fold down door...looks like someone left us a little present! To date, they ALL use the box on the right, LOL
Here's our back yard shed...see why we chose the design we did? LOL. The colors of everything is the same as the house. DH built the coop in about 2 weeks, working on days off and mornings before work. We have probably $20 invested in it all together. All the wood was stuff we either had on hand from previous projects, or obtained free off Craig's List. We also had the hardware cloth and 3/4" metal conduit we used for the run. We had to buy screws and hinges and paint. The cost for purchased materials was about $80 but most of that was paint, and we didn't come close to using it all, so we have most of it left for future projects.
Here's ours:
We went with a portable coop/run since our back yard isn't all that big. The two pieces are separate and each can be moved by one person, tho because of the bulk, it's easier with two. Takes about 5 minutes for DH and me to move the rig, which we do every 3 or 4 days so they always have fresh grass.
The entire roof is hinged so we can get in for maintenance and spreading more bedding. Half of the lower wall in front there is hinged and folds down for access to the nesting boxes. The same set up on the other end folds up so we can rake out the old bedding straight into the wheel barrow. The coop is about 4' x 5' feet for our 6 hens.
Here's a close up of the nesting boxes through the fold down door...looks like someone left us a little present! To date, they ALL use the box on the right, LOL
Here's our back yard shed...see why we chose the design we did? LOL. The colors of everything is the same as the house. DH built the coop in about 2 weeks, working on days off and mornings before work. We have probably $20 invested in it all together. All the wood was stuff we either had on hand from previous projects, or obtained free off Craig's List. We also had the hardware cloth and 3/4" metal conduit we used for the run. We had to buy screws and hinges and paint. The cost for purchased materials was about $80 but most of that was paint, and we didn't come close to using it all, so we have most of it left for future projects.
