My Coop is done....With PICS

[JDN]

That’s the one I wanted but they won’t deliver it and I have no way to get it (would need to rent a truck and drive to Indiana, lol). I’m planning on removing all but one of the nesting boxes in the one I’ve got and mounting the roosting bars higher and at different angles to maximize space. I might even take the nests out completely and bolt one or two on the outside of the coop area. I’m also waffling on just ordering the one that’s like the next size up (the green walk in) but I’m mostly nervous about the visual footprint of that thing in the yard. I’m literally in the city with neighbors right next door and I want to keep to coop as attractive and low profile as possible. I’m torn between adding a low extension to the run and securing everything so the chickens have basically 24/7 access to the run OR just running a chicken wire fence around the whole coop/run combo and letting them out into that “yard” during the day locking them back into the structure at night. I can’t let them free range in my yard because they would turn it into a mud pit in about an hour, haha.

I’m attaching pictures of the Thompson’s I bought and also the corner of the yard I’m planning to set everything up. There’s a lily bed there now under a giant mulberry tree but that tree basically shades most of the yard so those lilies don’t thrive anymore, so pulling them out is fine. Thank you so much for all the insight!

Why pull them out, the chickens will do it for you.

How long x wide is your current coop in your basement?

One thought on "protecting" everything from the Chicago elements...Home Depot sells 2x8 and 2x12 sheets of corrugated plastic PVC roofing, Palruf is one brand. They're $15 or thereabouts. I bet if you asked nicely they'd cut it in half, though they might not due to it being plastic. If they don't a pair of tin snips or shop shears ($15 or thereabouts from HD) or otherwise a utility knife (which you likely have floating around your place) can cut it.

Take your time, go slow, as the stuff is sort of finicky and can crack, and cut it to be 12 inches longer and wider than the coop. That gives a 6'inch overhang on all four sides.

Attach to the roof to protect from rain/snow. Use screws, but drill pilot holes (those are holes in the pvc/wood where the screws will go) first so you don't crack the pvc roofing.

Other Option: Look for a resin shed for sale. https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...55-c-9658.htm?tid=8429964348590458214&ipos=12. Put nesting boxes and roost bars and cut a door, or even leave on side as a wire front with the door on that. Open the top to collect your eggs.

 

[Cloudlover]

The coop/run combo kit is about 40" some inches wide and 84" long I believe. I like the idea of putting a basic roof over the whole thing. Would be easy to cover the "lily bed run/yard" with one of those. Home Depot would have to cut it or else I would need to see if they could deliver it. The woes of living in the city with a Honda hatchback! I would just rent a truck if I knew everything I would need to pick up in one go, but we all know construction projects never happen that way... Maybe if I can start with a simple roof structure it'll be good practice for eventually building a coop from scratch. We can at least screw 2x4"s together if nothing else!

 

[Cloudlover]

I am now sort of derailing this original convo but your comment about that producer's pride coop got me looking on TSC again and I looked more closely at this one- https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-hill-country-coop

The run is too small, but I'm realizing if I end up doing my original idea of putting a larger run/yard around the other coop anyway, then I may as well just get that "Hill Country" coop since it's a good bit bigger (the coop part) than the innovation pet one. I'm realizing that the hardest part to all of this for me is going to be building the coop, the run would be the easy part. And I don't think that Hill Country coop is going to require as much rigging as the other one to make it a happy spot for 4 hens! I wish I could find more real-life reviews of it!

 

[JDN]

I am now sort of derailing this original convo but your comment about that producer's pride coop got me looking on TSC again and I looked more closely at this one- https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-hill-country-coop

The run is too small, but I'm realizing if I end up doing my original idea of putting a larger run/yard around the other coop anyway, then I may as well just get that "Hill Country" coop since it's a good bit bigger (the coop part) than the innovation pet one. I'm realizing that the hardest part to all of this for me is going to be building the coop, the run would be the easy part. And I don't think that Hill Country coop is going to require as much rigging as the other one to make it a happy spot for 4 hens! I wish I could find more real-life reviews of it!

Is the fence yours? Another option would be to make a lean-to style. Get 3 4x8 piece of plywood, a couple door hinges, and make a Right Triangle lean to. Screw nesting boxes into the fence. Put another 4x8 on the ground as the floor with pressure treated 2x4s screwed to it to elevate it a few inches. Extend run off with chicken wire/hardware cloth.

The TSC Hacienda model might work too, especially if you conjoin the run/house you alredy have.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I would feel MUCH better about having them fully "enclosed" (roof, sides, hardware cloth apron all around the full run) all day long, but if I don't do the full enchilada I could give them something a little bigger. Like a cross between a run and a free range situation. And then lock them up in the fortress at night.

My pics didn't attach to the last post so here is the water seal I grabbed and then the area in the yard where I'm thinking of putting them. The bricks around the sad lilies is where I'd just create the chicken yard. Let them pull the lilies up for me, lol. If there was an easy way to get those bushes up against the garage out of the way I'd put it alongside that, but those would be a pain to get out (I can't just yank them out with a pickup, haha). So I'm thinking of orienting the coop parallel to the wood fence with the run and "yard" in that lily bed area. We have neighbors on the other side of that fence so I'd have to tuck the chicken wire into the dirt to keep them from digging through. Hopefully that corner will serve as a bit of a wind block in the winter and the mulberry tree will give a ton of shade in the summer. That's the east side of my yard. I haven't measured that exact spot but it's probably about 15' by 5'.

View attachment 1344914 View attachment 1344915 View attachment 1344916

I would say to wipe down the wood and apply. You should be good. Wait the recommended time and apply another coat and you will be good to go. If you do it before constructing, it might be easier?

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I am now sort of derailing this original convo but your comment about that producer's pride coop got me looking on TSC again and I looked more closely at this one- https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-hill-country-coop

The run is too small, but I'm realizing if I end up doing my original idea of putting a larger run/yard around the other coop anyway, then I may as well just get that "Hill Country" coop since it's a good bit bigger (the coop part) than the innovation pet one. I'm realizing that the hardest part to all of this for me is going to be building the coop, the run would be the easy part. And I don't think that Hill Country coop is going to require as much rigging as the other one to make it a happy spot for 4 hens! I wish I could find more real-life reviews of it!

I almost got that one for my ducks. I think the producer price coops seem better constructed and the roosts are up higher.

 

[Cloudlover]

I almost got that one for my ducks. I think the producer price coops seem better constructed and the roosts are up higher.

Exactly! That's what I am gathering from real-life reviews. I also like that the one side opens completely for easy clean up. Seems like it would be easy enough to elevate on some bricks or even a platform and create additional run space underneath. Like there are actually more configuration options with that one, especially if i have to relocate it or something at some point. The more I talk through my coop-craze with friends, the more who are coming out the woodwork (pun intended!) who have some kind of construction skills. I never would have imagined I'd have spent this much time worrying about my baby's first house!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

For some reason they keep removing that one from the tsc website. I thought maybe they were discontinued, but I guess not.

 

[sphillips]

I bought a Prod Pride Walk In Prairie Coop almost 2 months ago for my 6 Red Production hens. Painted it inside and out with good quality exterior latex paint. Added ventilation, beefed up hardware and my husband added a 2x4 base. Secured it I. The ground with 4' long rebar stakes pounded in. We sealed any obvious issues with the house itself (was is good shape for the most part.) So far its holding up well, but it is super dry where we live. I wouldn't say its quite big enough for 6 hens. Bought a Innovation Pet coop from TSC. Much bigger, plenty enough for 6 hens. My 6 bantams will go in the smaller one. They do have an attached larger run and will free range. The Innovation Pet coop is ok, but definitely not as good quality as the Producers Pride.

 

[sphillips]

Here are pics of the first coop. We added more ventilation and raised the roosts up higher.