My Coop Update...Lots of Pics

[BettyR]

We have been working on this coop since the end of February. It is taking so long because none of us is a carpenter and we are making this up as we go; we have to discuss and agree on every detail before we do it and several times we have had to take things apart and redo it.


This is our base:

These are our walls:

The rafters:

The roof:

Sky Lights:

The walls: It’s a rainy day so we covered the front with a tarp to keep rain out.

Shot of the coop from the back porch swing:

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Nice so far......but why such a large overhang on each side? Are they going to be used for storage or something? Can't wait to see it finished.

 

[tiffanyh]

Great! Are you doing runs under the overhangs?

 

[Omeletta]

WOW! That's great so far! Are the runs going to be under the roofed area?

That is awesome...good job!

Tanya

 

[EllyMae]

VERY nice. And I must add that the brindle dog in one of your pics is beautiful, too. I'm a sucker for a brindle coat!

 

[Stumpy]

That's a nice, big coop! I can't wait to see the finished product. Construction can be a slow process sometimes. I especially like the skylights.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[BettyR]

The large overhangs were DH’s idea. He plans to use the rafters of the overhangs for storage and they are also there to keep the rain out of the open windows. And have a dry place outside for some feed and water.

Our climate is sub-tropical; we get a lot of rain but it is also hot. We need to be able to leave the windows open so there will be plenty of airflow through but we don’t want it raining into the coop.

The windows are going to be covered with hardware cloth but they will also have solid shutters that can be closed in the winter and in case of a hurricane. We attached each joist and rafter with hurricane clips and cemented the posts into the ground.

Edited to add: We are going to fence in that whole area there on that side of the pond for the chickens.



Quote:
That's my baby Cricket. She's an American Mastiff, she weighs about 150 pounds but she thinks she's a 15 pound lap dog.

This is Cricket Christmas morning...Mama gave her one of those extra large rawhide bones thinking it would last her the rest of the day; Cricket chewed it up like it was bubble gum in just a few minutes. You can tell by the look on her face she thinks she's in trouble.

 

[NickyNawlins]

The coop design looks great. I live in lower Louisiana and my husband's design is similiar to ya'lls but I didnt think about how far out to put our roof to keep the rain out. So thanks for the idea.

 

[CarlaRiggs]

Betty,

The hen house is wonderful!

You and your son have done a fabulous job of 'stumbling around in the dark'

. I love the wide overhang... it will give the birds a lot of protection from the rain.
It's a great design, and a *lot* of work.
Like you, I'll be putting hardware cloth on the windows because we have hot, but dry, summers here in southern California. Because of the snakes in your neck of the woods, you may want to put on 1/2" hardware cloth. This will help keep out all but the smallest snakes. And if they're unlucky enough to enter the coop, the hens will probably eat them!

Please post more photos as you get farther along.

Terrific job! Give yourselves some pats on the back.

 

[Cetawin]

I like it a lot. Love the broad overhands...gives dry storage areas, shade for the chickens and keeps the rain out. Excellent design. Hurricane clips....are you in Florida?

I am a native Floridian so I know all about that nonsense.