My pallet hybrid coop!

[lazy gardener]

Show your hubby some of the threads started by folks who had their birds loose toes, feet and combs during the last few winters. Almost all of these injuries were caused by too many birds in a too small coop or a coop without enough ventilation.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Show your hubby some of the threads started by folks who had their birds loose toes, feet and combs during the last few winters. Almost all of these injuries were caused by too many birds in a too small coop or a coop without enough ventilation.

I understand. I will figure something out. He has worked really hard to make this. It doesn't come naturally to him.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@jthornton and @lazy gardener if we were to add ventilation to the door - what would be a good way to go about it?

 

[jthornton]

One good thing about using screws for construction you can take them out when you discover you have made a mistake and we all make mistakes while we learn. The door is on a side with no overhang so any openings there will get rain and snow in so not really a good place to have a vent. I would remove the few screws that hold the front and back sheet metal on and cut a full 6" strip out of the OSB and cover it with 1/2" hardware cloth. 1/2" hardware cloth is the only thing that will keep even the smallest predator out of your coop at night. A 6" x 48" opening on front and back give you 4 square feet of ventilation which is enough for 4 chickens.

Many times I have had to redesign something after building. I built my coop from photos on the web before I discovered BYC and after 3-4 redesigns after I built it and multiple small modifications I now have a safe, functioning place for my girls to sleep at night year round. I still have some modifications planned this summer to my pretty but barely functional coop to get better ventilation lol.

JT

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Thanks JT, I appreciate the input.

 

[lazy gardener]

I am also a fan of screws, and FENDER WASHERS. I buy fender washers by the pound, and love my 18V Ryobi drill. I recently bought a 18V hi-beam Zenon flood light to get double duty out of those rechargable batteries. That thing will light up the entire yard. Good for doing predator patrol.

 

[WickedChicksNH]

loving how it is coming along!!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Well. It is finally done. I need to tweak a few things, but for now it will be home to my 4 starting tomorrow. It cost us almost nothing but time. We used a lot of scraps that were leftover from other projects. Freed up a lot of space that can be utilized in better ways. The only money we have in it is the ador 1 chicken door, a gallon of paint, the vinyl stuff to make the nest boxes pretty. Which btw, the nest box is a repurosed kitchen cabinet. I put the door on backwards to make it slanted so that they couldn't roost on top at night.
Oh, and the ramp is painted purple because I had read about adding sand to the paint to make the wood less slippery after I had already painted it white. I was out of the white paint. The purple paint is leftover and was used for the nest boxes, so added the sand and repainted the ramp.

 

[chickens really]

Well. It is finally done. I need to tweak a few things, but for now it will be home to my 4 starting tomorrow. It cost us almost nothing but time. We used a lot of scraps that were leftover from other projects. Freed up a lot of space that can be utilized in better ways. The only money we have in it is the ador 1 chicken door, a gallon of paint, the vinyl stuff to make the nest boxes pretty. Which btw, the nest box is a repurosed kitchen cabinet. I put the door on backwards to make it slanted so that they couldn't roost on top at night.
Oh, and the ramp is painted purple because I had read about adding sand to the paint to make the wood less slippery after I had already painted it white. I was out of the white paint. The purple paint is leftover and was used for the nest boxes, so added the sand and repainted the ramp.
View attachment 1363036 View attachment 1363037 View attachment 1363039 View attachment 1363040 View attachment 1363043 View attachment 1363045 View attachment 1363047 View attachment 1363049 View attachment 1363071

That's fabulous.......

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

That's fabulous.......

Thank you! I will let my hubby know. He worked really hard on it (I helped, but he did most of the work). The nest box is all my creation though. Oh, I also made the ramp!