Need coop & run design for 25 chicks!!!

[ab333]

I ordered my chick and they arrived on Wed. Now I need to go and buy my lumber and most of the supplies needed to make my coop & run. But..... i will be building this without the help of my hubby so I am hoping someone can help me with design the 6' with the 8 ' front(sorry I am a newbie) is the kind that I would like to build. It seems likean easier one?? PLEASE if someone could help me out with a possible design, with some instructions I would so appreciate it!!!

Also, for the run, I would like to be able to move it around near the coop, but how would I keep it dig proof??
Thanks
amy

 

[wing it]

hi i have some plans for coop thats about what your looking for. try to send soon

 

[faykokoWV]

might be easier to just buy a small storage shed and add nesting boxes, a pop door and roosts.

 

[gottalovemychickens]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBP_XSY39Aw

this is what i have for 30 Chickens

 

[Nostalchic]

Hey Amy, I don't know if you have perused the coops section of this site, but take a few hours and just search around thru those examples. Some posts have really incredible step by step pics and descriptions and rationales for their designs, things not to do, things that are a must, etc. This is an excellent resource; just need to give yourself a few hours (tear yourself away from those little chicks for a bit) and really check it out, take notes, draw pictures. That's what I did, and our coop is really exactly what we needed. People have put lots of time and work into some of these coop posts, and they are incredibly helpful! Good luck, it will be a blast!

 

[slightlyscrambled]

ab333

I'm glad you took my advice on CL&H you'll like it here!

 

[ab333]

Thanks everyone!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Do you have anyone to help you? It's going to be difficult at best to build this thing with no one holding the boards and such for you.

I would suggest making the coop something like 8x8, since plywood (and similar) comes in 4 ft. widths. Cuts down on cutting time a lot. Make sure you build your framework first, so all you need to do is stand it up and connect it together.

 

[patandchickens]

I agree it's easier in some ways to have a helper (although, given the help available to me, ahem <he doesn't read BYC, so I think I'm safe saying this

> I have found that it is usually faster and easier to just do the work single-handed.

And there isn't much that can't be done alone. I've put 20'-long 2x10 beams up 14' in the air by myself, without too much trouble actually; everything else is proportionately easier.

So if you have to build the coop and run yourself, you most certainly can. Think in terms of constructing portions flat (on a very definitely flat piece of ground, like a good patio slab), and using rope or temporary screws or a temporarily-screwed-in piece of 2x4 to prop up the other end of something you can't hold both ends of at once, and so forth.

You *can* do it

At the same time, I will say that it is far, far easier to get a used shed offa Craigslist or wherever, and convert it to chickens, than to build from scratch

Good luck, have fun,

Pat