We started building a new chicken coop today. The old duck house they are in won't be big enough for 5, just the 3 that are there already.
The plan was to make it similar to the duck house. But taller off the ground.
So we picked up wood.
The foot print of the coop is 6x3.
We got this far before we thought to go grab the camera.
The legs are 2x4s cut to 5' lengths, screwed together to make the corner. We then did the 3' end using fence boards. Once we had both short ends done, we stood them up (upside down) and squared it and started adding the 6' lengths of fence board.
walls of coop done
flipped it back right side up again. Abby (the great dane), checks it out from below
Moved it out of the shed to finish out where it was going before it got any heavier (seriously wet 2x4s at HD today)
from above - the braces for the floor
floor set in
The bugs were out in force at this point, so we called it a day.
Now to decide what exactly we are going to do tomorrow.
I think we are going to make the top 4 boards on the short ends hinge down on both ends. And put a chicken access door in the front on the long end. We'll add the roof tomorrow (which will match the duck house roof, but not open as there's no way for me to reach in without a ladder!
There will be max 5 chickens. 2 buff orpingtons, 1 barred rock and maybe 2 polish (Penelope has turned out to be a boy and Oliver we don't know about yet, he's still being quiet).
We are thinking we'll put roosts on both short ends, but maybe also just long the back wall.
How far up should they be from the floor?
How wide should a poop board be under the roost to collect all the poop?
How wide/narrow a ramp can they navigate
What else do we need to consider?
We'll head to breakfast in the AM, get some paint at HD so I can paint the inside boards before the chickens move in. Want to make sure we get everything we need to finish up, or at last as much as possible be finished tomorrow.
The plan was to make it similar to the duck house. But taller off the ground.
So we picked up wood.
The foot print of the coop is 6x3.
We got this far before we thought to go grab the camera.
The legs are 2x4s cut to 5' lengths, screwed together to make the corner. We then did the 3' end using fence boards. Once we had both short ends done, we stood them up (upside down) and squared it and started adding the 6' lengths of fence board.
walls of coop done
flipped it back right side up again. Abby (the great dane), checks it out from below
Moved it out of the shed to finish out where it was going before it got any heavier (seriously wet 2x4s at HD today)
from above - the braces for the floor
floor set in
The bugs were out in force at this point, so we called it a day.
Now to decide what exactly we are going to do tomorrow.
I think we are going to make the top 4 boards on the short ends hinge down on both ends. And put a chicken access door in the front on the long end. We'll add the roof tomorrow (which will match the duck house roof, but not open as there's no way for me to reach in without a ladder!
There will be max 5 chickens. 2 buff orpingtons, 1 barred rock and maybe 2 polish (Penelope has turned out to be a boy and Oliver we don't know about yet, he's still being quiet).
We are thinking we'll put roosts on both short ends, but maybe also just long the back wall.
How far up should they be from the floor?
How wide should a poop board be under the roost to collect all the poop?
How wide/narrow a ramp can they navigate
What else do we need to consider?
We'll head to breakfast in the AM, get some paint at HD so I can paint the inside boards before the chickens move in. Want to make sure we get everything we need to finish up, or at last as much as possible be finished tomorrow.
