- Jun 4, 2013
- 5
- 0
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This spring my wife and I (with our 3 eager sons) decided to get a small flock of 6 females at home for pets (with the added benefit of eggs). We had an existing dog run area at our house (10ft x 20ft) that we decided to re-purpose for the chicken run, we just needed a coop. We looked at some of the pre-built coops but decided to build our own so we could personalize it for our needs. I based the initial design (the leg, frame, roof, and wall structure) off of the plans found at the Purina Mills website which I stumbled across in a BYC forum. I made several modifications to the plan:
- I wanted it larger so I could expand the flock slightly (if desired)
- I didn't like the egg boxes above the main door (I want my children to be able to reach the egg boxes and gather eggs)
- Several other little things
I modeled the entire design in Sketchup (if anyone would like the file, let me know) and when we were happy with it we purchased our materials. The initial building of the frame and roof stuck to the sketchup design, but as we got towards the finishing details we deviated in some areas. Here is a list of some of the features of the coop
- ventilation along the front and back of the roof
- 3 egg boxes with a hinged roof
- a "trap door" in the main floor to allow easier cleaning
- the back completely folds down for easier access and cleaning
- a roost bar with 2 levels which also folds up to help aid in cleaning
- hanging food and water bins
- fun colors chosen by my 3 children (who love playing with the chickens)
All openings are covered with 1/4" mesh wire, and the entire run is enclosed in chicken wire. We close them up every night in the coop to help keep them safe (my wife had some bad luck with ducks when she was younger because of racoons). I wanted to share this with the community and I welcome any feedback to help some first time chicken owners.
Update: I tried to add the sketchup file to this but I don't have permission. Because of that, I made it a public document on my google drive located here (hopefully this works...). I am nowhere close to an expert with sketchup, and this if the first "project" I've fully done in it. There are many layers to the design (some with dimensions, some with the layout for prints, some with experimental ideas). As I stated before, this was my starting point, but as the coop started coming together I began deviating from the plan (windows, features, etc). The basic aspects of the frame and roof are accurate (with additions of furing strips for the roof).
- I wanted it larger so I could expand the flock slightly (if desired)
- I didn't like the egg boxes above the main door (I want my children to be able to reach the egg boxes and gather eggs)
- Several other little things
I modeled the entire design in Sketchup (if anyone would like the file, let me know) and when we were happy with it we purchased our materials. The initial building of the frame and roof stuck to the sketchup design, but as we got towards the finishing details we deviated in some areas. Here is a list of some of the features of the coop
- ventilation along the front and back of the roof
- 3 egg boxes with a hinged roof
- a "trap door" in the main floor to allow easier cleaning
- the back completely folds down for easier access and cleaning
- a roost bar with 2 levels which also folds up to help aid in cleaning
- hanging food and water bins
- fun colors chosen by my 3 children (who love playing with the chickens)
All openings are covered with 1/4" mesh wire, and the entire run is enclosed in chicken wire. We close them up every night in the coop to help keep them safe (my wife had some bad luck with ducks when she was younger because of racoons). I wanted to share this with the community and I welcome any feedback to help some first time chicken owners.
Update: I tried to add the sketchup file to this but I don't have permission. Because of that, I made it a public document on my google drive located here (hopefully this works...). I am nowhere close to an expert with sketchup, and this if the first "project" I've fully done in it. There are many layers to the design (some with dimensions, some with the layout for prints, some with experimental ideas). As I stated before, this was my starting point, but as the coop started coming together I began deviating from the plan (windows, features, etc). The basic aspects of the frame and roof are accurate (with additions of furing strips for the roof).
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