New Old Coop Built!

[Basement_Poultry]

Saw this design years ago and has never left my mind. I'm sure many of you have seen it among the free plans and originally from North Dakota Ag. College. - The Victory Poultry House.

At the time I saw it, I didn't have near the space to have this size of hen house, nor was the neighborhood savvy on having chickens period.

Many years later, we finally moved to the country where I have 5 acres and can do whatever I want!

I decided to build this design using reclaimed materials I had such as 2x4, cedar fence boards, and so on. I'm only into it about $150-200 or so for the windows, roof, hinges, tar felt, ect... so I'm happy about that.

So far the young chickens seem to enjoy the space and I'm sure will be excited when I finish the run off the right side (currently in process).

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Awesome job there, buddy...... I dig it!

 

[townchicks]

That looks really nice. Congrats on your move to the country.

 

[aart]

Cool!
Wow, you waited 10 years (since joining here) to get chickens?

@Howard E just built one of these too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-victory-house.1225477/

 

[Basement_Poultry]

Cool!
Wow, you waited 10 years (since joining here) to get chickens?

@Howard E just built one of these too.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-victory-house.1225477/

Ha, yeah I guess I was lurking for 10 years... I started an acct. when I was all motivated, but then mothballed it for 10 years till now.

 

[cmom]

new, old member. Now you're back home again... Good luck and have fun...

 

[Howard E]

Looks like you did an excellent job and stayed true to the design and plans. I deviated a bit.

I see a ton of small houses on BYC, many of which are thrown together with some care and concern (builders meant well), but absolutely no knowledge of how a chicken house works or how it should have been done, so they make mistakes galore. They should save themselves a lot of headaches and build this one!

This little house has it all and is about perfect for a flock of 6 to 12 birds. I'm really impressed with it and that from someone who also has a Woods house.

Again, great job!

 

[Basement_Poultry]

Looks like you did an excellent job and stayed true to the design and plans. I deviated a bit.

I see a ton of small houses on BYC, many of which are thrown together with some care and concern (builders meant well), but absolutely no knowledge of how a chicken house works or how it should have been done, so they make mistakes galore. They should save themselves a lot of headaches and build this one!

This little house has it all and is about perfect for a flock of 6 to 12 birds. I'm really impressed with it and that from someone who also has a Woods house.

Again, great job!

How'd you end up moving yours? I used the ol' Egyptian method of rolling it on something. Use a couple pipes and it went very well. Even turns well since the pipe is smooth.

 

[Howard E]

I built it on skids to be portable.



Four skids, made from 4 x 4 pressure treated for ground contact timbers, 2' on center, which also supported the front and back wall framing, which supports the rafters. Decking on those was 2 x 6 ground contact pressure treated tongue and groove lumber. House was then built upon that platform. It is solid.

The two inside skids were given a "clevis" for towing, front and back, made from a couple loops of #9 wire. So hook on with anything large enough to skid it along and off you go. That is an old school, standard issue portable farm building trick. I thought it was something my dad dreamed up......he did something similar on a hog house he built about 50 years ago. But I notice a local place that makes and sells small farm sheds does the same thing.

 

[Basement_Poultry]

Worked on the run and interior features this weekend. Got the nest boxes built and installed along with the grit box very similar to the one in the plans.