http://imgur.com/a/hGyJ0
We are venturing into chickens for the first time and have probably gone a bit overboard! We hatched 8 from eggs, 4 barred rock, 2 ameracauna, and 2 rhode island red. Then we purchased 15 (but 16 came) silver laced wyandottes. They are all currently living in boxes under heat lamps in our dining room.
After endless searching and talking, we decided to wall off the back 6 feet of our shed to make the coop. We had a lot of lumber and stuff laying around, so a lot of our choices were made because things were free.
We added a floor beam and studs into the shed. We had a huge roll of metal screen so we screened the top half not only because it was free, but also because we thought it would help with ventilation. We added a light into the a-frame and then chicken wired the ceiling so the light could come through, the chickens can't reach it, and if a predator happens to break through the top ventilation, the chickens will stay safe. Dry-walled the bottom 4 feet of the wall, and to the right of the door. We bought a broken screen door from Lowes and replaced the screen, added a beam for support, and chicken wired it. All of the paint was paint we had, so we painted it up!
On the inside of the coop, we decided to use blue plastic tarps for flooring. First, because we had it. Second, because if the chickens really make a mess of the floor and it's not cleanable we can just pull it up and for $5 put down a new one. The edges are folded up about 2 inches, so we are hoping it really keeps in any mess. We will be haying the floor when it's time. We are building wooden nesting boxes to hang on the far left wall, but won't install them until the chickens are a little older. We hung the feeder from chain wrapped around a beam in the ceiling.
We cut a hole in the shed to go out into the chicken run and framed it off with some lath. For the run we decided to go with a lean-to design with a knee wall. The knee wall is about 3 feet high. We dug down and sunk 5 posts and added quickcrete to really make them solid. Bracketed the angled beams to a board we attached to the studs of the shed every 4 feet apart. We added beams between them for added stability for the design as well as the chicken wire that would be going over it. On one end we sealed it in with chicken wire. The other end, we created a 4 foot wide door for us to enter and exit the run. It's a little wonky because we made it to fit the angled design, but we painted it red and think it goes just fine! We painted all of the other beams blue to match the shed.
Each piece of chicken wire was started at the roof and rolled down the beams, attached with staples and poultry nails, secured to the front board of the knee wall and then is buried into the ground 3-12" and folded out another 3-12" (some were cut shorter, some longer...) the panels were then tied together with wire. The ground level board was attached afterwards to further secure the wire.
My dad sold his house and let us take down floor to ceiling shelves he had on every wall in his garage, so all of our lumber was free. We had the screen, the paint, some dry-wall, tarps... The total cost to us in the production of construction is about $160.00. Adding in the cost of the 24 chickens, the feeders and waterers, brooding lamps, feed, We are less than $400 into chickens total so far. It took us 2 weekends with 3 people not working terribly hard to build the run and coop from start to finish (not including taking down shelved in the garage).
Thanks for reading!
Any questions, i'll be happy to answer!
We are venturing into chickens for the first time and have probably gone a bit overboard! We hatched 8 from eggs, 4 barred rock, 2 ameracauna, and 2 rhode island red. Then we purchased 15 (but 16 came) silver laced wyandottes. They are all currently living in boxes under heat lamps in our dining room.
After endless searching and talking, we decided to wall off the back 6 feet of our shed to make the coop. We had a lot of lumber and stuff laying around, so a lot of our choices were made because things were free.
We added a floor beam and studs into the shed. We had a huge roll of metal screen so we screened the top half not only because it was free, but also because we thought it would help with ventilation. We added a light into the a-frame and then chicken wired the ceiling so the light could come through, the chickens can't reach it, and if a predator happens to break through the top ventilation, the chickens will stay safe. Dry-walled the bottom 4 feet of the wall, and to the right of the door. We bought a broken screen door from Lowes and replaced the screen, added a beam for support, and chicken wired it. All of the paint was paint we had, so we painted it up!
On the inside of the coop, we decided to use blue plastic tarps for flooring. First, because we had it. Second, because if the chickens really make a mess of the floor and it's not cleanable we can just pull it up and for $5 put down a new one. The edges are folded up about 2 inches, so we are hoping it really keeps in any mess. We will be haying the floor when it's time. We are building wooden nesting boxes to hang on the far left wall, but won't install them until the chickens are a little older. We hung the feeder from chain wrapped around a beam in the ceiling.
We cut a hole in the shed to go out into the chicken run and framed it off with some lath. For the run we decided to go with a lean-to design with a knee wall. The knee wall is about 3 feet high. We dug down and sunk 5 posts and added quickcrete to really make them solid. Bracketed the angled beams to a board we attached to the studs of the shed every 4 feet apart. We added beams between them for added stability for the design as well as the chicken wire that would be going over it. On one end we sealed it in with chicken wire. The other end, we created a 4 foot wide door for us to enter and exit the run. It's a little wonky because we made it to fit the angled design, but we painted it red and think it goes just fine! We painted all of the other beams blue to match the shed.
Each piece of chicken wire was started at the roof and rolled down the beams, attached with staples and poultry nails, secured to the front board of the knee wall and then is buried into the ground 3-12" and folded out another 3-12" (some were cut shorter, some longer...) the panels were then tied together with wire. The ground level board was attached afterwards to further secure the wire.
My dad sold his house and let us take down floor to ceiling shelves he had on every wall in his garage, so all of our lumber was free. We had the screen, the paint, some dry-wall, tarps... The total cost to us in the production of construction is about $160.00. Adding in the cost of the 24 chickens, the feeders and waterers, brooding lamps, feed, We are less than $400 into chickens total so far. It took us 2 weekends with 3 people not working terribly hard to build the run and coop from start to finish (not including taking down shelved in the garage).
Thanks for reading!
Any questions, i'll be happy to answer!
Last edited:
