Our coop is done!

[sugar pants]

Well, as 'done' as a chicken coop ever gets! I still want to paint a cute little sign for over the door, and some other small things....and by the time I finish those I'm sure I'll find something else to do on it.

Anyway...we're aren't at all handy, so we started with a dog house/pen and added on. Everything we added on is stuff we had already, from flowerbox nesting box to old wood from the basement.

The girls free range most of the time, so they are only in here when I'm not home (I'm a stay at home mom right now). We have a fenced yard and live in town, so predators aren't really a concern (hence the chicken wire and not hardware cloth).

They already fight for 'queen of the hill' on who gets to be on the high roost in the back corner.

I was surprised how easily they figured out the stairs. I rolled a grape down there and away they went!

It comes apart and is easy to move. We'll move it around the yard for the summer, but in the winter it will mostly stay in that little corner protected by the house.

I'd love feedback on it. This is our first coop, with our first year chickens. (3 of them)

 

[Intheswamp]

Lookin' good, SP. Good use of a dog house!

One thing you might want to consider is extending some kind of a shed roof over the nest box. When the rain sheds off the house roof it's going to land right on top of the nest box and unless the nest box is sealed *real* good it could very well leak there.

Ed

 

[RAWR]

oh wow i like that
good work

 

[CityChook]

Very Very Nice.
I like that you started with something pre-fabbed and made it your own.

If I was to make any suggestions, it would be to replace the chicken wire on your front door with some hardware wire. Since they're in your fenced backyard and you're home much of the time, the poultry wire is probably fine for daytime. But I'd want to make sure that they were really secure at night. Put a lock on that door too, if you haven't already. Just because you're in the city doesn't mean you won't have night time visitors. I like to use screws and washers to secure the wire, but I know others have used fencing staples.

 

[danielle82]

That is o so cute! I like the grren roof with the color of the coop, it looks great! I can just imagine that grape rolling down those stairs LOL bet that was fun!

 

[sugar pants]

Yeah, I'm going to stain some plywood that I have to match the green and add a slanty roof over the nestbox. There's a plastic tub that slides in and out of there that isn't pictured either.

In the winter I will also cover the back 'staircase' on the top and sides, to keep the wind out of the coop. I already threw a board over the rood of it today because it's sprinkling and my prissy girls wouldn't set foot out there.

 

[redhawkou812]

Cool coop!!!!

ONe dogs loss is another chicken's gain!

 

[Scott]

Very nice. Like the colors. Good job!

 

[OutdoorFun4]

Looks like a fun place to be a chicken. Great work!

 

[RHewitt]

Very nice... I love the nest box being outside for space saving and since it small enough to move the chickens will enjoy the fresh grass and you can fertilzie the yard as you go. Very well built!