Our first coop (pic heavy)

lhousesoccer

Chirping
Feb 26, 2010
86
4
94
Hi Everyone:

I've been waiting for when I could completely finish my first coop before posting pics, but I can't wait any longer! I've always wanted a flock of chickens (layers) so this winter, I finally convinced my wife that we should do it. Plus, I said, it would be great for our son to learn about where food comes from, and have him help with the chores! So, in March, I started building. I didn't have any plans to go from, just ideas of from pictures of coops I'd seen here. I built, and designed as I went. So, here it is from start to "nearly" finished. I don't have a run yet, and some window trim is still needed here and there, but my chickens, which are now 2 months old, have been in it since they were 3 weeks. Speaking of that, here's my other thread with pics of our chickies!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4492553#p4492553

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I wanted an external next box that I could collect eggs from outside, but I also wanted two rows. It was fun trying to figure this out, but it eventually worked, after tearing it apart and rebuilding twice!

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The nest box lid hinges up to get eggs from the top row of 4 boxes, and the door on the bottom row swings down.

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The nest box lid hinges up to get eggs from the top row of 4 boxes, and the door on the bottom row swings down.

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I wanted a separate space inside to store feed and extra wood shavings. I also wanted to incorporate a built-in feeding trough to save floor space. You can see both here ...

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I just noticed you have your 2x4 roost with the 2 inch side facing up. If you live in a colder climate you may want to flip it so the wide side is up. It will help the birds sit on and cover their feet with their feathers. They need their feet covered to keep them warm in cold temps. With she skinny side up their toes will be exposed because they are wrapped around the board instead of resting on top of the board. You can see what I'm talking about in the last three pics.
 
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Yes - I see what you mean. That won't be hard to fix. Just 5 screws, and I'll flip it around. Thanks for the tip! Oh yeah - meant to mention that I will be building a run, when I find the time! Right now, they are inside locked up when we're not home, but we let them out to wander around when we're home!
 
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Settin'_Pretty :

very well built but looks to me that it needs more ventilation

I kept really good cross ventillation from the two 18" x 27" windows that I keep wide open. I don't have gable vents yet. I haven't been able to find any that I like at Home Depot or any other buildling supply store. When I do find some I like, I'll be easy to cut out two holes and each end and pop them in.​
 

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