We built an inexpensive A-Frame chicken coop when we first got chickens 3 1/2 years ago. We kept adding more chickens and adding on to our run, and adding a new nesting area, adding tarps for shade, that our simple A-Frame coop and run looked like "Chicken Ghetto." This last April, we tore down the entire compound and built a new coop and run.
(Chicken Ghetto)
(Chicken Resort)
The new coop is 4" deep by 16' wide. 4x4 of that space is sectioned off for a nursery. Each section has a small door for the birds to get into the run and a large door for people to get into the coop as needed. The coop is built on a slight hill, so it does not set directly on the ground. On the nursery side of the coop, it's about 6" off the ground and 2' off the ground on the other side. The walls are 8' high on the back side and 10' high on the front. It has a slanted roof so the water runs off to the back of the coop.
While we tried to make this coop and run as inexpensive as possible, we did use sturdy framing.
(Coop in progress)
The floor of the coop is wire, covered by 1x1 slats that are about an inch apart. The poop falls between the slats to the ground under the coop. We've put diatomacious earth (DE) under the coop and we have not had trouble with flies or smell yet (we're in our 5th month with the new coop). Next month, we will rake all the poop and put it in our compost pile for next year's garden. The floor in the nursery is plywood. The only boards that are pressure treated are the ones that contact the ground. All the others were painted with 3 coats of cheap barn paint. So far, everything is holding up great.
Our youngest son painted the inside of the nursery. He was only supposed to paint the floor and the edges near the openings, but he got a little carried away!
The run is 16' wide by 32' long. The bottom of the run is fenced with regular 4' chain link fence. We added wooden posts to make the height of the run 6-7' high so we didn't have to stoop (a big pain in our last run). We used nylon garden netting we found at Wal-Mart to enclose the top part of the coop. We had to use PVC to frame the top part of the gate so the framing would not tear at the nylon roof fencing.
Our first coop was fort knox - we built it so foxes, coyotes, rats, dogs, cats, etc. could not get in. In the 3 1/2 years it was up, we never even had anything try. We live in a rural neighborhood. We hear coyotes every night and see racoons. There are several loose dogs. None have tried to get our chickens. With this coop and run, we just did not have the money to re-enforce everything, so we're taking our chances. We've not had anything yet. We did lay some wire on the ground at the edge of the chain link fence, but that's just so the chickens can't dig out.
We put one tarp over part of the run to give shade and a dry area for the birds to be outside while it was raining and to cover their food (we feed outside, not in the coop). We fenced off part of the run to make a separate run for the nursery. That run is only 4x6, but since we don't expect to have more than 12 babies at a time, it will be fine. If we don't have babies, we can also use that space for a quarantine area for a chicken who may be getting hen-pecked, or to check to see if an old bird is still laying, etc.
We use deep litter in our run and add bales of hay for variety for the birds.
We also built a frame out of 2x4 and covered it with wire. Inside the frame, we planted various beans and greens. As the plants grow, the birds can eat the leaves without digging up the plants themselves. We have yet to have anything substantial grow in that area because it has been so hot and dry, there was not enough water - and we didn't have time to water that little patch. Now that it has cooled off, we'll plant something else and keep it watered.
This is the egg boxes from the old coop. We left them here during demolition and re-build (two days). The girls did just fine laying in these boxes out in the open!
This picture does not show the separate fenced run for the nursery. We just blocked off the small door so the girls can't get into this section of the coop. Notice the ventilation across the top. If it gets very cold and the birds start to suffer, we can put tarps or boards over some of that screening. Our former coop was completely open and we never had any trouble.
Note the egg boxes on the back of the coop. For 35 hens, we have 9 boxes. Only ocassionally have we seen 2 girls in one box! We got the screen door at a re-sale place for $5. We put a small tarp on the inside when the temps were cold, but folded the top half down this summer to give them lots of ventilation.
The run is adjacent to our garden so we can throw pruned pieces to them. Also, the cucumber plants ended up growing over the coop up the nylon fencing. We were worried it would not be strong enough, but it did just fine - a few cucumbers grew inside the coop, so the girls had a bonus treat!
The new coop is 4" deep by 16' wide. 4x4 of that space is sectioned off for a nursery. Each section has a small door for the birds to get into the run and a large door for people to get into the coop as needed. The coop is built on a slight hill, so it does not set directly on the ground. On the nursery side of the coop, it's about 6" off the ground and 2' off the ground on the other side. The walls are 8' high on the back side and 10' high on the front. It has a slanted roof so the water runs off to the back of the coop.
The floor of the coop is wire, covered by 1x1 slats that are about an inch apart. The poop falls between the slats to the ground under the coop. We've put diatomacious earth (DE) under the coop and we have not had trouble with flies or smell yet (we're in our 5th month with the new coop). Next month, we will rake all the poop and put it in our compost pile for next year's garden. The floor in the nursery is plywood. The only boards that are pressure treated are the ones that contact the ground. All the others were painted with 3 coats of cheap barn paint. So far, everything is holding up great.
The run is 16' wide by 32' long. The bottom of the run is fenced with regular 4' chain link fence. We added wooden posts to make the height of the run 6-7' high so we didn't have to stoop (a big pain in our last run). We used nylon garden netting we found at Wal-Mart to enclose the top part of the coop. We had to use PVC to frame the top part of the gate so the framing would not tear at the nylon roof fencing.
Our first coop was fort knox - we built it so foxes, coyotes, rats, dogs, cats, etc. could not get in. In the 3 1/2 years it was up, we never even had anything try. We live in a rural neighborhood. We hear coyotes every night and see racoons. There are several loose dogs. None have tried to get our chickens. With this coop and run, we just did not have the money to re-enforce everything, so we're taking our chances. We've not had anything yet. We did lay some wire on the ground at the edge of the chain link fence, but that's just so the chickens can't dig out.
We put one tarp over part of the run to give shade and a dry area for the birds to be outside while it was raining and to cover their food (we feed outside, not in the coop). We fenced off part of the run to make a separate run for the nursery. That run is only 4x6, but since we don't expect to have more than 12 babies at a time, it will be fine. If we don't have babies, we can also use that space for a quarantine area for a chicken who may be getting hen-pecked, or to check to see if an old bird is still laying, etc.
We use deep litter in our run and add bales of hay for variety for the birds.
We also built a frame out of 2x4 and covered it with wire. Inside the frame, we planted various beans and greens. As the plants grow, the birds can eat the leaves without digging up the plants themselves. We have yet to have anything substantial grow in that area because it has been so hot and dry, there was not enough water - and we didn't have time to water that little patch. Now that it has cooled off, we'll plant something else and keep it watered.
