We just sold our house and moved into a new one and were in a bit of a pinch as the buyers of our former home asked to keep our chicken coop. Luckily they agreed to let us house our chickens in the "old" coop until the new one was built, but I had 30 days to get one constructed. Working full-time and homeschooling two elementary kids (not to mention moving and unpacking boxes) didn't leave me with much time to build one on my own, so I ended up hiring someone local to build our new coop. It was a fantastic experience. He had a bunch of previously-existing designs I could choose from, but none was exactly what I was looking for, so we worked together to design the "perfect" coop for our space and needs.
It's a walk-in "two story" with built-in storage, a dutch farmhouse door for easy access to clean the coop and the run, and a run that extends under the coop. The chickens also have their own entrance for going in and out during the day. The coop floor is tiled with stick-on tiles for easy cleaning, and we painted the interior with white barn paint (livestock-friendly) and the exterior with a weather-ready paint to extend the life of the coop. We're using sand on the run floor and hemp in the coop. I like hemp because it's not dusty and I can use a litter scoop to clean it easily, I also like the earthy smell of it.
In total it measures 4.5' by 9' long, with an additional 16" for storage and nesting boxes and, though smaller than our last coop (which was a 6x12), our girls now free-range most of the day so I don't expect too many issues with the size. We have one month of "inclement weather" in a typical year which consists mostly of rain, so we enclosed the small portion of the run under the coop with wooden sides, integrated 8" sandbox sides all around to contain the sand, and put pavers underneath (to prevent it from getting too wet). As with our last coop, we're using 1/2" wire both under and on all sides. There are very few predators on the island—mostly raccoons, so we have threaded latches on all entrances for night time security and our dog stays dog is out with them during the day and alerts us to any hawks that fly overhead.
I thought I'd share some photos of the final product as I am really happy with the build and Eric's willingness to collaborate. If you're in Northern California and are looking for a new coop, I highly recommend him. Feel free to reach out if you want his info.
I have not gotten around to landscaping around the coop, or getting our sign or decor up on the inside, but that's the next step. So far the girls seem to like it and are settling in nicely, tearing up the new yard more with each passing day.
It's a walk-in "two story" with built-in storage, a dutch farmhouse door for easy access to clean the coop and the run, and a run that extends under the coop. The chickens also have their own entrance for going in and out during the day. The coop floor is tiled with stick-on tiles for easy cleaning, and we painted the interior with white barn paint (livestock-friendly) and the exterior with a weather-ready paint to extend the life of the coop. We're using sand on the run floor and hemp in the coop. I like hemp because it's not dusty and I can use a litter scoop to clean it easily, I also like the earthy smell of it.
In total it measures 4.5' by 9' long, with an additional 16" for storage and nesting boxes and, though smaller than our last coop (which was a 6x12), our girls now free-range most of the day so I don't expect too many issues with the size. We have one month of "inclement weather" in a typical year which consists mostly of rain, so we enclosed the small portion of the run under the coop with wooden sides, integrated 8" sandbox sides all around to contain the sand, and put pavers underneath (to prevent it from getting too wet). As with our last coop, we're using 1/2" wire both under and on all sides. There are very few predators on the island—mostly raccoons, so we have threaded latches on all entrances for night time security and our dog stays dog is out with them during the day and alerts us to any hawks that fly overhead.
I thought I'd share some photos of the final product as I am really happy with the build and Eric's willingness to collaborate. If you're in Northern California and are looking for a new coop, I highly recommend him. Feel free to reach out if you want his info.
I have not gotten around to landscaping around the coop, or getting our sign or decor up on the inside, but that's the next step. So far the girls seem to like it and are settling in nicely, tearing up the new yard more with each passing day.
