- Apr 28, 2014
- 6
- 8
- 9
Hello all! I have read quite a bit on this site but this is my first post. I just figured I would share my latest coop build. I wanted it big enough to house about 15 hens but I didn't want it to cost a fortune. So I decided to try and build one with as much recycled materials as I could.
Materials:
-Sled is made from (2) treated 2"x6"x8', (1) 4"x4"x'8. (These three boards are the only non-recycled materials.)
-9 pallets + slats from several more pallets to fill the gaps.
-Various untreated wood scraps.
-3 truck bed liners (scavenged from a spray-in bed liners company's junk pile).
-hinges and screws saved from demolishing various things.
Details:
-Open bottom so there is no poop to scoop.
-Minimal nest boxes (since they always lay in one box anyway)
-Plenty of roost space
-No wheels, sled type is less maintenance and since it will be moved with a garden tractor the ease of moving is not as critical.
-No paint, again less maintenance plus the rustic look adds character. The outside is treated with a 50/50 solution of diesel and ATF. It makes for a good wood preservative that is cheap and easy to apply with a garden sprayer.
-Two hen entries, in the chance that I put up some fence to keep the chickens confined I could actually make a run on each end of the coop and rotate the hens from one run to the other to allow the grass to grow.
-Man entry door, egg collection door, auto-waterer, auto-feeder doors easy to access and located outside of the run.
Let me log in through tapatalk to upload photos...
Materials:
-Sled is made from (2) treated 2"x6"x8', (1) 4"x4"x'8. (These three boards are the only non-recycled materials.)
-9 pallets + slats from several more pallets to fill the gaps.
-Various untreated wood scraps.
-3 truck bed liners (scavenged from a spray-in bed liners company's junk pile).
-hinges and screws saved from demolishing various things.
Details:
-Open bottom so there is no poop to scoop.
-Minimal nest boxes (since they always lay in one box anyway)
-Plenty of roost space
-No wheels, sled type is less maintenance and since it will be moved with a garden tractor the ease of moving is not as critical.
-No paint, again less maintenance plus the rustic look adds character. The outside is treated with a 50/50 solution of diesel and ATF. It makes for a good wood preservative that is cheap and easy to apply with a garden sprayer.
-Two hen entries, in the chance that I put up some fence to keep the chickens confined I could actually make a run on each end of the coop and rotate the hens from one run to the other to allow the grass to grow.
-Man entry door, egg collection door, auto-waterer, auto-feeder doors easy to access and located outside of the run.
Let me log in through tapatalk to upload photos...
is the metal trashcan a feeder? Would love to see how you connected that if it is.
