Photos: My $4 Coop

[mandelyn]

So far, I have $4 spent in hardware, but I still need one more roll of rabbit wire, and 4 4x4s to finish out the run. The rest is scrap wood, came to 7x8 1/2 feet. The building, an exsisting dog house, 7x5 after measuring, also made out of scrap wood about 15 years ago.

You can see where I need to continue the upper section around, and add a roof.

The door I added to go into the run, didn't need to cut anything because there were two pieces of plywood about the same size on either side, just knocked them out, framed it out, and added a door.

From the other side...

And the Rooster posing for scale at the front door...

Adding the run took 2 1/2 half days of "puzzle working" to arrange and attach everything, using hand tools, nothing power. Not bad for a girl!

 

[1stepcloser]

Not bad for a girl? GIRLS ROCK!! Great job!!!

 

[BellLisamo]

oh my goodness!!! that rocks!!

 

[SuziQ991]

I will give you 8 dollars to build me one!

You did a great job!

 

[patandchickens]

WONDERFUL job. Isn't it a great feeling "putting the puzzle pieces together", as you say, and making a nice-lookin' functional something out of a pile o' nothing?

Congrats, great work,

Pat

 

[M To The Maxx]

Great job!!!!!

 

[mandelyn]

Thanks guys!

My husband couldn't believe how sturdy it was! And that all the nails were straight. I only banged my thumb 3 times and got one splinter! LOL

The coolest thing, is how it's connected to the house. The side boards on the bottom, are 2x12 bed rails, solid and HEAVY, but they still had the brackets to connect it to a head board, providing 3 places to nail some massive 3 1/2 inch nails.

Those corner posts are dug into the ground a foot, they're leftover from when we split the yard to make a dog area away from the swimming pool. German Shepherd hair and pool filters just don't mix well!

Can't wait to get it totally done, that'll happen Wendsday. Then I don't have to supervise their outdoor time unless I open the gate.

The gate, that was amusing. I had 2, almost 9 ft pieces of pine frame things that were pre-made. We used to raid the garbage pile of a wine rack manufactuer, and scored LOT's of wood. I don't know what they used these frames for. But I cut them in half, stretched rabbit wire onto the 4 sections, then hammered some stronger wood over the wire, to add security, connect the gate pieces, and add strength to the wimpy pine.

Can't figure out why it's so crooked. I think it's my "hillbilly engineered" gate post that's 3 pieces of wood. LOL There's a 4 ft piece, holding that grey section of 2x12 up in the middle. Then there's 2 1x2s hammered together, that is then hammered to the bottom post, and reinforced with a corner bracket. It leans, just a little, and just enough, to throw the whole gate off.

So on the opposite side, I had to rig a piece of 2x4 at a slant, connect that to the other end post, so that when the gate closes, it's flush with something. That way a chick can't hop out through a bottom crack, and a dog can't get a nose or paw in.

Ran out of rabbit wire, used small bits of leftovers to make a solid wall against the building. Going to do something else... I don't like it. It was difficult working around the rafters coming out of the roof to the building.

Treated Oak... just won't cut with a hand saw, no matter how much "girl power" one has, just FYI. Pine will split and crack if you're not careful! And in the absense of a drill, when you need to start a hole for a screw... hammer a nail that's a little smaller than the screw, 3/4 of the length of the screw into the wood, pull the nail, screw in the screw. It's how I got the handle, hinges, and latches onto the doors.

Oh, and the shade roof, is 1/2 of a Porsche parts shipping box my dad brought home from work. It had metal corner pieces holding it together... that WOULD NOT come off for nothing, but they were flexible after I got the thing taken apart, so I used them as hinges to make a tent type shape. Leave it to high end car parts manufactuers to use perfectly good wood intended for one use!! If I need to expand, I can do the same thing with the other half!

 

[CTChick]

"And in the absense of a drill, when you need to start a hole for a screw... hammer a nail that's a little smaller than the screw, 3/4 of the length of the screw into the wood, pull the nail, screw in the screw."

Oh, how funny - it's how I do it, too! Thought I was the only one ...

Laura

 

[mandelyn]

Well I have a fear of power tools. Don't know where it came from either, since I'm the only girl here!

What if I slip and drill a hole into my shoe? What if I cut my fingers off? What if...? Then I'd never hear the end of it.

My $2 hand saw I got at the Flea Market though... it's actually for trees (going by the size of the teeth)... but it'll go through pine boards like no ones business!

 

[MeatKing]

LOVE IT! What a great job you did! Think I'll start watching for scrap wood and do the same! You are an inspiration!
Donna