Darrell and Sandy
In the Brooder
We had access to a pile of used stuff. Old deck boards, 4x4 fence posts, several pieces of acrylic, a few pieces of galvanized roofing, random sizes of plywood, a discarded 1/2 inch thick plastic sign material, a box of hinges, some aircraft cable and a PIANO.
What could we do with it? Hmmm, let’s build a chicken coop! So, here is what can be done with a pile of stuff. Thanks to Baldessariclan, Jim & Ginny Stockton, all in the chicken community for sharing ideas that guided us and to my brother that had a bunch of the stuff!
Stained pieces from piano front were weather sealed with epoxy.
Front door (left) is made of old plywood and 2x4's, insulated and covered with the deck boards. The acrylic window is removable for summer ventilation. Center door is welded from an old bed frame. Welded wire on the door is sandwiched between the bed frame and a galvanized strip of steel that was used to secure the ends of chain link fencing. To the left there are three black doors which can access alternate runs. Doors are opened by pulling and securing an aircraft cable. The floor is covered with Blackjack 57. At the lower right is the access tunnel connecting to one of the runs. We wanted to have full access to the front of the coop.
I'm sure someone is going to ask if they poop on the keys. I asked them not to.
Here is the back of the piano with another access door connected to another cable. Patio door rollers ease the movement. The wood panel behind the piano back can be removed in the summer for better cooling.
A box of hinges was among the stuff. The nesting box was built using some old 2x8' and 2x10's then covered with deck boards. No insulation needed here. If you look closely you will see some silver pins. The vertical sets hold the nesting box separators. There are two along the bottom that let the front edge of the floor drop for easy cleaning. Panels from the piano front were replaced with scrap acrylic pieces to give the girls some light.
Here you can see the 2x's used to build the nest area.
Center door is sealed with weather strip, allowing for a smaller access.
The piano foot pedals came in handy for handles. You can also see the small screws which secure the welded wire.
There is a thin coat of elastomeric caulk on the edges of the perch to give the girls a better grip.
The perch could be moved to the back, but having it at the front allows for easy cleaning. A bucket and a pare of dollar store tongs, done in under a minute. The floor rests on a frame of 2x4's and is removable for easy access to the lower deck. The lower deck can be welded wire partitioned to house smaller birds, allowing them to grow a bit before introducing them to the larger ones. Seeing each other through the wire helps. On the back wall is a picture of our first girl. Again, the plywood wall on the right slides out for the summer, you can see this in the final picture.
We wanted a run that blended into the surroundings so we used welded rebar and vinyl coated 2x3 wire fence. There is a second row of the fence along the base, about 2' high, offset to create smaller holes, providing better protection. Along the outside perimeter there is additional wire mat, secured by rebar to discourage predators from digging under. The sides and roof are 5', so one 20' stick of rebar was bent to provide approximately 10' wide truss. Plenty of head room to join the girls.
Home sweet home!
What could we do with it? Hmmm, let’s build a chicken coop! So, here is what can be done with a pile of stuff. Thanks to Baldessariclan, Jim & Ginny Stockton, all in the chicken community for sharing ideas that guided us and to my brother that had a bunch of the stuff!
Stained pieces from piano front were weather sealed with epoxy.
Front door (left) is made of old plywood and 2x4's, insulated and covered with the deck boards. The acrylic window is removable for summer ventilation. Center door is welded from an old bed frame. Welded wire on the door is sandwiched between the bed frame and a galvanized strip of steel that was used to secure the ends of chain link fencing. To the left there are three black doors which can access alternate runs. Doors are opened by pulling and securing an aircraft cable. The floor is covered with Blackjack 57. At the lower right is the access tunnel connecting to one of the runs. We wanted to have full access to the front of the coop.
I'm sure someone is going to ask if they poop on the keys. I asked them not to.
Here is the back of the piano with another access door connected to another cable. Patio door rollers ease the movement. The wood panel behind the piano back can be removed in the summer for better cooling.
A box of hinges was among the stuff. The nesting box was built using some old 2x8' and 2x10's then covered with deck boards. No insulation needed here. If you look closely you will see some silver pins. The vertical sets hold the nesting box separators. There are two along the bottom that let the front edge of the floor drop for easy cleaning. Panels from the piano front were replaced with scrap acrylic pieces to give the girls some light.
Here you can see the 2x's used to build the nest area.
Center door is sealed with weather strip, allowing for a smaller access.
The piano foot pedals came in handy for handles. You can also see the small screws which secure the welded wire.
There is a thin coat of elastomeric caulk on the edges of the perch to give the girls a better grip.
The perch could be moved to the back, but having it at the front allows for easy cleaning. A bucket and a pare of dollar store tongs, done in under a minute. The floor rests on a frame of 2x4's and is removable for easy access to the lower deck. The lower deck can be welded wire partitioned to house smaller birds, allowing them to grow a bit before introducing them to the larger ones. Seeing each other through the wire helps. On the back wall is a picture of our first girl. Again, the plywood wall on the right slides out for the summer, you can see this in the final picture.
We wanted a run that blended into the surroundings so we used welded rebar and vinyl coated 2x3 wire fence. There is a second row of the fence along the base, about 2' high, offset to create smaller holes, providing better protection. Along the outside perimeter there is additional wire mat, secured by rebar to discourage predators from digging under. The sides and roof are 5', so one 20' stick of rebar was bent to provide approximately 10' wide truss. Plenty of head room to join the girls.
Home sweet home!
!!
