Pictures of my coop(sorry kinda picture heavy)

[rubyrogue]

So I am just startng out and did not want to pay $300 for a coop that would only hold 3-4 hens. I am a single mom so budget budget budget. I contacted the woodworking dept at my college and one of the students biult me a coop for the cost of supplies. It is 6x6 and made from as many recycled materials as i could get. I used pallets for the walls and any short pieces of 2x4 that were needed. I had the blocks laying around my parents house and got the flooring, small pieces of wire net and the door from habitat for humanities "ReStore" So far I am out just shy of $200 well more if you include the $50 I gave to the student who built it for me. Thoughts or ideas?

The Front along with my "supervisor" It is level my camera hand is not.

Side

Back

Inside through door.

Inside after flooring and nest box installed. I had to piece together the flooring since it was scraps.

Nestbox

 

[1stepcloser]

Hmmm...YOu might want to rework that HTML. LOL Remove the <a> </a> stuff.

 

[rubyrogue]

Oops sorry didnt know which code to post.

 

[Cluckette]

Neccesity is the mother on invention!! Me thinks the hens will be happy with it. I LOVE to recycle stuff people throw away...I see potential in trash piles!! Yesterday I picked up a wine display of wood that is perfect with three nesting boxes already constructed for me!! Will be funny to see the hens sitting in "vino" boxes...quaint

 

[ColoradoMike]

Looks great! One suggestion is to replace the chicken wire you put over the windows with someting a bit more sturdy (i.e. hardware cloth). Many who have lost birds will tell you that raccoons and other determined predators will tear through chicken wire like it's not even there...

 

[CityChook]

Ruby, it looks pretty darned good. Nice job recycling. No worries - we ALL want to get away with the least amount of money spent on our coops. Yours looks sturdy and strong. Great idea calling the school...

I really would encourage you to replace the chicken wire in your ventilation space with some hardware wire. It looks like you have designed a hinged door to close it up, but if you have any plans to leave it open at night then I really have to recommend stronger material. That chicken wire just isn't going to be strong enough to keep the critters out with a tasty chicken dinner inside.

Also, don't know what you patched the linoleum with -- caulk? If it has a raised edge to it, which is hard to tell in the photo, I recommend hitting it with a blade to bring it level to the floor surface. The reason is that if the chickens detect it, they will pick/eat it. I don't think that silicon caulk is all that toxic, but you probably don't really want them ingesting it if you can help it. If you are going to use deep litter, the seams will be mostly covered up by the shavings, but I'd still try to clean up the edges if you can.

Finally, put a little ledge on the lower portion of your nestbox. That way you can put shavings inside and they won't fall out as easily. A ledge will also discourage eggs from rolling out and breaking. Also, I'd hit the top of the nestbox with a couple more coats of paint -- it's going to end up being a favorite roosting spot and you'll want to be able to scrape the poo off as easily as possible. Maybe even try sprinkling some shavings up there?

Looks like a great start!

 

[Celtic Hill]

I LOVE The look of the coop! im sure the chickens will love it!

 

[bigstack]

Looks good and the price is rite!!! LOL

 

[Kansaseq]

Very neat job! Chooks should be very happy in there. I do agree with replacing the chicken wire with something a lot sturdier. Aside from that, you have a very nice house.

 

[rriveramri]

I took the same recycled approach. I am a cost of $106. at this point. I should finish at about $150. I am painting it like a barn to cover up the old wood I have used.