I’ve been looking at some of your coops on here and there is a lot of variety. In another thread someone mentioned snake proofing my coop. It never occurred to me to do that. My hen house looks old-timey like my grandmother’s. In fact, I had an entirely different plan for my hen house when I tore the old one down to the frame and expanded it to make room for additional chickens. Below is a picture of the one I built about 13-14 years ago after clearing the vines out to use it again. I didn’t know what I was doing when I initially built this, but it held up until I let it go unused for a time. Termites eventually destroyed the wood. I had a handful of RIRs in there sharing 2-3 nesting boxes IIRC.
Before I finished expanding the hen house, my grandmother asked if I wanted her old nesting box since she is no longer able to raise chickens. Using a machete I hacked my way into her henhouse to take a look at it and figured I could use it. It’s got to be 40-50 years old. What I didn’t account for is the size of the box and how it would alter my plans for expansion. Initially I wanted nesting boxes on one side. And I wanted the chickens to roost along the back wall.
Don’t laugh too hard, I was never really good with making things using my hands. My dad got that gift, I think I took after his dad; we both did what we could. I don’t think I used a level on my first try. The new wood is obviously the expanded area. I also had to replace what rotted or was badly eaten by termites. I wanted to build it back further, but ran into a stump.
I tried to repurpose as much material as I could. I retrieved old tin from collapsed sheds that family members had rusting on the ground. I used broken telephone poles and thick limbs from snapped cedar trees recovered after storm cleanup. You can see the doors on the ground as I tried to figure out how to hang them. That took a couple of days. I bought a decent amount of wood and tin.
To shorten the story, I fit the nesting box in there and altered my plan on the fly. It takes up just about the entire rear wall of the hen house, but I put doors on the backside of the upper rear wall that I can open to collect eggs. I hardly use these doors, I usually just walk in the front door of hen house. The ten-hole nesting box is bulky, but of good quality. I only had to replaced some of the individually removable bottoms that had rusted through.
They used to be bunched up on their roosts, then I changed the orientation of one post on the left.
View after reorienting one roosting bar.
It’s not so crowded anymore as I’ve lost 6 pullets/hens since I started with this group.
After reviewing some of your setups, I’m wondering how I might at least rearrange what I have within this structure. Any suggestions?
As for the other structure, I’ll likely stick to some plans I drew up if I ever get around to building it. I saw a guy in the area selling some old ones I may take a look at. I also started expanded the fence to make space for other areas I intend to use for future projects. Maybe I’ll get around to finishing some of it this year. Anyhow, I’d like to read your thoughts.
Before I finished expanding the hen house, my grandmother asked if I wanted her old nesting box since she is no longer able to raise chickens. Using a machete I hacked my way into her henhouse to take a look at it and figured I could use it. It’s got to be 40-50 years old. What I didn’t account for is the size of the box and how it would alter my plans for expansion. Initially I wanted nesting boxes on one side. And I wanted the chickens to roost along the back wall.
Don’t laugh too hard, I was never really good with making things using my hands. My dad got that gift, I think I took after his dad; we both did what we could. I don’t think I used a level on my first try. The new wood is obviously the expanded area. I also had to replace what rotted or was badly eaten by termites. I wanted to build it back further, but ran into a stump.
I tried to repurpose as much material as I could. I retrieved old tin from collapsed sheds that family members had rusting on the ground. I used broken telephone poles and thick limbs from snapped cedar trees recovered after storm cleanup. You can see the doors on the ground as I tried to figure out how to hang them. That took a couple of days. I bought a decent amount of wood and tin.
To shorten the story, I fit the nesting box in there and altered my plan on the fly. It takes up just about the entire rear wall of the hen house, but I put doors on the backside of the upper rear wall that I can open to collect eggs. I hardly use these doors, I usually just walk in the front door of hen house. The ten-hole nesting box is bulky, but of good quality. I only had to replaced some of the individually removable bottoms that had rusted through.
They used to be bunched up on their roosts, then I changed the orientation of one post on the left.
View after reorienting one roosting bar.
It’s not so crowded anymore as I’ve lost 6 pullets/hens since I started with this group.
After reviewing some of your setups, I’m wondering how I might at least rearrange what I have within this structure. Any suggestions?
As for the other structure, I’ll likely stick to some plans I drew up if I ever get around to building it. I saw a guy in the area selling some old ones I may take a look at. I also started expanded the fence to make space for other areas I intend to use for future projects. Maybe I’ll get around to finishing some of it this year. Anyhow, I’d like to read your thoughts.
