Show me UGLY coops- where my peeps at?

animalyodelers · Nov 18, 2018

Just sharing this because I am so glad to be done with this part of the coop! 3 nesting boxes with doors for easy access. I showed some pics before but I made it better. It still needs the steel roof but that's it! All scrap wood again.

In the spring it will be Ugly Coop Part III, we have 6 brand new chicks who will need their space!

paintedChix · Nov 18, 2018

So this weekend I built two more chicken coops. Think they qualify on lots of different counts - maybe ugly, lots of re-purposed items, CP hoop coops.

The view from the far left side of our porch. Can you find the two chicken coops? They will be joined eventually - the big pine tree is between them.

Both coops use 1 new cattle panel, 2x4 wire that was used for fencing an area in this summer, a new 6x8 tarp, 4 new t-posts, 3 pallets (some free, some $3 ea), new bucket for feed & trash can lid... Coop # 2 was actually finished first and then had chickens brought in. I totally forgot to put the lumber below the cattle panel so could do DLM and not have it become too short.

Coop #1 was finished 2nd. I was getting tired - especially after cutting the panel & pallets loose and digging thru wood piles (mostly rotten) to find landscaping timbers, whole & in parts. So, didn't want to go out to a shed in the pony pasture to get the bottles. Went ahead and used wire for the whole coop. I still need to get the wire trimmed and attached at the top edge(s).

I left "bars" out on the gate. Will put in 3 screw eyes and hang the gate like most other livestock gates. I still need to do nesting and dust bathing boxes - hopefully next week. Will also need to start layering in DLM material.

I also need to make some type of door above the "door/gate"... Thinking same wire with PVC (have but need the corners to do this). Think I'll make them so that they swing or drop down on the gate - ezer to get in, I think.

Ugly or not, happy with the way they turned out! I had one 10x10 coop go from 17 chickens down to 9. The other 8 are currently split up - 2 separated quads.

raenglehart · Nov 19, 2018

All given to me for free at different times. It's a hodge-podge for sure. I have a new to me 8x12 shed that my kids and I plan to make the new coop over the winter here. This is an older picture and has been hodged-podged some more with a 3rd coop given to me along with 2 baby coops (also given)

RenoHuskerDu · Nov 19, 2018

raenglehart said:
All given to me for free at different times. It's a hodge-podge for sure. I have a new to me 8x12 shed that my kids and I plan to make the new coop over the winter here. This is an older picture and has been hodged-podged some more with a 3rd coop given to me along with 2 baby coops (also given)
View attachment 1594215 View attachment 1594216

Not sure where you live but here in Central Texas we have predators that will dig under the sides in short order. We need to wire the bottom, either by running the side wire down into a deep trench then filling it, or entirely wiring the bottom.

animalyodelers · Nov 19, 2018

paintedChix said:
So this weekend I built two more chicken coops. Think they qualify on lots of different counts - maybe ugly, lots of re-purposed items, CP hoop coops.

The view from the far left side of our porch. Can you find the two chicken coops? They will be joined eventually - the big pine tree is between them.

View attachment 1594064

Both coops use 1 new cattle panel, 2x4 wire that was used for fencing an area in this summer, a new 6x8 tarp, 4 new t-posts, 3 pallets (some free, some $3 ea), new bucket for feed & trash can lid... Coop # 2 was actually finished first and then had chickens brought in. I totally forgot to put the lumber below the cattle panel so could do DLM and not have it become too short.

View attachment 1594065 View attachment 1594070 View attachment 1594071
View attachment 1594089 View attachment 1594090

Coop #1 was finished 2nd. I was getting tired - especially after cutting the panel & pallets loose and digging thru wood piles (mostly rotten) to find landscaping timbers, whole & in parts. So, didn't want to go out to a shed in the pony pasture to get the bottles. Went ahead and used wire for the whole coop. I still need to get the wire trimmed and attached at the top edge(s).

View attachment 1594101 View attachment 1594103 View attachment 1594104 View attachment 1594107

I left "bars" out on the gate. Will put in 3 screw eyes and hang the gate like most other livestock gates. I still need to do nesting and dust bathing boxes - hopefully next week. Will also need to start layering in DLM material.

I also need to make some type of door above the "door/gate"... Thinking same wire with PVC (have but need the corners to do this). Think I'll make them so that they swing or drop down on the gate - ezer to get in, I think.

Ugly or not, happy with the way they turned out! I had one 10x10 coop go from 17 chickens down to 9. The other 8 are currently split up - 2 separated quads.

Good job!!

animalyodelers · Nov 19, 2018

raenglehart said:
All given to me for free at different times. It's a hodge-podge for sure. I have a new to me 8x12 shed that my kids and I plan to make the new coop over the winter here. This is an older picture and has been hodged-podged some more with a 3rd coop given to me along with 2 baby coops (also given)
View attachment 1594215 View attachment 1594216

Lucky you! Looks like a little chicken village!

raenglehart · Nov 20, 2018

Raccoons, Opossums, Foxes (on rare occasion), Hawks, Eagles mainly it for here. So far, in 3 years of this hodge-podge, nothing has dug under. We are in the works building a new improved coop over this winter though and we do plan to dig/bury wire like you mention. I'll try to remember to get an updated pic after work today if I can get home before it gets dark (I hate daylight savings time).

animalyodelers · Nov 20, 2018

And now, the ugly brooder! Lol. Actually aside.from the reused plywood being kinda ugly, it's not too bad. I'm pretty proud of it! And the chicks seem to love it.