So I decided to build an underground coop: UPDATE pg 33

[heritagebirds]

Wow you are DRIVEN, three days of diggin'! Looks like it was worth it... I'm lucky to get a 5x10 pen done in a couple of weekends!

 

[Kansaseq]

Quote:
Wow, it looks great! Do you have plastic or anything over the windows? How tall is the door you go through? Look like you may have to stoop a bit to get in there? Are there steps inside?

I can't wait to see the finished ManCave!

 

[Oblio13]

I was planning to put plastic over the openings for the winter, but so far I think ventilation is more important than warmth.

The door is 4 feet high, and there are steps on the inside.

 

[pacetruckguy]

Very interesting concept. I looked through the entire thread. Why have some of the pictures been removed, or deleted? That chiken coop could hold an elephant. Man that is heavy duty. Please keep us all posted on your progress. How many birds do you plan to house in there? Good Job!

 

[GraceAK]

What a great coop! You have lucky chickens indeed!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Just read through about eight pages to catch up on the progress. You did a fantastic job.

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful project. I always wondered how an underground coop would work. Thanks

 

[bagendhens]

ok, so now the coops done...wanna come build me my underground house?!

 

[ColoradoMike]

Oblio: How has the coop been working out?

 

[calista]

A most impressive achievement that would look right at home and function just as beautifully on the family farms of old.

My grandmother had a root cellar that approximated what you designed on her Oklahoma farm in the 1940's, and I'm sure she'd be proud of how you brilliantly turned the concept into such a workable and well-ventilated coop. (Especially since her chicken coop was open-air, with very healthy birds.)

Congratulations!

 

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Wow, a thread that rose from the dead.

It's been working out really well. The waterer never froze all winter, and on the few very hot days we just had, it was comfortably cool. This spring I forked all the bedding out and then up onto the roof, and I planted beans, tomatoes and watermelons up there. Here's a pic from just now.

The black stuff is mud I spread in front of the door this morning. I found a place below a beaver dam with the stickiest, gooiest mud you've ever seen. It dries remarkably hard and without cracking. I'm doing some experiments with it because I think my next goofy construction project may be a rock-and-mud hut. It'll be pretty easy to shuttle buckets full of the stuff between the beaver dam and our property.