So i've decided to build a coop

[aart]

Great ideas Aart.

In case I haven't said it, I really appreciate your input on this project. I've learned a lot from you and the others, and know I have lots more to learn.

Glad to help.....there are sooo many little things to learn, I learned a lot of them here so am just paying it forward.

 

[Gridguru]

Did a few of the finishing tasks on the coop yesterday.

I added the automatic pop-door to the coop. I basically followed the steps i saw a guy do in a YouTube video to rig up his. I cut a hole in the exterior wall, led the line through it and over a "bobbin" (some sewing machine part) that i used as a pulley of sorts. The door closes about a half inch below the opening. The idea is that animals couldnt get a claw under the door and just lift it up that way.




Next i put linoleum flooring down.



Here's a view from the big door side. Access wont be an issue for humans.




Then i screened in the window with HW cloth. My dog has enjoyed going in and out the window during construction, so she's less thrilled with this addition.





Then i installed the feeder through the wall. With the screen on the window it was hard to take a good pic from that side, so i took one from the door as well.






While i was doing all this, i gave my daughter the chore of collecting rocks from around the yard to both cover the concrete blocks (i didn't like how they looked) and provide some digging protection. The one thing my yard has in spades, besides trees, is rocks. I will likely do this or something like this around the run as well.




Next up is making a removable screen for the door side. Trimming the coop will be the last step, but no rush on that.

 

[TerryH]

Excellent thread, Gridguru!! Thanks for posting. I appreciate your pre-planning. I'm a planner as well. Hopefully I can execute it. I'm in the midst of building out first coop as well. I'll be incorporating some of the same ideas. Thanks again!

Terry

 

[Gridguru]

Excellent thread, Gridguru!! Thanks for posting. I'm in the midst of building out first coop as well. I'll be incorporating some of the same ideas. Thanks again!

Terry

Much appreciated Terry. Glad it's been helpful. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about any specifics/details.

 

[TerryH]

Much appreciated Terry. Glad it's been helpful. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about any specifics/details.

Thanks! Right now I feel like I have information overload. I research everything to a stupid level. I've read and YouTubed myself into oblivion. There are just so many great ideas out there that I want to incorporate into our coop and run. I want to make sure that the coop and run are equipped and functional so tending the flock as simple and enjoyable for my wife as possible. I have a thread going in this same section if you want to check it out.

 

[Gridguru]

Making the screen door was easy enough. I'll figure out how to secure it down well, while also making it relatively easy to take on and off when we want down the road.

Between the window screen, the door screen, and venting at the top, they should stay as cool as possible in the summer i think.

 

[Gridguru]

I realized i never posted my plans. So here they are in case they help anyone. Unfortunately there are no measurements on them (i did that by hand).

 

[aart]

Do the small squares represent a certain unit of measurement?
The upper right elevation of base doesn't quite line up.
Is the roof plan, upper right, drawn flat on or skewed?

 

[Gridguru]

Do the small squares represent a certain unit of measurement?
The upper right elevation of base doesn't quite line up.
Is the roof plan, upper right, drawn flat on or skewed?

Thee app i use for this stuff (free one... called Dia) is actually for doing process diagrams i think, but it works well enough for me. Unfortunately, the squares represent different measurements the more or less you zoom out. If it helps, the base is 70"x70".

I had each section on a different page and just moved them all to one page to do this. I am sure i didnt get them all lined up exactly.

The roof is an overhead view. The length of the rafters don't reflect actual length. For the drawing i think i just used 8', even though a top down look should/would have them be shorted due to the angle.

 

[Gridguru]

Last one for today, i promise.

I build it, and the wife (with the help of Pintrest) decorates it.