Square Foot Chicken Coop

[bfeusner]

I am currently building a square foot chicken coop for my four red sex linked laying hens...I wanted something that looked nice and would help my girls be as comfortable as possible...I found a great idea for a design for the Urban Garden Project...The plan calls for a 4'x4' square foot chicken coop that can be used to help fertilize 4'x4' square foot garden bed...The design is made to fit directly on top of the garden bed and is lightweight so it can be rotated from one bed to another...You can see a basic outline of the design at http://urbangardenproject.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/building-a-square-foot-gardening-chicken-coop/

Here is the backside of the coop with the chicken wire and framing complete:

Here is the side view of the coop with the chicken wire and framing complete:

Here is the front view of the coop with the chicken wire and framing complete:

Here is the front view with the fiberglass paneling the will be placed as the roof in place:

Tomorrow I will place the door on the bottom run portion of the coop, placing the walls around the enclosed portion of the coop, adding a nesting box, and painting the coop...

Hopefully there will be more pics to follow...Let me know what you think!

 

[woodenart]

Sorry to be pedantic regarding your roof covering, the corrugations would be better running down the slope to help water run away easier.

Mark.

 

[bfeusner]

Once I get the plywood on the roof to screw the fiberglass paneling to I am going to try to turn it the "right" direction for the water to flow off the roof but I am just making do with what I can to make it fit because the fiberglass panels are left over from my last project. I am really not 100% sure whether or not I will use the panels or not!

 

[Mahonri]

great start.

 

[gsim]

If they are going to be in that overnight them hardware cloth around skirt is better than chicken wire by far. Dogs, coons, coyotes all can rip chicken wire to pieces. If the run area is also 4x4, then it is not enough space for chickens. For 4 chooks, I would not even think of less than a 4 x 10 run. Might be feasible to build a lightweight run that attaches to your coop.

 

[gsim]

Another thing to consider is to build a droppings drawer to make it easier and quicker to clean coop.

 

[bfeusner]

I have a 6'x8' chain link dog kennel that I will attach the coop to for the chickens during the day...I am using chicken wire because that is what I had available and I live in the city so there are not very many predators...I am contemplating adding electric fencing around all of the coop and runs just for added protection but I have seen no signs what so ever of any break in attempts by a predator...Also I will be placing vinyl flooring down and using pine pellets to help with cleaning so even though I thought of a droppings drawer I think I will just stick with vinyl flooring and pine pellets. Thanks for all the suggestions...

 

[sillyaboutchickens]

I would second the suggestion about hardwire cloth.

Raccoons and opossums live in the city. I think I read somewhere raccoons were the #1 predator of chickens.

I am posting this because I know a family with chickens who has been battling raccoons getting into the coop and they were becoming very frustrated having to retrofit their coop to make it raccoon proof. Raccoons can be very nasty and very MEAN to chickens.

Good luck. Nice little coop.

 

[bfeusner]

I may go back and put hardware cloth on the inside and keep the chicken wire on the outside...Gotta try to pick up some chicken wire today from the store...Thanks for the suggestions...Now I just have to decide if I want to use OSB board and paint it for the top or get T-111 for the top...Keep the suggestions coming!

 

[Overeasyplz]

looks awesome so far! I did not know hardware cloth was better than chicken wire, I would have thought the opposite. And as you are using it as a tractor for square foot gardening the birds will get new ground to dig up! That's a great idea!