Started construction on my first coop

[Too Fast]

Great looking coop. I love the red/white, that's the scheme we used. Helps that we have a yard barn like that. We are still making our run, and burying the 2x4 wiring with hardware cloth, I'm jealous of you getting away with chicken wire. It looks like yours is not anchored to the ground, are you not worried about high winds there?

 

[HandsomeRyan]

Great looking coop. I love the red/white, that's the scheme we used. Helps that we have a yard barn like that. We are still making our run, and burying the 2x4 wiring with hardware cloth, I'm jealous of you getting away with chicken wire. It looks like yours is not anchored to the ground, are you not worried about high winds there?

Thanks. The coop weighs about 800lbs and has a big enough footprint that I'm not too concerned about wind.

Here is a picture of the completed pop door opening system. The pop door is a piece of corian counter top with a rope which pulls up through an eye bolt, out the side, and a loop at the end goes over a ook to keep it open during the day. Iran the opener out the back rather than out the front because it was simpler routing and the access door on the back is how we change the food and water so we are back there every day anyway.




And here is a video of the girls coming out the door this morning. They are so fun to watch, should have started keeping chickens years ago.

 

[Too Fast]

I like how your rope for the pop door goes inside the coop, and your door slides on the inside, hidden.

I agree about 'should have started keeping chickens years ago', we feel the same way!

 

[HandsomeRyan]

With the coop complete and the girls happily moved in we are planning a little "Coop Warming Party" to welcome them to their new residence. We have invited a bunch of friends to come over on Memorial Day weekend. We are cooking some hot dogs and possibly having some friend chicken catered by a local chicken restaurant.

We are hoping to continue the "chicken" theme with some party games or additional decorations. If anyone has ideas I'd love to hear them.

I did use some old pallet wood and coop leftovers to make a sign to put at the end of the driveway. I am pretty happy with how it came out.

 

[Too Fast]

^^^Is it pc to eat fried chicken out by the hen house?

Your sign looks nice, sounds like you'll have a fun party. Maybe get a couple human sized chicken costumes?

 

[HandsomeRyan]

After using the coop for a while I love it. The girls are happy and it suits our needs very well. There are only a few updates I would add...

• The Majic brand white barn paint has not held up well. The white parts will all have to be repainted this summer.

• I made a clear vinyl insert which covers the rear vent which I install in the winter to avoid drafts but remove in the spring/summer/fall to improve air flow.

• The rear door which is framed out with wood, is prone to getting shavings from the floor stuck in the bottom corner making the door hard to open. I plan to redo this over the summer so the door will be less prone to getting stuff stuck in it.

• We rarely close the pop door anymore. When I started I was religious about going out there and closing the coop each night and opening it each morning. As time has gone on, we've yet to have a serious predator attack inside the coop (a hawk got one of the SLW's while they were freeranging but that is a different story). Everyone's situation is different so I'm not advocating that others should not close their pop doors each night but none of the people around me who keep chickens in wire enclosures report losing any birds. The guy up the road freeranges 100+ chickens and lest them sleep in his cattle trailer and I think he loses enough of them because they have no protection that it keeps all the neighborhood foxes and coons happy.

• If I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't bother doing so much framing. I treated it as if the entire structure was going to be dealing with heavy loads like a house full of furniture and people but the hens, bedding, feeder, waterer, and even snow loads just are not that heavy. I don't think it hurts to be framed this way but it isn't necessary and I probably could have saved at least a few dollars by reducing the amount of lumber.

My final advice to anyone who is considering building a coop vs. buying one would be- Go for it! I am lucky to own a lot of tools and be pretty handy but nothing that I did couldn't have been done with a hand saw and a hammer if one were patient enough. My coop is far from perfect but the hens are happy and I haven't bought eggs from the store in a long time now. Just look at the coops here, find a style you like, and make one that is similar. Not only is building your own a little cheaper, it is a lot more satisfying to see something you made with your own hands.