slight1122
Hatching
We are new to the poultry game, but once we scored six chicks and two ducklings this spring, we new we needed to act fast and put up a coop. What started as a simple coop and design, ended up growing and growing and growing.
The basic coop was a 4x8 simple design with a lean-to style roof. After getting the initial structure of the coop up, we decided we wanted a gable roof instead to extend over the run to keep it dry and shaded. After adding the gable roof to extend the run to a 10x10 area, we realized that our 4x8 coop was now a 10x14 covered structure.
The coop was started by placing six 4x4 posts in the outline of the structure and secured together with 2x6 frames on the exterior. The floor of the coop was laid with 4x8 plywood and finished with clear coat to protect from damage and moisture. Inside the coop two angled 2x4's were secured from the floor to the wall and a clothing bar was placed across the 2x4's to install two roosting bars. An additional bench seat was created with nesting boxes opposite of the roosting bar. Four doors were installed on the back side for access to eggs, once production starts.
For security, the exterior of the entire coop and run was tilled and small fencing was placed in the ground to prevent digging under the coop. We created panels with 4x6 frames and hardware cloth was stapled to each frame and they were installed around the run. Additional hardware cloth was stapled under the run to 2x4's to the ground. A ramp going into the coop is what is used to get the ducks in safely at night and an automatic sliding door with a timer was installed as well. We have also installed a water catch system that feeds to a trickle watering station, however our birds have not started using this regularly yet.
After the initial build, we added an additional run space to the side as to create a pond space for the ducks. Natural stone was placed around the pool to prevent the ducks from digging holes around the pond. We also used a ball joint to put a drain in the pool for easy cleaning. For fun, we have installed an old tire rope swing, but no chickens have used it as of yet!
The basic coop was a 4x8 simple design with a lean-to style roof. After getting the initial structure of the coop up, we decided we wanted a gable roof instead to extend over the run to keep it dry and shaded. After adding the gable roof to extend the run to a 10x10 area, we realized that our 4x8 coop was now a 10x14 covered structure.
The coop was started by placing six 4x4 posts in the outline of the structure and secured together with 2x6 frames on the exterior. The floor of the coop was laid with 4x8 plywood and finished with clear coat to protect from damage and moisture. Inside the coop two angled 2x4's were secured from the floor to the wall and a clothing bar was placed across the 2x4's to install two roosting bars. An additional bench seat was created with nesting boxes opposite of the roosting bar. Four doors were installed on the back side for access to eggs, once production starts.
For security, the exterior of the entire coop and run was tilled and small fencing was placed in the ground to prevent digging under the coop. We created panels with 4x6 frames and hardware cloth was stapled to each frame and they were installed around the run. Additional hardware cloth was stapled under the run to 2x4's to the ground. A ramp going into the coop is what is used to get the ducks in safely at night and an automatic sliding door with a timer was installed as well. We have also installed a water catch system that feeds to a trickle watering station, however our birds have not started using this regularly yet.
After the initial build, we added an additional run space to the side as to create a pond space for the ducks. Natural stone was placed around the pool to prevent the ducks from digging holes around the pond. We also used a ball joint to put a drain in the pool for easy cleaning. For fun, we have installed an old tire rope swing, but no chickens have used it as of yet!
good build!!!
