the number one rule of coop building

[skyblues22]

Unfortunately I am going through the same thing now,,,,I am having my neighbor with a forklift take my 500-600 lb coop back about 40ft!!!! hope he doesn't charge, and I can just supply him with eggs free for a year or something. LOL.

 

[spackals]

My husband learned that lesson yesterday. He built it in the garage on top of the kids wagon so he would be able to move it eaisly. Well it wouldn't fit through the gate so he had to take the roof off it and then take it through. It was pretty funny to watch him and the neighbor try and get it through that gate though.

 

[DaveBeaty]

I got bit in the rear end BECAUSE of rules 1 and 2.

I was building a nice 3 foot by 7 1/2 foot by 4 foot tall tractor style coop in the driveway, the only flat solid spot on my property. I planned on rolling it to the backyard. Perfect size for our two pullets... WHAM!! Two more chicks, doubling the number to four.

Rule number 2 biting me: Time for a redesign.

The new coop is 10 foot by 4 foot by 6 feet tall. Since I KNEW I could not move THIS thing by myself, I disassembled it and started building it on site. Rule number 1 now takes a chunk out of me. My lot is composed of 40 years of wind-blown sand over river rocks, and there is not a level (or solid) spot to be found. I try to lay old shelving under the corners so I can have something solid to work on, THEY sink into the sand. There probably isn't a true 90 degree angle on this thing, and I am sure the only reason it is still standing after a month is 3 sheets of plywood, three boxes of deck screws, and the fact that I wrapped the thing in 2" by 4" by 4 foot wide welded wire. What a hot mess!

But, it holds chickens. At least they are out of the garage.

 

[Mahonri]

#1 rule. Good foundation, build it in place and build it bigger than you think you'll need.

 

[KybraBoss]

I've got a couple rules.

measure twice cut once

make it tall enough for you to stand up in

take a leaf out of IKEA's book and design it modular, easy to assemble and dis-assemble, at least once a year the houses are completely pulled apart for a good steam clean, being designed right means they take 15 minutes to strip down or put together.

know that the foxes are smarter than you and over design your defences

 

[newchicksnducks]

Rule #3 - If you insist on moving your coop, at least move it laterally...ours was originally a "tree/club house" - the floor being 6 feet up in the air! DH, DD, and DS used a chain saw, chopping off the legs, letting it (luckily!) fall onto the landscaping trailer. It was then moved from one side of the property to the other. It then had to be leveled, set on blocks... Review Rule #1