I was given a structure in August that I converted into a chicken coop. It was essentially a 4’ x 4’ x 8’ box with 2 doors on each side. It was left on a property by the previous owner and I think it was going to be used as a rabbit hutch. It was totally clean inside.
A friend kindly offered to help and we spent many hours (more than I thought it would take) to modify it for chickens. After getting it home the first task was to put it on legs. There is a divider wall across the middle which we left – we made one side for layers and the other side might be used as an infirmary or for broody hens or teenage grow-outs. At one end we replaced an upward opening door with a vent I picked up and below it we installed a nest box. At the other end, we put in an opening louvered window and closed in the downward opening door (easily opened up in the future).
On one side we left the two small opening doors but added a landing and ramp for each. On the other side we added disassembled louvered trailer windows and mounted one vertically in each door for light and so I can see in. The floors are covered with lino.
The whole project was complicated because I rescued a flock of chickens before we were finished. We hurried to put in a roost bar and finish the nest boxes after they arrived. I had to paint and built a permanent pen around them.
My original coop is situated with a 30’ x 40’ pen. This coop is located behind that enclosure and we used the back end of that pen as one side of the new 16’ x 30’ pen (I couldn’t build out further because of the trees).
My friend and I challenged ourselves to do the reno on a budget. I went to building sites and asked for plywood and dimensional lumber off-cuts and posted on FB groups for free materials. I used paint and hardware that I had or salvaged from the original coop. My total cost was less than $40: 4 cinderblocks found at a garage sale, one tube of caulking, a handful of screws, 1 litre of paint and a couple of pieces of 1” x 6”.
The coop is sitting under a 10’x20’ car shelter which I got in the free pile at a garage sale. The two farm gates were $5 each at our local recycling centre. One of the gates was 32" wide and my opening was 43" wide so I sandwiched the door between two cedar panels to make it fit. The pen cost far more than I expected considering I only need four 9’ cedar posts (I had 3 T-posts), 50’ wire and cement.
I’m happy with the way it has turned out. I wish the original builders had done a shed or peaked roof – more for the aesthetics than anything. We toyed with changing the roof but it is well built (I’ve walked around up there) and is clad in metal roofing so that seemed like more work than was worthwhile. We ran out of time before the rainy season but next summer I will mount a 3' x 1' horizontal window in the end with the nest boxes to the left of the door.
Here are the before and after pics:
A friend kindly offered to help and we spent many hours (more than I thought it would take) to modify it for chickens. After getting it home the first task was to put it on legs. There is a divider wall across the middle which we left – we made one side for layers and the other side might be used as an infirmary or for broody hens or teenage grow-outs. At one end we replaced an upward opening door with a vent I picked up and below it we installed a nest box. At the other end, we put in an opening louvered window and closed in the downward opening door (easily opened up in the future).
On one side we left the two small opening doors but added a landing and ramp for each. On the other side we added disassembled louvered trailer windows and mounted one vertically in each door for light and so I can see in. The floors are covered with lino.
The whole project was complicated because I rescued a flock of chickens before we were finished. We hurried to put in a roost bar and finish the nest boxes after they arrived. I had to paint and built a permanent pen around them.
My original coop is situated with a 30’ x 40’ pen. This coop is located behind that enclosure and we used the back end of that pen as one side of the new 16’ x 30’ pen (I couldn’t build out further because of the trees).
My friend and I challenged ourselves to do the reno on a budget. I went to building sites and asked for plywood and dimensional lumber off-cuts and posted on FB groups for free materials. I used paint and hardware that I had or salvaged from the original coop. My total cost was less than $40: 4 cinderblocks found at a garage sale, one tube of caulking, a handful of screws, 1 litre of paint and a couple of pieces of 1” x 6”.
The coop is sitting under a 10’x20’ car shelter which I got in the free pile at a garage sale. The two farm gates were $5 each at our local recycling centre. One of the gates was 32" wide and my opening was 43" wide so I sandwiched the door between two cedar panels to make it fit. The pen cost far more than I expected considering I only need four 9’ cedar posts (I had 3 T-posts), 50’ wire and cement.
I’m happy with the way it has turned out. I wish the original builders had done a shed or peaked roof – more for the aesthetics than anything. We toyed with changing the roof but it is well built (I’ve walked around up there) and is clad in metal roofing so that seemed like more work than was worthwhile. We ran out of time before the rainy season but next summer I will mount a 3' x 1' horizontal window in the end with the nest boxes to the left of the door.
Here are the before and after pics:
