This coop was a mashup of two different coop designs that we found on BYC. It measures 4'x8'x4'(plus roof pitch), sits about 12 inches off the ground, and is so solid a tornado couldn't break this apart. Well, maybe a tornado would but you get my drift.
First let me start off by stating that we have named the coop the NINJA COOP because our birds are legal in our city but not in our subdivision. But neither is having a vegetable garden and we have one of those also, lovingly referred to as a NINJA GARDEN!
So, in an effort to be discreet we have situated the coop underneath our deck for stealth reasons. The run adjoins our NINJA GARDEN and will eventually encompass two sides of the garden to create a semi-chicken moat. Right now the run is in temporary condition as DH is just so tired from constructing the coop that he has no energy left to build a predator proof run at the moment. So you will find that we did indeed use chicken wire but we are aware that our birds are at risk until we get the run better fortified. That will have to wait until we finish a few beers! Let us start with the construction:
My husband used OSB covered in moisture protecting material for the walls.
Here is the window which he installed the correct way instead of backwards on accident. We will have to deal with that later...
And here is the finished product:
DH used hardiplank siding for looks and has trimmed the exterior so the coop is nice and attractive. Or it will be once it is painted! Here you can see my dog checking out the chickens in a most sketchy fashion..
The interior:
DH designed double doors that open to expose the entire interior for easy access and cleaning. We have dropping trays under the roosts that just lift out with little effort. The food and water hang under the dropping trays. There is a third tray but I took it out for the photo's. The floor is covered in linoleum and the walls have been painted with a high gloss exterior trim paint which we allowed to air for a week to dissipate fumes. There is a 3-4 inch gap all along the roof eaves which we have covered in hardware cloth so that air gets in but predators stay out. We also installed two vents in the back wall along with a sliding window for good ventilation.
The dropping tray's and the roosts.
The nest boxes:
Spock, Sunshine, and Cartman checking out the new run...
The whole crowd exploring the new run:
featuring: Spock, Sunshine, Kirk, Cartman, Master Chief, and Josh
The NINJA GARDEN with the NINJA COOP
So we still have a little work left to do but the girls will be very secure when they are in the coop at night, and I am not too alarmed about predators during the day given that the coop sits under our deck. (is this gross? please tell me now!) We can always move the whole shabang out to the woods in the back of our property if we need to. We live on one acre, in a subdivision but have nothing but forest behind us. So, what do you all think???
My husband used OSB covered in moisture protecting material for the walls.
Here is the window which he installed the correct way instead of backwards on accident. We will have to deal with that later...
And here is the finished product:
DH used hardiplank siding for looks and has trimmed the exterior so the coop is nice and attractive. Or it will be once it is painted! Here you can see my dog checking out the chickens in a most sketchy fashion..
The interior:
DH designed double doors that open to expose the entire interior for easy access and cleaning. We have dropping trays under the roosts that just lift out with little effort. The food and water hang under the dropping trays. There is a third tray but I took it out for the photo's. The floor is covered in linoleum and the walls have been painted with a high gloss exterior trim paint which we allowed to air for a week to dissipate fumes. There is a 3-4 inch gap all along the roof eaves which we have covered in hardware cloth so that air gets in but predators stay out. We also installed two vents in the back wall along with a sliding window for good ventilation.
The dropping tray's and the roosts.
The nest boxes:
Spock, Sunshine, and Cartman checking out the new run...
The whole crowd exploring the new run:
The NINJA GARDEN with the NINJA COOP
So we still have a little work left to do but the girls will be very secure when they are in the coop at night, and I am not too alarmed about predators during the day given that the coop sits under our deck. (is this gross? please tell me now!) We can always move the whole shabang out to the woods in the back of our property if we need to. We live on one acre, in a subdivision but have nothing but forest behind us. So, what do you all think???
