Weekend one of my coop build

Hello All!

I posted a few days ago saying that I was going to start building a coop....people asked me to post updates, so here I am.


The coop is replacing a veggie bed (remnants can be seen above). First project on day one was moving the old bed. Lots of dirt moved, levelling etc. Bummer when you're itching to build something, but it's necessary!

Of course buying wood was one of the next parts of the project. I had some ideas in mind, but the details are still fuzzy. So I just got enough wood to start, and I had someone there to help me..


I wanted to check the size... I have a green belt/walking path next to my house. I figured it would be good to keep the roof below the fence line.



Unfortunately that means I can't stand in the coop...but the rest of the family can. That's a different helper...he just looks a lot like the other one.



This is my backyard workbench. I LOVE having a good place to work. (But I hate the air conditioner...) The chicken coop is directly behind where I am taking this picture. Best thing is...workbench about 7 feet from the coop! Power...tools...etc.



And this. Huge thing for me...I put all my tools in a wagon to move from the garage to the backyard. This may not have anything to do with chickens...but it makes the build process so much nicer! I can get to work without lugging tools back and forth. I just leave the tools in here since this is the only project I'm working on right now.



Okay, back to the coop. I added tons of diagonal bracing. Possibly (probably?) overkill, but my grandfather told me, "if it's worth building, it's worth over building." Or something like that...I always go overboard, but this thing is rock solid. The worst thing for a project like this is just allowing movement..which will loosen everything. No movement here.

Oh...I loved buying a big box of torx deck screws. I read some screws vs nails discussions here...but I went with screws. If I keep movement to a minimum, there should not be enough shear force to do any damage.



Okay...I did go overboard. But that's the way I like it. Now you can see that most of the box is done. I will be adding a lot of braces to hold the nesting box, the door, roof, etc. Etc. But this is how far I got in the first weekend.

You can see my design idea for the joists. They will be supporting a corrugated roof. Clear, or green? What's best in an area that gets HOT (Over 105 in the summer)?



I'd like to say what my plans are, but they keep changing. My wife said, 'slow down, take your time'. Awesome! That gives me time to review other coops to get some ideas. There are some BEAUTIFUL coops out there!

Really looking forward to this project...maybe 3 more weekends.

Size right now is about 4 feet wide by 10 feet long, and about 5'5" for the ceiling. I'm thinking about 4 chickens. Depending on damage to the yard, they will either be let out supervised or (hopefully) unsupervised each day.

Thrilled to be working on my chicken project!

 

Thank you Misty! Keep checking on me...because I need to keep making progress!

 

Even your greatest dreams become a chore as soon as you get paid. But yes, building coops would be a great way to spend your days!

 

Carolina,

I ripped the 2X6 joist at an angle to provide slope. It has a 4 inch drop across 4.5 feet. Not a big slope...but good enough for rain.

If we ever get snow, this roof will be the least of my worries! We did have some snowflakes about 15 years ago...but that was rare, and nothing that stuck.