h c hennery
Chirping
Hi!
I've been researching coop design here for a while and finally have info to share: our nearly completed coop/run! Made for 3 hens (1 Barred Rock, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Red Star).
We based it on the Wichita Cabin Coop, but added wheels and made it lighter, so we could move it around the yard. Overall dimensions are 5’ x 10’; coop is roughly 5’ x 3.5’. Base and wall framing made using 2”x4”s, coop framing is a mixture of 2”x4”s and 2”x3”s, rafters are 2”x3”s, and purlins are 1”x3”s. Coop floor is 1/2” plywood, and coop roof is ¼” (I think). The window above the nest box is 15” x 25.75”, and the window on the coop door is 16” x 23”. The pop hole is 10” x 12”.
The build time, from start to finish, was 10 weeks, but we worked on it for only 15 days (mostly part-time and on weekends). My husband Ken, who is a skilled general handyman with minimal carpentry experience, did most of the work. I helped with design and materials research and some unskilled labor.
The biggest challenge was making the nest box and making its lid fit snugly with no gaps. The second biggest challenge was making the coop door and mounting it to fit the coop with minimal gaps.
My favorite part of the whole thing, so far: the ChickenGuard automatic door opener. A genius idea! The tracks for the cookie-sheet-door were cut from a single piece of a plastic trellis end cap thingie, sold near the decking/trellis materials at either Lowes or Home Depot (we switched back and forth for construction materials and made multiple trips throughout this process).
I’ll post daily build details and *try* to post pictures below. Thanks to everyone who’s shared information in these forums — it gave us the confidence to build our own coop.
-Jenny
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May 6, 2017: Bought materials and stained framing pieces.
May 7, 2017: Created bottom and sides of unit.
May 15, 2017: Attached rafters.
June 4, 2017: Decided to give coop its own sub-roof; moved rafters to line up with coop roof and coop exterior siding. Added coop roof and stapled tar paper to it; attached purlins to rafters; screwed on SunTuf polycarbonate 6’ roofing panels (opaque over coop and clear over run).
June 10, 2017: Attached coop floor and some coop framing pieces.
June 11, 2017: Built nest box, laid vinyl on coop floor, and began siding coop with SmartSide panels.
June 12, 2017: Finagled and attached nest box lid.
June 17, 2017: Measured, cut, and hung coop siding.
June 19, 2017: Built coop door.
June 21, 2017: Mounted coop door and painted coop.
June 24, 2017: Built and mounted door to run; began installing hardware cloth on run.
June 25, 2017: Finished installing hardware cloth; attached wheels to unit (Egg Cartn wheel lift kit; $344).
July 3, 2017: Built ramp to run and installed ChickenGuard door opener ($190).
July 8, 2017: Installed roost in coop (made from stair handrail); made and installed ramp to roost. I especially like the adhesive non-skid panels we added to ramps.
July 15 and 16, 2017: Installed Ikea curtain rods to hold poop trays and made poop trays (13” wide, also from Ikea — may switch to wider ones when the hens get bigger).
I've been researching coop design here for a while and finally have info to share: our nearly completed coop/run! Made for 3 hens (1 Barred Rock, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Red Star).
We based it on the Wichita Cabin Coop, but added wheels and made it lighter, so we could move it around the yard. Overall dimensions are 5’ x 10’; coop is roughly 5’ x 3.5’. Base and wall framing made using 2”x4”s, coop framing is a mixture of 2”x4”s and 2”x3”s, rafters are 2”x3”s, and purlins are 1”x3”s. Coop floor is 1/2” plywood, and coop roof is ¼” (I think). The window above the nest box is 15” x 25.75”, and the window on the coop door is 16” x 23”. The pop hole is 10” x 12”.
The build time, from start to finish, was 10 weeks, but we worked on it for only 15 days (mostly part-time and on weekends). My husband Ken, who is a skilled general handyman with minimal carpentry experience, did most of the work. I helped with design and materials research and some unskilled labor.
The biggest challenge was making the nest box and making its lid fit snugly with no gaps. The second biggest challenge was making the coop door and mounting it to fit the coop with minimal gaps.
My favorite part of the whole thing, so far: the ChickenGuard automatic door opener. A genius idea! The tracks for the cookie-sheet-door were cut from a single piece of a plastic trellis end cap thingie, sold near the decking/trellis materials at either Lowes or Home Depot (we switched back and forth for construction materials and made multiple trips throughout this process).
I’ll post daily build details and *try* to post pictures below. Thanks to everyone who’s shared information in these forums — it gave us the confidence to build our own coop.
-Jenny
----------------------------------
May 6, 2017: Bought materials and stained framing pieces.
May 7, 2017: Created bottom and sides of unit.
May 15, 2017: Attached rafters.
June 4, 2017: Decided to give coop its own sub-roof; moved rafters to line up with coop roof and coop exterior siding. Added coop roof and stapled tar paper to it; attached purlins to rafters; screwed on SunTuf polycarbonate 6’ roofing panels (opaque over coop and clear over run).
June 10, 2017: Attached coop floor and some coop framing pieces.
June 11, 2017: Built nest box, laid vinyl on coop floor, and began siding coop with SmartSide panels.
June 12, 2017: Finagled and attached nest box lid.
June 17, 2017: Measured, cut, and hung coop siding.
June 19, 2017: Built coop door.
June 21, 2017: Mounted coop door and painted coop.
June 24, 2017: Built and mounted door to run; began installing hardware cloth on run.
June 25, 2017: Finished installing hardware cloth; attached wheels to unit (Egg Cartn wheel lift kit; $344).
July 3, 2017: Built ramp to run and installed ChickenGuard door opener ($190).
July 8, 2017: Installed roost in coop (made from stair handrail); made and installed ramp to roost. I especially like the adhesive non-skid panels we added to ramps.
July 15 and 16, 2017: Installed Ikea curtain rods to hold poop trays and made poop trays (13” wide, also from Ikea — may switch to wider ones when the hens get bigger).
