Wingleader's Chicken Chatteau - Coop-in-Progress

[NakaFlight]

You have my most sincere condolences for the loss of your Dad. =(

Thanks for the update! Also, thank you for the detailed notes about drilling into concrete blocks. I've been searching for info on doing it cheap, and it's hard finding it online. I'm interested on what you use for the chicken wire. I've heard you can use screws and washers to keep the wire up better instead of using staples that can back out of the wood.

I can't wait for the next update =)
<3 NakaseFlight (Nakase )

 

[Wingleader]

I'll be covering the wire soon, but for now I'll let you know that we did use staples. We are going to be putting an extra layer of painted wood on all of the edges that the wire is stapled to and screwing that down to sandwich it securely in place come spring, but the staples do a pretty decent job if you use them generously.

 

[Wingleader]

Phase 3 (Continued)

Alright, we're back! I last left off with the posts for the coop getting put up, each of them being a doubled 2x4 nailed together with outdoor galvanized nails to save some cash, instead of buying 4x4 posts, which can be costly.




Now, you'll notice the terrible quality of the above photograph and I do apologize. There were a few days where I was working late into the evening with the aid of a large double shop-light and my camera didn't play very nicely with the bad lighting. You'll have to use a bit more imagination here, as I explain the steps that went into getting the above image.

After the posts were in place and everything was screwed together and painted, the next step was to put on the roof beams. These were loads of fun (read: not fun at all) to get home from the hardware store, as they are each 16 foot 2x6 planks. We had to tie them together nice and tightly and then lash the door of our minivan to them to keep it from flopping about. Lots of rope and red flags, since they stuck out the back of the car a good 3 or 4 feet. I prepainted these while they were still on the ground, because painting up on a ladder can be unpleasant (not to mention hazardous).

The plan here was to notch the beams to fit nicely on the walls and the run posts and to screw them in place. There would also be notches made on the top sides to slide 2x4 spacers across them to sturdy it up, but still be flush with the top edge of the beams. This way we could easily place a roof and attach wire mesh and everything would look nice and tidy.

To begin, we hoisted a single, uncut beam up on to the roof. With assistance, I clamped the beam to the side of the coop so that the wood was pressed against the building at the desired level it would be when in place. This way, I was able to trace the notches that would be required directly onto the beam. No mess, no measuring, no guesswork! Taking the beam down, I then used an oscillating saw, a circular saw, and even a hand saw to cut out the notches that I had traced. After that was complete, the plank went back onto the roof to test the fit, and voila! One roof plank ready! After this, it was a simple matter of using that first beam as a template to cut out the rest, seven in total.

The beams were set into place at equal distances from each other and then the planks were secured by toe-nailing screws in at a diagonal from either side wherever the beam rested on another piece of wood. We drilled small pilot holes for this, as this stresses the wood and can split large chunks off if you're not careful. When drilling pilot holes, be sure to choose a bit that, when placed on top of the screw, allows you to see all of the thread from behind it! Too big a bit will make your screw perform badly and it may come loose or break. Too small, and you risk splitting the wood.

After these were in place, six uncut 2x4s were placed into the roof notches (three to cover the first 3 and a half beams, and three to finish the distance) and screwed into place, which you can see below! (The pictures below this one show the roof setup a LOT more clearly.)



The next day I would be tackling the last bit of the wooden frame for the run. Our plan to keep our birds particularly safe and to give use the option of raising chicks in the run is to run 1/2" hardware cloth around the base of the entire run. The small gaps don't allow small critters into the coop and tiny chicks can't get stuck in between the mesh, either. We decided on a 2 foot height, so our spacers to frame this section in needed to be that high, plus a little bit so that we would have room to staple on the regular chickenwire, as well. I don't have any decent close-ups of this portion, so, once again, time to use your imagination!

After these were all cut, I created a bunch of little blocks which would be nailed to the posts at equal heights so that the cross pieces could be placed directly on top of them and nailed down. Doing this avoided the necessity of toe-nailing the boards in place, which often results in the wooden pieces shifting and going in crooked. I also think it looks better and feels a lot more sturdy.

To begin, I made a bunch of little rectangular blocks, which would be nailed sideways into the posts and the final 2x4 beam would be placed on top of them. To place these little blocks, I measured out and cut a small piece of 2x4 to act as a spacer. This block was the perfect height so that the tiny blocks could be set on top of it and nailed in place, after which the spacer could be removed again and used on the next block. This saved a LOT of time and made each block perfectly level with the others. Next, I measured out and cut 2x4 planks to fit in each of the gaps between posts. I was careful to do each of these one-at-a-time because slight shifts can happen and these needed to be nice and snug. Also, I was sure to measure the width across the area at the height that they would be placed to account for warps and bends in the wooden frame! You can see the result below!





So, the next step after all of this was in place was to paint and get the wire in place!!







Above, you can see the hardware cloth beginning to be placed. I used standard T50 size staples (arrow brand) and a regular staple gun (not a power one, though I wish I owned such a thing). I did this on my own, which was quite a challenge, as the roll of hardware cloth kept rolling back on itself. I placed staples about every three inches or so and was careful to stretch it as taught as I could manage. Not only does loose wire look messy, but it isn't as safe or sturdy. If the wire can be easily moved, the repeated wiggling will eventually force the staples to pull out.

After the hardware cloth was in place, we took a break from that for a bit to get the roof in place, which only covers the coop building itself and a small portion of the run. We wanted something that would allow a lot of light into the coop, but not be perfectly clear, so we settled on some corrugated plastic roofing material. This type is used in an overlapping pattern (starting at the lowest point and working up, row by row). I would highly recommend finding proper instruction for this portion, as I didn't get any photographs of the in-progress and I feel as though I did a pretty inadequate job (though it looks alright now and is quite functional). Starting at the bottom right (when facing the coop) I clamped the pieces in place, one by one, and drilled holes through the plastic in the valleys between each corrugated strip so the screws wouldn't crack it. I believe you're actually supposed to use bolts that go unto predrilled holes on the upper sections, but time was an issue at this point and using screws was quicker.

This presented a waterproofing problem, since the water would gather in the valleys. To solve this, I put a generous dollop of weatherproof silicone over the holes before placing the screws. The screws I used were sturdy decking screws and to prevent wind from ripping the plastic sheets through the small screw heads, I chose to use wide washers, as well. Before placing each of these, I bent them slightly to conform to the corrugations and it worked pretty well.

So, to sum that mess of instruction up a bit more here it is a bit shorter: 1. drill holes through plastic, 2. dollop silicone over drilled hole, 3. put bent washer on dollop of silicone, 4. put the screw in place. So, below you can see the result!



Once the roof was taken care of, we continued with the wire mesh! You can't actually SEE the wire in these photos, but it is there. That guy there in the photo below is my brother, and he's a pretty heavy dude, so this can vouch for the strength of our construction. He was trotting all over the place up there and the coop didn't so much as wiggle.



A few things to note is that by this point the southern facing side of the coop has been completely sided! This was a very easy process, and there is PLENTY of instruction online, so I shan't go into too much detail here. You can also see that there is a window of sorts visible here, but it won't remain a window for very long... we have a fun little thing in store for that, but more on that part later! The ends of our roof beams were also trimmed up to be perpendicular to the ground. This was purely a cosmetic choice, however, and I've seen plenty of buildings that leave the beams squared off.

Another thing to note is the open end of the run. When this was going on, we were trying to work quickly to get the chickens out of their old coop because of impending cold weather so we decided to put off finishing the run. There will be at least another ten feet added onto this (about two or three more posts, all told) when all is said and done. For now, we chose to simply stretch some leftover wire over the opening and turned an old dog kennel into a door. I'll have pictures of this in a bit.


Phase 4: Inside the Coop

So, we had the run pretty much finished, the roof was in place... so then came time to get the inside sorted out! And the first thing on the docket was to get some electrical wiring in place! We want to have a solar panel out by the coop come next autumn with a cache of two or three car batteries inside a secure box in the coop. This would be to run lights and heating lamps for when it gets dark and cold out. I would recommend finding instruction on the electrical work here. I did not do this, but my fiance did, as he has some electrical training and is familiar with installing new wiring (we pretty much gutted our entire house, so he's got some practice, this took him about an hour, all told).



This will be the fixture for the outdoor spotlight (above).



Here's where the double switch box (above) which will turn on the lights as well as the outlet box (below) for the heat lamps. Again, these will be run via a hookup to a few car batteries in series.



Next up it was time to cut in the pop hole! I simply framed in the hole with 2x4s in a sort of sideways H shape and put some corner molding to make it look nice and neat (again, sorry, no progress shots, as I was trying to work quickly, the weather was getting very cold). After that, I found an old shelf board, cut some small sticks, and put together the ramp! The ramp is loose, but sits on a piece of wood I nailed to the side of the building and is wedged against the coop with a paver stone.






After that, I began insulating! I am taking this very seriously, so this is actual housing insulation. It isn't terribly expensive, so that's a plus!












After the insulation was in place, it was time to sheathe the inside! In a house, this would be where the drywall comes into use, but because drywall crumbles when it gets wet it would be a bad choice in a coop. We're using 1/4" plywood paneling here. It's a tad pricey, but it works great!





I ran out of full sheets of plywood, so I hunted around for bits of wood we had lying around. Eventually all of this will be painted, but time was of the essence, so that is having to wait.

So, with the inside of the coop all nice and insulated and covered, it was time to work on that "window."


Phase 5: Solar Air Heater

My fiance is a pretty crafty guy and had this idea for a while. He went online and found some instructions, and we included this in the original plan of the coop. It is an air heater made of aluminum cans and painted black! The finished product is below:



Outside views (above and below)





Inside views (above and below)



Here's how it works. A small frame is built on the top and bottom of the window with no backing toward the inside of the coop. Using a can opener, one can cut the tops and bottoms of a bunch of soda cans off, leaving aluminum tubes. These soda cans are then taped together with aluminum tape and laid out so that there is about a quarter of an inch of space in between them. With this spacing, holes that are big enough to allow the tops and bottoms of the cans only are then drilled through two boards which will be placed on top/bottom of the small frames. With these in place, the cans are fitted in so that they stretch between each hole and after all are in place, a board is fitted behind them (on the inside of the coop). This seals the cans off from the inside, leaving them exposed to the outside. These cans and the surrounding wood are then spray painted entirely black.

Air is drawn through the bottom opening inside the coop, heated inside the cans when the sun is hitting them, and forced out through the top opening. It is a startlingly simple idea, though it can be a bit complicated to get it all laid out. This works best on a side where the sun will hit a LOT, A north or southward facing wall is best. Glass should be fitted over top of the cans, and nothing should obstruct the sunlight. We actually ran into a problem with this, as the semi-transparent blue plastic roofing we chose blocks too much light. Either way, it does work and heated the coop up noticeably on bright days. We will be creating a cover for this during the summer, so that the coop doesn't overheat in hot weather. We don't want any roasted chickens!

There are many many instructional pages and videos on how to create one of these available online. I did not take sufficient pictures to go through this step-by-step and there are plenty of designs which blow this one out of the water. Click here for a search!


Phase 6: Finishing Touches (sort of)

Alright! With that out of the way, we were on the home stretch to getting the chickens settled in their new home. The first thing I had to do was to build a shelf just inside the pop hole that the chickens could hang out on. I found a piece of scrap wood and cut it into an interesting shape. I made a wooden brace around the wall, screwed that in place, and then dropped the platform on top of it, supporting it with a single piece of wood nailed in from the top. Below you can see some of my old english bantams showing it off (sadly, these gals passed away from what I believe was a genetic disorder. They were all from the same brood and were purchased at auction and died one right after another, while the rest of the flock were fine. You really roll the dice when you get birds in such a manner, and we rolled badly I do NOT recommend it. ).



After that came the perches. I made a frame of some 2x4's rip-cut in half and naild these directly onto the wall of the coop with a piece of wood stretched between them on the floor to tie them together and to add more strength. Onto this I put some 2x4 blocks, which were cut at an angle and notched and into these notches I placed some branches. The trees in my yard dropped quite a few hefty things during a storm and they made excellent perches. I highly recommend going natural with perches. The varied widths and gnarled texture is good exercise for chicken feet and helps to prevent bumblefoot.

Again, one of the late OE ladies showing things off:



I moved the old egg box from the crappy coop in here next (originally it was under the perches, but after removing a MOUNTAIN of chicken poo from the top of it, I moved it to the other side of the building). After that came the food and water containers. It's impossible for chickens to NOT fling tons of hay and dirt and poo into their food and water, but hanging them makes a huge difference, so we definitely wanted to do that here. We originally strung up some simple nylon rope with wire-hanger hooks on a piece of wood stretched across the coop, but recently we replaced this with a more permanent chain and hook system that doesn't look quite so hodge-podge. Sadly, I do not have pictures of this. Yet.



And there you have it! For now, at least! Final touches will come this spring, but at the moment the coop is functional and our birds love it! Have some pictures:

 

[coolcanoechic]

OMG!

That's awesome! It's a fortress!

 

[lesgo54]

yall did an awesome job.

 

[Little Peep]

Great job! I'll have to try this method!

 

[So Cal Chic]

Solar heat by using soda cans?! Ingenious. I'm going to look into this for my coop. Thank you for sharing so many details of your coop and run build.