Great thread, but I keep thinking of the chicken scene in Napoleon Dynamite!

There will be a sign.

WARNING!

These chickens do have LARGE TALONS!

(I know a sign guy)

good tip on the shavings.

One more bit of advice from my Grandpa.

If your choking your chicken to pullet.

ok that was 3rd grade

Apparently chickens don't piss.

Well here you go- please note I have no skills as a builder so there may be some issues with the construction.

This coop is sided with salvage shiplap, I tried to use salvage lumber as much as possible.

The floor is 2X6 cardecking, joist are 2X8 treated

This coop is totally over built if I was to do it again I would make it much lighter. I have moved this several times with a small trailer, if I move it again it will be to someone elses home.

In other words- while there may be one or two good ideas here don't copy this.

One thing that I want to point out is its elevated off the ground- chicken feed attracts RATS. If you have your coop on the ground, you are creating a idea habitat for them to live breed multiply.

Later JY

Looks good to me, but I see what you mean by over built. I will just use an OSB siding material for the walls and roof, add a layer of tar-paper, then cover with cedar shingles that I have left over from the house. My plan it to put it on pier blocks, 18-24" off the ground, and install a single axle for wheelbarrow wheels on one end. I have plexiglass for windows, and eave block vents also left over, so it will be a bit over built, style wise, but not extremely heavy.

Would 1/2" hardware cloth be big enough or do I need to search for 3/4", if that even exists, and do you cover that roost poop sectio in really cold weather?

I've also considered an exterior nesting box. Your design gives me an idea.

Picked up the last of the inhabitants for the coop, 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Gold sex-links, and 4 cornish cross for an experiment in meat birds, just because we can.

Started the coop.

Leveled the site.


Started on the uprights.


Set the perimeter of the floor frame.


Set the floor joists, 16" on center.


Set the floor in place and secured it with some ringshanks.

Get much sleep last night Dogfish? I'm sawing logs at midnight and Andy is out building things....

I suck.

Sorry Nofish, I worked late again tonight.

Finished the framing. The only items I had to buy were a few pieces of Simpson galvanized plate to make one complete roof truss and shore up two others left over from the house, 2 PTGT 12' 4"x4" posts, and 4 pier blocks. Everything else is leftover from the house project. What a great way to clean out the shop.

Front & side windows framed, plus chicken entry door on the lower left. There will be hardware cloth permanently attached inside, I will make all windows out of plexigass and farme them so that they open out to provide ventilation.


Loft window framed and the trusses squared & plumbed up. Providing additional light and ventilation.


Side view of the coop. I know, It is a bit funky, but I get another 8SF of floor space by putting that loft up there, AND i use up some roof trusses that were just sitting around.


Back view shows the nest box location for the 12-16 hens we'll have in there.


This last shot shows the proximity to the garden. The ladies will have the run of the garden from October to March, except for where there are permanent plants like asparagus and rhubarb. Hopefully they'll do a good job of rototilling and weeding the garden, plus adding some free fertilizer along the way.


I sheet the coop tomorrow, then electrical wiring for switched lights rigged to a timer for winter.

Looks great so far, Dogfish. You're pulling out all the stops! Those chickens will be roosting in style.

You couldn't possibly do worse than my neighbor; his chickens can often be found eating birdseed in my front yard. Some of them have some nice looking capes, so I warned him he'd better not tempt me too many times, lest they end up on fish hooks of all shapes and sizes. He didn't think that was too funny, but I think I inspired him to make some repairs, because I haven't seen them around as much lately.

Banty's are great for flies, as are pheasants, which will be tried after quail. Gotta get the Cornish Cross' in the freezer before we can start on the quail.

Sheeting is done, plus of the windows and doors are cut out.


The future inhabitants...



Roof is tarpapered and will get the main roofing material tomorrow. I'll start on the trim, wiring, insulation, and drywall tomorrow. Might even get some of the cedar wall shingles up for the siding. It is amazing how much material I have left over from the house & shop project

andy did you build where you will have a good shooting lane?
also one thing my grandpa told me was to have a door where you did not have to go into the pen to get into the coop. makes shoveling out easier to

Larry, the floor will be linoleum and there will be poop boards below the roosts, so there should be minimal need to change the shavings more than a few times per month. The only access door from outside the coop is the egg collection box under the rear eaves. The first photo shows where those will be, and the photo from the front shows that they have been cut out, where there is no insulation.

Thinking $1,500 there Hank.

Roof, facia, electrical, and insulation done. Cedar siding tomorrow.

Rent has gone up to $2,000 per month.

Took Monday evening off.

Got the cedar siding up on two sides tonight. One to go.



The Cornish Cross are packing on the weight. Two weeks at my house and the first 4 are well over a pound. I think they were a week old when I got them.


I'll finish the last side tomorrow, finish up the electrical (add a recepticle for the automatic door opener/closer), start the drywall, and then work on the nest boxes.

I'll still need to build a door, make my own windows, and do a few other things, but I hope to be done by Sunday.

Andy
As part of the selling of the red boat can you look up the thread where you rebuilt it? I remember it from way back but not sure when. I didn't know you then but sort of remember the thread and thought it was cool.

August-September 2002 or 2003

I was looking for you to do the heavy lifting here Andy.

Good work