I am so glad I ran across this today. My heart was sore because a new member showed up talking about a prefab coop. Lots of members jumped on and told them what a terrible mistake they had made. I also bought a prefab coop (as recommended in the Chickens for Dummies book by some of the moderators at BYC!). It's not going to be terrible, but it certainly is not big enough for 6 chickens much less the 8 they rate it for!
Your article gives me hope and some excellent ideas for perhaps building or modifying stuff to make my chickens a better home. Thank you for the honesty, the careful pictures, the detail and the tips. So helpful!
You put a heck of a lot of work into their home, all worthwhile effort because it's really beautiful and more importantly comfortable for your girls. Fantastic job
I should have read this a long time ago! You can tell how much you love your girls, in how well thought out your design is and in the improvements you added later on! You have given them such a lovely home!
Great job of explaining how you worked with your space, your materials, and your climate to make a coop that functions for your needs. Love the sunporch!
Thanks. I just noted below that I am going to expand the sunporch this summer. It only holds 3 hens at a time and all 6 wanted to be able to sunbathe together this past winter. I could see it leading to some frustrated hens so i must solve it for them.
Very good article, especially with the pictures illustrating the details of construction! Lots of inspiring ideas (skylight for run top) & good suggestions (use screws, not nails)! I love the easy side access with this design.
This is a very detailed article that could be helpful for anyone just starting out with chickens or a seasoned chicken owner. You gave step by step photos and instructions that are easy to understand. Thanks for taking the time to share your coop and chickens.
Despite having seen lots of pictures and videos on your thread I was often confused as to where everything was. I know now.
Well detailed. The PDFs work fine for me. Love all the pictures.
Thanks Shad. I have had that issue as well. I'm still not exactly certain how @ribh is set up. I really wanted everyone to understand the setup along with how and why it is built the way it is. I'm glad I was able to convey it via the article.
Anonymous
5.00 star(s)
This is a detailed yet easy to understand resource for anyone building or expanding a coop or run. Lots of photos, and careful attention to why to take certain steps or use particular tools. Thank you!
A great coop with lots of photos and plans to show how it all came together. Very detailed and informative. Thank you for putting this together ByBob, it will help a lot with my coop build too!