I've finally got my first coop! From a lowly shipping crate...
...to bona fide chicken coop.
In progress.
Thanks to neighbor Julie for spying said crate and seeing it's possibilities. Thanks to DH and neighbor Curt for hauling it home and putting it in place. Thanks to DH and his stepdad for assembling the roof.
I did this on the cheap; free pallets, salvaged window and door, other materials we had laying around.
We spent: $4 for gravel for base
about $75 for roofing materials
$2 for used window and hinges
$4 for nails and screws
The coop is 10' long, about 6' tall at the interior peak, and not quite 4' wide. I enclosed it with 2 layers of pallet wood, with 1" sheet insulation in between. One of the two windows was free, the other found at ReStore. I built a pop-door from a large, heavy piece of old barn wood; I will rig it up to slide with eye hooks and rope. The human door I put together with an old large window screen and plywood. Gaps in the wood were plugged with caulk and spray foam insulation. I painted the interior white (with leftover paint we had) to brighten it up, and the exterior green ($19/gal, used a giftcard.) I lined the perimeter with stones to keep chicks from going underneath, and used branches from the woods for perches. I still have to construct the run and install nest boxes (going to use deli food buckets fastened to the wall - free from MIL.)
Not my dream coop, but it's a good start! It's a little crooked and cobbled together, but I think it turned out fine. Waiting for Sandhill chicks later this month, we're all excited!
...to bona fide chicken coop.
In progress.
Thanks to neighbor Julie for spying said crate and seeing it's possibilities. Thanks to DH and neighbor Curt for hauling it home and putting it in place. Thanks to DH and his stepdad for assembling the roof.
I did this on the cheap; free pallets, salvaged window and door, other materials we had laying around.
We spent: $4 for gravel for base
about $75 for roofing materials
$2 for used window and hinges
$4 for nails and screws
The coop is 10' long, about 6' tall at the interior peak, and not quite 4' wide. I enclosed it with 2 layers of pallet wood, with 1" sheet insulation in between. One of the two windows was free, the other found at ReStore. I built a pop-door from a large, heavy piece of old barn wood; I will rig it up to slide with eye hooks and rope. The human door I put together with an old large window screen and plywood. Gaps in the wood were plugged with caulk and spray foam insulation. I painted the interior white (with leftover paint we had) to brighten it up, and the exterior green ($19/gal, used a giftcard.) I lined the perimeter with stones to keep chicks from going underneath, and used branches from the woods for perches. I still have to construct the run and install nest boxes (going to use deli food buckets fastened to the wall - free from MIL.)
Not my dream coop, but it's a good start! It's a little crooked and cobbled together, but I think it turned out fine. Waiting for Sandhill chicks later this month, we're all excited!
