It's a shed! It's a...nah, it's a chicken coop.

[mkr]

Just wanted to share some pics of my coop...and hear about any major flaws spotted by more experienced folks. I started with the idea that I would make it stealthy and shed like. But as I built function really dictated the form...and it pretty much looks like a chicken coop. The law is kind of conflicted here in DC, so I did but up lattice to shield it from the neighbors. I still have some trim to put on and I want to get something other than bare dirt in the run. I was pleased at how well it did in some recent severe weather. 70mph winds and hail and sideways rain...the roof stayed on and everything stayed pretty dry.


Here's the inside of the coop, with the chickens. I made the 'ceiling' out of hardware cloth for maximum ventilation. The roof above it is corrugated plastic. I got the idea for the bucket nests here on BYC.


Here is the whole thing from the front. The looker's right side is the 'coop' and then the left is the door to the run. The run goes under the coop as well. My husband was a rockstar and made the screen door to fit after I created some wonky dimensions for the door frame. I'm using two hasps on each door with a rapid link to secure it.


Here is the side view that the neighbors can see.


Here's the side view that is harder for neighbors to see. The pop door is pretty diy and not exactly a smooth operator, but fine for now. I have hardware cloth behind all the lattice and a 1.5 ft apron of hardware cloth all around it. Hopefully that should keep out the raccoons.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

 

[HEChicken]

It looks good - what are the dimensions?

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Hey, not a bad job at all. I really like the idea of having the hardware cloth for the roof which will provide so much more ventilation! Way to go!

 

[WatWasIThinking!!!]

Looks very nice!! Great job of keeping it simple.

 

[RiddleMe]

That's adorable, I love the look of the painted lattice over the hardware cloth.

 

[mkr]

The footprint is 4 ft by 8 ft. The coop part is 4 ft wide, 4 ft deep, and 3 ft high. The coop sits about 18 inches over half the run on the looker's right side. The structure is 5'6" at the front and 4'6" at the back. Right now we have 5 pullets in there so I suppose it is a bit small. The plan is to downsize to 3 but maybe we can just let them out to free range around the yard...

 

[joan1708]

Another really cute original coop. I really like the lattice / hardware cloth look! It's safe, and ventilated! Outstanding!

 

[srd5757]

I like the latice too! Might even have to add latice to mine!!! Good job!

 

[mkr]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Btw, the lattice I used is actually a flexible colored plastic material. No painting required and I was able to roll a full sheet up like a burrito and put it in the back of the station wagon. It was about $5 more than the wooden stuff at home depot but totally worth it!

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Love the lattice! I'm definitely putting that on our new coop that my DH is building. I'm thinking it may help with shading, plus it will match our deck! And your coop is adorable!!