Our First flock and first coop build

[Amped]

Now that the inside and out were painted it was time to start the trim and mount the doors. I will admit, my ability to make clean/even gaps and easy opening doors has never been my strong suit . With that out there I was able to "finesse it" and get everything "lined" up good enough.

With the doors on, window installed and trim looking decent it was time to work on the roost bars and poop deck. For the roost bars, I decided to do 3 rows of 2x4 which I coated in a gloss varnish. I also used the same varnish to seal the poop deck to hopefully make cleaning easier. Over all, pretty happy with the way it turned out. The plan for the floor of the coop was is to use about an inch of sand. Between the poop deck and a pooper scooper we should be able to keep the coop clean.

Also had the two lead coop inspectors from the flock to approve of the build. They have given a full blessing

Quick note about the windows. I have placed a layer of hardware cloth over window screen. This should keep the predators at bay.

 

[Amped]

Last weekend we had some family friends come over and lend another set of hands. Buddy and I started building the run walls and roof which took a little longer then I figured. The plans I was using only had 12 foot run. Being I wanted to give the birds a little more room, I stretched the run to 17.5 feet. This was a great idea in theory but man, everything was really heavy! As we produced the walls and roof the ladies started to stain them. Unknown to me at the time the run wall with the door was about 10in too short on the small end which we had to correct this weekend. Remember kids, measure once, cut a bunch until its right

Didn't take much photos this day as it was hot and we worked from 10am till 9pm. This dang coop ain't gonna build itself as my wife keep reminding me. Over the next fews days after work, the wife and I touched up painted the walls and roof while they were on the ground.

We also got our coop door in from Run Chicken. Super easy install and overall pretty happy with it. Didn't remember to grab a photo of it installed but I will soon. For the coop ramp I was able to snag a piece of 12"x5'x1" pine. Using some 1"x"1 pine I installed 7 steps to give the chicks some traction to walk in/out of the coop.

 

[Amped]

It's run time! Our same friends and co worker came over this past Sunday and we got to work. The top 2x4 on the walls were abut 1.5in too long and wouldn't allow the run walls to fit to the coop square. We cut 1.5in off the coop side and it allowed us to fit the walls within the run railroad ties. To add to the fuggery the weekend before I made the door wall about 10in to short from top to bottom. This set us back about 2 hours as we had to uninstall all the hardware cloth on that wall, disassemble the wall and make the changes. Overall we had to use two fresh 2x4x8s so not a lot of waste.

Now that the walls were lagged into the ties it was time to get working on the run roof. With a little messaging we were able to get the roof on and "square". I jumped up on the roof and started getting the corrugated sheets installed. We ended up using five 12 footers and five 8 footers. Eventually I will install gutters on the coop and run roof to collect rain water and automate the chicks water. I will come back to that in a few pay days.

Sunday was also the first day we let the chicks free range for a few hours. This was great to see them run around but what a rookie mistake. The chicks kept going under the patio or the boat to look around. This made for a Benny Hill style attempt to collect them to get them in the coop toward the evening hours. I plan to seal off the patio with hardware cloth to prevent them from getting stuck under there again. We also need to work on getting them on a call with treats to make collecting them easier. Any better tips?

Now that the run was built we put in some sand on the bottom of the coop floor. Having done this, I will be installing a 1"x1" on both ends of the floor to contain the sand. For some reason the chicks think its a great idea to push the sand against the doors so when you open them all the sand falls into the seals. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The original plans called for a single swing door to the run. Reading some reviews on the coop I saw a comment on some who wish it had a dutch style door. The argument was when you want to toss in food you don't have to fight the chicks from trying to escape. With that knowledge I agreed that a dutch style door was best. In order to make life a little easier I added a header to shorten and square off the door opening. I made a simple lower half with an overlaping joint. For the top I built a square door to fill the remaining space but used four 45 degree braces to break up the look a little.

The rain came and soaked the unpainted top door so I had to clean up and lay some hardware cloth on it and call it a day. Once the upper door dries up enough I can stain and finish the door off with some hardware cloth.

We are finally coming to the end of this build and we are really thrilled on the way it came out. It took us longer then we expected but with our schedules it make sense. We have a few small task to complete but for the most per we're about 90% complete and it feels fantastic.

With that all said the chicks are finally in the coop. We have been trying to show them the roosting bars but they still like to all huddle in the corner. Is this something that they will eventually break and start to use the roosting bars?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Sunday was also the first day we let the chicks free range for a few hours. This was great to see them run around but what a rookie mistake. The chicks kept going under the patio or the boat to look around. This made for a Benny Hill style attempt to collect them to get them in the coop toward the evening hours. I plan to seal off the patio with hardware cloth to prevent them from getting stuck under there again. We also need to work on getting them on a call with treats to make collecting them easier. Any better tips?

That's really the best way to get them to come to you - be consistent and reward them and they'll have pretty good recall.

The reason you're having a hard time herding them is likely their age. How old are your birds right now? Chicks can be difficult to round up and "teens" even more so.

We have been trying to show them the roosting bars but they still like to all huddle in the corner. Is this something that they will eventually break and start to use the roosting bars?

Most chicks will eventually roost on their own, but what hastens it is adults to show them the ropes, and you don't have those. You can put them on the roost if you wish to try and speed up the process, but it does them no harm to continue sleeping on the floor for a while.

 

[KyCoop]

I have my older 4 yr old girls trained to recall but I've not yet trained the teenagers to THE CUP. That is the best way. Put their treats in a bright color cup and then feed them from your hand. So this for at least a week and they will come RUNNING any time you need them to. Chicken training 2.0 you can give them a high value food item like a raisin or something they don't normally get. Hand them out by girl, by name. Sounds crazy but my girls know their names and if one is not with the others i call her name and she come running.

 

[Amped]

That's really the best way to get them to come to you - be consistent and reward them and they'll have pretty good recall.

The reason you're having a hard time herding them is likely their age. How old are your birds right now? Chicks can be difficult to round up and "teens" even more so.

Most chicks will eventually roost on their own, but what hastens it is adults to show them the ropes, and you don't have those. You can put them on the roost if you wish to try and speed up the process, but it does them no harm to continue sleeping on the floor for a while.

Our chicks are about 8 weeks old now so still little ladies. As they see us going in and out the run they are getting more comfortable much is helpful. Also having a 5 year old who can walk under the coop to grab a few of the girls for bed time is an added help!

I checked on them last night when I was wrapping up work on the run. A few of the girls were roosting while the others were under them… right on target for droppings. I’m sure they will learn soon enough.

Outside of that I wrapped up the door on the coop and the main work is done. The finishing touches will be till and install a dig barrier around the coop/run, build a step into the run as the railroad ties are a bit higher to get into and then install a gutter/water retention system. All in time

 

[Amped]

I have my older 4 yr old girls trained to recall but I've not yet trained the teenagers to THE CUP. That is the best way. Put their treats in a bright color cup and then feed them from your hand. So this for at least a week and they will come RUNNING any time you need them to. Chicken training 2.0 you can give them a high value food item like a raisin or something they don't normally get. Hand them out by girl, by name. Sounds crazy but my girls know their names and if one is not with the others i call her name and she come running.

Perfect. The wife will find a bright cup for meal worms and treats. Thank you

 

[KyCoop]

Fair warning. They will also think any cup is a treat cup after training. Coffee cups, solo cups, water bottles, wine glasses you name, they want it.

 

[LZapoli]

Very Nice. I am a first time chicken Mom. I also purchased the plans you have used, but haven't even began to start. Still looking into modifications and such to suit out needs. I only plan to have 5 -10. I started with 7, 5 died, they were all sickly. Ended up with a hen and a Roo, so I know I will need to add on some oneday. I appreciate your post and all the details of your modifications. You did a fantastic job, looks great!!