Simple run - under shade trees in warm Southern California

[estamets]

Our coop and run design:


This run borders the 5' tall brick wall that borders our property, and attaches to a small pre-fab coop with a tiny run space. The horizontal beam along the back will attach to the brick wall via concrete anchors. The height at the back is 5', and the height at the front is 6'8" (the height of the door). The run measures 6'x10'; our 4 girls will have about 80 sq ft of run space, including the pre-fab run space. Everything is framed with 2"x4". The coop has a pop door, and the chute from the coop to the run will have a hinged door as well, in case we need further divisions. We found the door in our garage rafters when we bought the house (free!). The walls and roof will be lined with 19 gauge 1/2" hardware cloth, and the exterior boundary will be lined with pavers at grade. The run walls rest on the ground; they are not posted into the ground at all. We are not building a solid roof because we don't get enough rain to have to worry about it, and the entire structure sits well back into some shade trees (the area closest to the people door will get direct sun about 6 hours/day.

I'll be happy to share a cut list, and will post pictures as we construct.

The coop, and a section of the back wall:

 

[estamets]

And here we are, nearly finished!


First, we leveled treated 2x4's to define a 6'x10' area. This required a little digging. We decided against dropping posts into the ground, since we are anchoring to the brick wall, and because we plan to be in this house for less than ten years.


Tyler, illustrating the size of the tiny pre-fab coop (My Pet Chicken's Clubhouse Coop).


Then, we anchored a 10' 2x4 horizontally to the brick wall. This will support the roof joists and prevent little predator hands from sneaking in the back. We used 3/8" concrete anchors.


We constructed the side wall framing on a level surface (which required removing the treated 2x4 bases), then raised them up, re-leveling the base where necessary. The rear vertical on each wall is anchored to the brick wall behind.


We constructed the front wall frame on a level surface, as well...


Then raised it up, leveled it, and secured it in place with a framing nailer.


A back view of all walls in place.


A close-up of the (somewhat funky) corner joins.


Finally, we added roof joists.


Close up of the hardware we used on the roof beams.


Oh look, a chicken.


Once the structure was up, it was time to predator-proof. We had some 12"x18" pavers left over from a previous project, and we wanted the finished look that a paver border would add to the project. So we (ahem, I) dug down just a little to lay each paver level and at grade. We didn't worry about laying sand or paver base; if these sink or move, they'll be easy to lift up and adjust in the future.




Along the back wall, I didn't dig down to drop the pavers in at grade, I simply leveled the dirt, laid the pavers on top, and filled in the exterior side of the pavers with dirt. That saved me a lot of time and sweat digging in around this tree. These pavers now sit about 1-2" higher than the pavers on the front side.

Oh look, a cat.


This hole is going to be a drainage ditch under the Chicken Fountain. I'll fill it with large-ish gravel, and install the waterer above the gravel. Once that's done, we'll re-fill the dirt under the base beam, and finish laying the pavers along that last few feet.


Left to do: fill the drainage hole under the Chicken Fountain with gravel and run a hose to it, finish laying the pavers along the back edge, cover everything with hardware cloth, and hang the door (with bolts, of course!).

Then, maybe plant some marigolds, install flower boxes or storage shelves...

Oh! And move the ladies in!

Time commitment thus far:
planning and design: many conversations and drawings over several weeks.
shopping: 3 times longer than we planned for.
construction of tiny pre-fab coop: 1 hour (1 person)
cutting: about 1-2 hours (1 person)
sanding and sealing: 5 hours (1 person)
construction: 6 hours (2 people)
pavers: 3.5 hours (1 person)

 

[estamets]

Here she is, with hardware cloth and door installed! A few finishing touches, and Meepleton Manor will be ready for chickens and flower boxes! (Feedback and suggestions are welcome.)