Plans for a coop.

"A chicken coop is a building where chickens are kept. Interiors usually have nest boxes for egg laying, and also perches for the birds to sleep on. Coops for meat birds often have neither of these features."

I have seen, read, and been told of everything from a dog style "igloo" being used as a coop, to buckets screwed into a barn wall. Obviously I don't have a barn, so that was out, and when we went to price the igloo, it was $99 !

We immediately starting thinking up ideas. First, we want a coop that I can easily move in and out of the garage or around the yard if I need to. So it must be skinny, and probably tall. We ended up with 48in long, 24 inches wide, and 48in tall.
DH installed two heavy duty wheels on one end, and a stand made of 2x2 wood on the other end, with a handle for me to use to get it around. The reason for the mobility, is to accommodate for cold winter nights and being able to bring them inside.

For laying hens, which is what we wanted. You need to have one "nest" for every 2-3 birds. Our plan originally included 2 nests, but quickly went to 4 :)
Hens sleep on a "roost", and I hear they tend to poop alot while sleeping. So we put two broom handles cross wise in one end of the coop, one about 18 inches up and one 12 inches higher than that. I will be using newspaper or pine under their roost, so I can easily compost and reuse their droppings (which is supposedly VERY good for compost!).





Next problem was the feeder and waterier. There are SO many options. We are still REALLY new to this, so here is hoping we did something right. Here is a photo of the feeder we came up with. We used 3in PVC pipe. I'm hoping it a) stays dry b) is easy to refill, and c) that the ladies will like it ! We tucked it under a nesting box, so that it will be safe from droppings. I also put .20cent vinyl flooring squares down, so that I can easily clean the coop. (Especially if an egg drops, EWW!)

DH worked really hard on the coop! What a trooper, I changed my mind SO many times. :) We still have some things to do to it! We purchased the paint, and have plans to install a light fixture, so I can provide the hens with lighting in the summer, and a heat bulb come winter. Check out the pictures :)




The Hen Door


I plan on adding more photos! We have yet to paint, and "clean" it up. I'm really excited to see how it turns out. We also just ordered the galvenized roofing. It will get here early next week. :D 'Also a shout out to www.BackyardChickens.com their users and forums absoultly ROCK! There is even a chat room for chicken nerds. Its perfect for me. :D