The air comes into the run through the pop door, where strategically placed pieces of laminate act as a windbreak. This is where my artistic side comes in.Īnd here it is! In the winter, I cover the mini-run with plastic, turning it into an air-warming chamber. After sundown, I took two pieces of laminate inside to paint the nesting box doors. I had to keep this coop from becoming an eyesore. Good thing I know how to paint. Since we built this mid-February, I only had daylight until about 5pm. My landlady showed great charity and understanding for even allowing us to keep chickens. Now it was functional, but very, very ugly. The old railings and the ladder from the bunk bed also provided perches. We covered the windows with hardware cloth, securing it tightly to the wood. The 2×4 boards serve as perches for the chickens and to fill in areas where my upcycled building materials didn’t quite fit right. We cut the OSB to fit and bolted that to the framework. We assembled these into a 3’x3’ block, and bolted this to the original metal frame. The other set of industrial shelves became the mini-run. Laminate pieces filled in the bottom space perfectly. We bolted the door onto the other running boards. Just add hardware cloth! We bolted running boards to the metal frame, them bolted the footboards to the running boards. The headboard/footboards of the twin bed made perfect windows for ventilation. We bolted the nesting box securely to the metal frame. I cut pieces of laminate to divide this top portion into separate nests. Russ cut out one side, to allow entrance from inside the coop. We already had three nests on the bottom, made up of the shelves. The old bedroom shelf became the nesting box, and a rather sturdy one at that. (The feet of the racks.) After burying the racks, we set the sheet of plywood on top of these feet and bolted them down. This also gave us a flat surface with holes in it to bolt the roof onto. By turning these racks upside down, we had 6 inches of base to bury. Since our two worst enemies in Reno are wind and raccoons, the coop had to be planted firmly in the ground. The taller of the industrial racks measured 4’x8’. Bolts, washers, nuts, a drill bit, screws, and nailsīy the end of the project, after all the gas for hardware store runs, we ended up spending about $200 on the chicken coop.Leftover pieces of laminate material for countertops.Part of an old bunk bed, including the ladder, railings, and running boards.Bedroom set: a set of shelves, headboard/footboard and running boards of a twin bed.Here’s what I had donated or on hand to build my coop: (His long-suffering wife is one of my heroes.) Another had a habit of frequenting auctions and buying old industrial racks. Another had just renovated his house and had some sheets of OSB left. So I told friends that I sought surplus building materials for a coop. It was solid construction, just small enough that it didn’t need a building permit. If I wanted a pre-fabricated shed that was large enough, that had adequate ventilation and secure doors, I would be spending about $1,000.Īnother friend built her chicken coop from scratch. I would have loved to find that deal again, but nobody was offering. One friend had used a Rubbermaid shed that she had purchased secondhand on Craigslist. Third, it needed to be portable, or at least be able to disassemble if we rented a new house or the neighbors rioted against urban farming. I had three criteria for the coop: First, it needed to house at least 20 chickens at night. Now she suggested I use the area for the new coop. Just that past summer, my landlady gave me permission to fill in one of the koi ponds. Plus, I didn’t want my garden to get eaten. I wanted Rhode Island red chickens, australorp chickens and cream Brabanters, and exchequer leghorns. Really, I could fit six hens in there… more if I let them run around the garden all day. I had built the coop for my five chicks, using an empty area beside the garden shed. I needed to figure out how to build a chicken coop that could house more than six hens. Really, I do need more chickens if I’m going to feed everyone, especially if one goes broody, right?īut as the chicken math turned to multiplication, I knew I couldn’t humanely keep the number I wanted if I just had my little coop. I mean, I have four members of my family. As I got to know other members of the forum, I realized four chickens were just not enough. I started with five chicks, which turned into four laying hens and one rooster dinner.
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