Chicken coop

[Felix40]

We have been talking about getting chickens since we moved into the new house last year. I finally made the commitment of time to put a coop together. Naturally I wanted it to look as nice as possible without spending much money at all. I don't really know anything about chickens so I just dove in blind.

Step one was gathering materials. I found a chunk of R panel in a dumpster across from work. Also was able to gather up about 20 treated posts and some t posts all for free. I found them on Craigslist. I had to carry them half a mile but my back is stronger than my wallet so that was fine. Also a bunch of pallets came in handy for various parts.

[Felix40]

Step two is to set posts for the coop itself. Easier said than done in the dark after work.

[Walding1989]

What ever you do just make sure they can get out of the wind and the rain.

[Felix40]

Got the posts set and the frame for a floor and roof on

[Felix40]

Trying to get my pictures to upload straight.

[Felix40]

I used chicken wire to hold up a layer of hay as insulation under the roof.

[ddcainjr]

Following... I can't wait to get away from the HOA so we can have chickens. Nothing better than fresh farm eggs.

[Felix40]

I laid out a yard and dug a trench around the whole thing to level it and bury the wire I'm going to use. The shallowest spot was 4 inches. Deepest was 10. The yard is 12 feet square so I can close it in with a single 50' roll of welded wire.

[Felix40]

I didn't get many pictures of the rest of the progress because I was trying to wrangle this little guy. I drove t posts around the yard then I had to actually go buy some materials. A roll of 48" tall welded wire was $30 and two sheets of plywood were outrageously overpriced. Also got some hinges and a latch for the gate and more screws and staples. I was able to use leftover paint to paint the coop and t posts.

Total cost came out to about $100.

[Felix40]

Access to clean the coop. The wall slides up under the roof trim nice and tight then secures at the bottom with two screws. I will add a latch on each side to make it easier to get in pretty soon.

[Felix40]

Closed up

[Felix40]

Added a single wall under the coop on the side we get the most sun from in the summer. Also made a feeder out of 1/2" pvc that should keep the food dry under there and keep them from kicking too much dirt in it. Also we can fill the feeder from the outside without having to bend over.

[Felix40]

Mostly done now. Still need to add a couple external nest boxes but that's more money to spend on supplies. We now have 3 black silkies but they are too young to lay yet. I'll probably get a couple nest boxes done in February once I catch up from christmas bills.

[Felix40]

My goal for this year is to not buy any eggs or beef once the chickens start laying. Also hoping the garden produces so we can avoid the store even more.

[Mac...]

I may have missed it,,, but how many chickens do you have?