| As I've mentioned before, I bought the plans for my coop from MyPetChicken.com. The coop includes both a coop and a run, and it's about 3.5' high and 5 feet long. Here's are pics of the finished coop:
The coop
Inside the coop
The nest box
Inside the nest box, where my silly chickens have been pooping.
A view of the run
A close-up of the run
As you can see, we hung a head of cabbage in there as a Christmas present for the chickens. They have not figured out that it's edible yet. I hung it from the perch I used the extra free 2x3 for. William the rooster can get up there, and I found him happily perched up there when I went out to give them the cabbage.
The materials required for the coop were slightly different from the ones specified in the plans I bought. In the end, here's what I used:
Materials
Wood:
- 3 4x8 sheets of plywood $43.23
- Milling (.80/cut) $25.00
- 9 1x3's (8ft ea) $26.64
- 9 1x2's (8 ft ea) $20.16
- 1 2x3 (4 ft) $1.96 (I asked for and paid for 1 they gave me a 2nd for free, and I used it to make the chickens an extra perch)
- 2 3/4 x 3/4 pine square (8 ft) $12.80
- 3 1x6's cedar (8 ft ea) $30.96
Other:
- 2 Hardware cloth 36"x5 with 1/2" squares $17.58
- 1 Glue All 4 oz $1.98
- 1 pack wood screw 8x2" $3.19
- 1 pack wood screw 6x 1 1/4" $3.69
- 1 pack wood screw 6x 1 1/2" $4.19
- 2 packs wood screw 6x1" $6.38
- 2 narrow hinge 2" $6.98
- 1 Safety hasp 2 1/2" $3.98
- 1 narrow hinge 2 1/2" $4.79
- 1 barrel bolt 2 1/2" $3.79
- 2 gate hook & eye $2.38
The total before tax was $219.68, and with a 9.5% sales tax it was $240.55. I'm sure the nails would be cheaper if they were bought in bulk, but I don't expect to do that much more carpentry. The tools required were a jigsaw, a drill, a hammer, wire cutters, and a staple gun.
I'm told that the wood will rot, particularly the roof, if I don't do something to waterproof it. I don't mind the coop being biodegradable if the alternative is using an unsustainable material and the consequence is that I'll have to rebuild it in a few years. For the most part, we have a pretty dry climate. I'm considering putting a plastic tarp on the roof and securing it with a few rocks.
The other thing I'd like to do is to put hardware cloth around the outside of the coop - laying it flat on the ground and then covering it with an inch or two of dirt. That oughta help prevent digging predators from getting my girls. The coop isn't on level ground and there's one area where there's a gap under the back corner of the run. I covered the hole with a cement cinderblock to keep anyone from getting in or out that way, for now. |
