Mel's Magnificent Mansion... For Chickens!

By Mel -

I have been accused of "overbuilding" most of my life. I think I might have, this time, too. However... I know we have weasels here. I've seen one. We also have a chipmunk metropolis. Chipmunks will tunnel into the coop/run to get at the food and that creates a weasel "highway." I was determined that would not happen to my hens, so I literally "wrapped" the thing with 1/2-inch hardware cloth.

I was able to save my income tax refunds and I found a sawmill nearby that sells rough cut hemlock lumber, so I was able to afford to build the way I wanted to. This is NOT a "you should do this" article! This is a "I did this" article--do what you can/want with what you've got!

I designed it myself with a consultation from a guy who goes to my church and was in construction. I wanted to be sure what I was thinking would actually hold up through our typical snow fall. I am almost 60. My fellow construction worker just turned 57. Except for two men, who helped us about get the (unbelievably heavy) rafters up, Jennifer and I built this ourselves. It took more than 80 hours (how much more... I really don't want to know) all in weekends and an odd day here or there.

It is 10 feet wide by 20 feet long. The roof is a "shed roof" and is 8 feet at its height, sloping to 6 feet. The coop end is 6x10 feet, so the run is 14’ x 10’. There is gravel under the hardware cloth and over it is soil and deep litter of oak, maple, & birch leaves and pine needles. The roof is metal.

1/2-inch hardware cloth laid out. Long and wide enough to go all the way up the walls as well as the whole floor.

Pieces overlapped and ferruled together.

 4x4 rough cut hemlock foundation.

North wall going up. Jennifer screwing the wall to the foundation.

North and South walls up. This stuff is incredibly heavy! You have to work with it pretty green, because when it dries it is like iron.

Rafters up, South hardware cloth up--even where there will be coop siding. (Taking no chances.)

Coop siding up, all stained, roof on. This is the back/north side. There are no windows, but all along the eaves is open. Should be great ventilation but no drafts on the chickens, even in mid-winter. I plan on putting up a tarp along the run part, to block snow blowing in too much.

Gravel on top of hardware cloth, beginning to put in the loam.

Inside the coop part. Found a gallon of buttercream yellow “oops” paint at Home Depot for $6.00. Easier than mixing white wash…and cheaper. I tried to replicate my friend Sue's “log stair steps instead of a ramp” idea.

Run end looking out from coop. Little box on left is a greens growing bed, with wire on top, to keep them from scratching the plants totally out.

Eaves. Even if they climb very well, the weasels (and ‘possums, and raccoons) will be thwarted.

All done. Windows are just rectangles cut in the siding…the hardware cloth is already there. I figured out and built and hung the dutch door all by myself.

- Mel 

*

Horse Trailer to Chicken Coop Transformation - Part II

By Leigh -

See Part I here if you missed it!
 

So if you recall from my last post, I had the crazy idea to buy and up-cycle an ancient, rusty horse trailer into a chicken coop... with only the help of my husband and rather unwilling teenage son. 

My husband is 6'3" and was great for sanding the ceiling inside the rusty trailer and cutting out large hunks of iron meant for the containment of horses and their tack. I stand at exactly 5'0" (that's 15hh in horse-talk) so I was thankful for his assistance in these areas! 

The Hubbs also helped me with much of the woodwork stuff for the grow-out pen and isolation pens. And while he and I make a great team (perhaps vaguely reminiscent of Mutt and Jeff), he would probably tell you that little 'ol Leigh did the bulk of the design planning, sanding, scraping, taping, caulking, painting, grunting, moaning and groaning. (It'll be some time before my back forgives me for abusing it so! LOL)

And just this past weekend my 18-year-old son exclaimed, "Geez, Mom! Look at your hands! You have manly construction worker hands! Really little manly construction hands!"

Thanks, sweetie! You are one of the reasons some animals eat their young... And just for that I'm posting this photo of mid-paint I told you I deleted. Love you!:

So anyway... 

The very back (the part that used to be able to hold 2 horses) is 5' x 6'8". There are "escape doors" on either side originally installed so one could lead a horse in and then both duck and climb to "escape" out the little side portal, and then fall off the running board just below and break one's ankle right before the "big show." These ankle-breaking windows are perfect for warm weather ventilation!

We installed hardware cloth-covered "screen doors." They will allow a good cross-breeze to come through, but prevent raccoons and the like from floating in on the breeze and feasting upon our flock.  We thought about just covering the area with hardware cloth and doing without opening screen doors, but one just never knows when one might need a quick means of breaking ones ankle! So we put the screen doors on hinges and put raccoon-proof locks on the inside of the trailer... so that any raccoons that successfully chew their way through the steel sides of the trailer and gain entry will not be able to open these doors and fall and break their ankles.

I mentioned in the original post that I am a stickler for ventilation - especially because I plan to house my birds in a giant metal box. Virginia does not get as hot as Texas, but it does get pretty darn warm in the summers.

In the next picture you can just make out the ceiling vent in the main part of the trailer. I am hoping all this ventilation paired with a light-colored roof will help keep this coop cool when it gets hot outside.

To keep costs down, we used branches from a fallen tree as perches.

And what do you think about our fancy-shmancy nest boxes?? Our man's trash... is a nest box unit, baybeeeeee!

The bottom and middle rows have mini perches to make it easier for the birds to get in and out. I wish these perches could have been a bit larger, but the unit is made of cheap particle board and something heavy would just tear out. I'll probably use the top shelves to store a bit of scratch and the like. (You can never have too much storage!)

Later I'll put bedding in, and then it will be done...

And while I say "done" I use the term lightly... because now we're thinking that the front room works so well staying warm even on the coldest nights, we'll build a brooder for the incubator chicks on top of the grow out pen! When ever we get a chance to actually do that, I will post updated pictures!

Here is a video "tour" of the coop. I forgot to show the storage area... bummer. But you'll get the idea from the rest:

 

    

- Leigh 

*