Thursday, July 5, 2012

11 Steps to Building a Chicken Coop -- in pictures


Step 1: grab a cute li'l helper and start on the porch.  Here's the frame & the floor.




Step 2: Select your location.  Pay special attention---it matters!

 



Step 3: Install your walls.  Don't rely on the measurements some guy on Ebay puts on the listing for the windows---wait until you get the actual windows before you build your frames.





Step 4: Add siding & rafters




Step 5: Take a break and wonder why you aren't building an art studio for all this effort.



Step 6: Paint, build exterior nestboxes and doors





Step 7: Enlist husband to shingle the roof. Do not attempt to tickle his leg while he's up on the ladder--he won't think it's funny.





still not funny...





Step 8: Add trim & shutters. Frankly, the chickens won't care but you'll get points from the neighbors


Step 9: Add hardware cloth, chicken door & ramp.  Watch the pitch on the ramp--you want the chooks to elegantly saunter out of their house not tumble together in a feathery pile.


Step 10: Paint rooster to watch over the hens.  Only 2-D rooster allowed (see step 8 about keeping neighbors happy)


Step 11: Install chickens and let the happiness begin!






We loosely used the "All in One" pattern in the book Building Chicken Coops for Dummies.

3 comments:

Gabrielle said...

A most excellent step-by-step guide! Thanks for the tips on keeping neighbors and husbands happy ;-) The chicken coop is absolutely gorgeous.

Kristina Wentzell said...

thanks, Gabrielle! I have to say this is probably a guide on how my good husband keeps ME happy. He knew I had my heart set on a chicken cottage like no other and never complained. :-)

Callie Works-Leary said...

Wow! This is great! I'm planning to use this same design for my coop - so nice to see it in action. Question for you: I love the extended run. How did you connect it to the main structure? I see a little door, but did you create an opening in the main structure fence? Thank you so much!
Callie