Have I mentioned that my husband is a genius? Well, he’s a genius.
A genius that spotted some really excellent 4′x5′x3′ crates in a parking lot near our house, then met with the owner of said crates who agreed to let us have them for free, and then, with the help of the wonderful Michael Durham, brought said crates, along with lots of pallets, back to our house.
Which means that so far we have spent only 45 dollars on the coop – which includes a door and window we haven’t yet installed.
And all we’ll have to buy is the tin roofing, siding, laminate flooring, and chicken wire.
Here are some pics from this week’s progress.
1. No floor 2. Floor 3. Top and bottom together 4. A visitor (a.k.a. why we have to build a sturdy coop and run)
Have I mentioned how much I love our back yard? I love our back yard.
You’re being so detailed in your chicken coop! Mine is also from a shipping crate, but we just popped the top up at an angle and held it there with a 2×4, painted it with many coats of waterproof paint, and cut the front of it and added hinges so it opened like barn doors (plus a little pop door for the chickens). Inside we use about 6 inches of wood shavings so we don’t have to worry about poo sticking to the floor. I suspect yours will be much more long-lived than mine!
Excellent! My chicken coop is also a salvaged shipping crate! The make great poultry houses. Don’t forget about the option of making feeders and waterers from salvaged milk jugs:
http://mamamia5.blogspot.com/2010/07/home-made-milk-jug-chicken-feeders.html
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/trishs-waterer-made-from-an-ordinary-milk-jug