Tour de Coop - Let's see them!

OK, myrrh & cemba33 beat me to it, but I have been wanting to do this for awhile....

Up to a year before I bought my first chicken I had been crawling the web looking at coop pictures and planning my design. I love coops! We even have something in Portland, OR (just across the river from me) called Tour de Coop each year.

So I'm hoping to start a DG Tour de Coop! Show us what you have. As a newbie, I'd also love to hear why you built (or bought) what you did if its something you feel is out of the ordinary or special in some way. This can be a brag spot like myrrh's thread and a learning spot.

Here goes...
The big picture - this is a shot of my garden shed and my hen house (on the left).

I had planned to have a coop like this, but with only just under 10k square feet and my DH's glass shop and my garden shed we decided that we should combine the hen house and shed.

It could still use a bit more paint, but ... here she is!

So this is what it ended up being...

Inside - the whole front opens up for easy access, the floor is concrete and I'm trying out the deep litter method.

PS. that's feathers not poop, Talula is molting, I think.

There is an external nesting box that is accessible through my garden shed.

Inside of my garden shed - hand sanitizer, storage, and egg access -- for once the little buggers start to lay!

I like it! I had help from my uncle and grandfather about 7 weekends in arow!! It is special to me because I have some many memoirs building it, and will the chickens of course! From stating from 3 chickens now to over 25 I have learned some much. I have business cards and a sign out front!

And I have so much more!

By the way, one other thing I meant to mention, the walls are made out of smooth tile board so that its easy to wipe down and sanitize! :)

What's tile board? Is that the concrete backer board you use under tiles? I would think that would be not good to get wet. I must be wrong on what it is.

No, its hard to explain. It kinds looks and feels like a dry erase board material. They have it with lines pressed in it to simulate the look of a white tiled surface. I got the stuff that is completely smooth. Its just fine to get wet.

I know what your talking about.

Hmmmm...does Home Depot have it? Lowe's? What department is it in?

I found it at Home Depot. The guy who I got the idea from found it at Lowe's. So yes to both. It was in kind of an odd place at Home Depot, over by the bathroom stuff...

Interesting, I better check that stuff out!

Claire-

If I am right it is the stuff you put up in shower stalls in the bathroom if you don't go with a shower unit.

Sheila

That'd make sense Sheila!

Cool! Chicken showers! LOL!!!

haha that would be funny!

Alright you guys! Where are your pics? I wanna see 'em! ;-)

It's too dark, I'll have to take some tomorrow. And plus I'm stuck in trademarks class, I'm not even at home right now. Boooring. But I will have some to show!

I always forget ya'll are so far ahead of me in time. :)

No, one likes my topic so here! : [

Maybe there will be a pic by the time you get up tomorrow!

sorry cemba33! I didn't mean to steal your thunder! :-(

haha no its alright.

Here is my current coop. It is mobile (on wheels). The run part and the ramp part are separate. We move each piece separately. The run part is light enough to pick up and move, same with the ramp. The coop proper is heavy and we roll it. I have still not finished painting it and Kelly has to do something around the edge of the roof - I forget what the stuff is called.

It has sheet steel (barn siding) for the roof.

The shortest end (height) is where the nest boxes are. Here is the door I use to get eggs out.

You can see the roof material here.

Here is inside - you can see the nest boxes (4) in the end.

And here is the taller end - it has the top angled part as a door that goes completely back, so I can climb inside and clean out. As I mentioned, it still needs painting.

The floor inside has a wood frame with a piece of this plastic flooring stuff on it that completely slides out of the unit in the back, for easy cleaning.

We got the sliding window at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for $20. The wood (cedar) siding was in the value bin at Menards for 49 cents a piece. Most of the lumber is re-used or was free from Craig's List. The roofing we bought, plus the plastic floor stuff, and the wheels. We got the chicken wire free from the guy we got the chickens from. Kelly made the coop part and I made the run. The ramp needs work.

okay here is mine :)


the ONLY reason why we built this one... well DH loves working with wood.... and said we had to build the coop before we got the babies... When I showed him the plain box with pitched roof plan (thinking easy design and I could get my babies faster) he kind said... "Ya okay, I'll get it built" so plan B.... I showed him a pix of one similar to this (much more work and much more elaborate!) and he we went out and bought all the materials that night! teehee! Guess he is more into the challenging work...lol!

From now on... I'll show him more elaborate plans first! LOL!

here is the exterior,,,,,,,,,

and the interior....

the entire top is on hinges. the bottom is 1/4 in hardware cloth as are the covering on the windows. Metal roof. Entire co-op was built from 1 sheet of plywood siding.

They now have a 6' x 6' x 6' chain link pen to run around in...and the pen can be picked up and moved to other locations to help us keep weeds to a minimum :)

Claire,
I think I responded when you first posted pics of it in a different thread. I LOVE it! Its such a unique look and a great use of space. Just great!

1AnjL,
I'm jealous of this one! SO cute! I saw one online (possibly the same one you did) and just LOVED it. DH loves wood working and always turns everything into an art project, being the artist that he is, but he would have rolled his eyes if I'd asked him to try to make this one. Its just gorgeous. Your hubby has some real talent!

Keep those pics'a'comin!

thanks...but the one I REALLY wanted is in your second post! lol! eventually we will move north and have a big walk in coop...and use this little one for bantams maybe...lol!

Yah, isn't that one awesome? How about this one.... there's a guy here locally that is trying to sell these for $1450. I love it, but there's no way I'd pay that for it.

lol I dont blame you !

could build it for less than $100 and in a weekend? wow... maybe I need to change careers?! teehee!

I know! My thoughts and DH's thougths EXACTLY. hehe

Just for fun, here's another "urban coop" I love this one because it has an antique dutch door and just a cool "old world" feel about it.

I wanted to buy it, but had already designed mine and started working on it when I found it on Craigslist.

oooh! I like that one too!

Lady that $1450 one would be a perfect dove or pigeon pen Thanks thats a good idea.