New Chicken Coop

GardeningVet — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:28:36 +0000

After deciding the the permanent chicken tractor was too bulky to move and the fact that I would like another garden bed to put my vegetables in, I took the permanent tractor apart and re-used the wood and ply to construct another more permanent chicken coop. I knew I wanted it raised off the ground to allow the chickens some shade under the coop and also to put the feed and water under it away from the weather. I found a pallet and started work on the 4 walls.

Pallet chicken coop

Roof to chicken coop

pop door

pop door string

door to chicken coop

Roost inside chicken coop

Egg access and clean up doors

Clean out doors

Chicken poop drawers

Poop drawers in place

Chicken run

Building a chicken coop or permanent chicken tractor

GardeningVet — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:21:45 +0000

So I decided to bring a little bit of country into suburbia. Checked with the council to find out the rules and regulations about keeping chickens in suburbia – and they said only 5 hens max and no roosters. I went through the usual rigmarole of researching in poultry forums and finding out what makes a good chicken coop (and of course working out what I liked and didn’t like and what would fit in our suburban backyard setting) and came to the conclusion that I liked the semi-permanent chicken tractor solution which meant that the chicken coop/run sat on the vegetable beds and once the chickens had done their job of fertilizing the plot, I would move the tractor onto the next vegetable bed…and so the cycle starts again. This would save me from having to clean out the coop.

Pics of the coop building in progress

Setting out the garden beds – timber sleepers were bought and bolted together to form 4×6 foot beds with paths in between.

Framing the coop – used untreated pine internally

Chicken nest boxes

Chicken nest boxes painted

Chicken coop roof sheathed with external plywood

Recycled some old western red cedar venetian blinds to put on the plywood. Sheathed rest of coop with plywood and painted

Painted lilac and trimmed with white, added coop access doors

Access door to back where nest boxes are made, trimmed and painted

Added wire mesh in bottom of coop and fitted chicken doors to front of coop. Moved chicken tractor coop to position on vegetable garden bed

Just add chickens.

Gardening Tips » Chicken coop

New Chicken Coop

Building a chicken coop or permanent chicken tractor