It has been a busy two weeks since I returned home from my unexpected trip back home to Michigan for a funeral. I’ve finally gotten caught up on housework, homework, and yard work!
Although I had to travel home for a sad event, I was able to spend time with several family members and friends. I am grateful I was able to see several cousins, my great-aunt, and two of my best friends from elementary and middle school.
During the week I was away, my husband put the finishing touches on our “chicken condo” and I was able to have the ladies move in the weekend I returned. This new coop is a HUGE upgrade from the pre-fab one we had purchased from Pet Co.
One of the best things about this new coop is I can walk into it, which is key to having the option to get them inside the coop before dusk. It has been sooo nice not to wait for sunset before we could leave the house. Now I no longer have to make sure I’m home at dusk to put them in!
Another great thing is the bigger coop space means I only need to clean it once a week, the other coop required cleaning 2-3 times a week. They now have ample roost space and the run is big enough leave them in all day. It’s rare that they don’t free range in the orchard but it’s nice they now have adequate space if we can’t let them roam.
My husband built the coop and run himself and it was the first structure he’s ever built. I personally think he did an amazing job! I think he was happy he got a new power tool to help complete this project 🙂 I did most of the painting. Our coop is three different colors and that’s fine with me! We used left over paint from our shed, house, and a cheap “mismatched” gray color from the paint store.
We loosely followed this design we found at Backyard Chickens (their’s is much bigger than what we built) and I used these coop dimensions and design criteria I found on Hen Cam. I really appreciate the detailed information Hen Cam provides!
My husband worked on it almost every weekend starting the weekend of August 7th and it was officially complete October 17th, so it took a little over two months to complete. He’s going to write a post with specific plans and share things he learned while building this coop. Take a look these photos documenting the process, start to finish!
The lumber, we use plywood for the coop walls and 2×4’s for the structure.
The new power tool!
First wall is complete
The perimeter of the run, it is 24 square feet. We kept a shade canopy up because it was HOT when this project got started!
First two walls are up, this side will have the biggest doors to allow easy access to clean under the roosts.
The back wall, this will be solid. Look how tiny the other coop looks!
Getting the 3rd and 4th walls build. Our good friend Craig came to help.
Three walls up! Painting and stapling in the hard wire cloth along the walls happened on this day. Another necessary tool was an automatic staple gun!
Whoo hoo, all four walls are painted and up!
Getting the roof support done.
View from the top, before the roof was put on.
Another rooftop view.
The roof is on!
Two walls of the coop completed, this will be the access point for the nest boxes.
Another view with the two walls up.
The third wall, painted and ready to be installed.
Third wall installed, this is where I’ll access the roost and the majority of the coop for cleaning.
A view with both walls.
The fourth and final coop wall is up, the door in the right corner is where the chickens will enter the coop.
Four nest boxes for these spoiled ladies!
Another view of the nest boxes, we also covered the floor using a linoleum remnant to help keep cleaning easy!
The beginning of the ramp up to the coop.
The ramp is ready to be installed.
The completed ramp, so close to being finished!
The human door is on! Cool design huh?
Two spacious roosts ready to go tiny the coop. This whole piece and each roost are removable for easy cleaning.
Rocky was the first one to explore her new coop.
A few more ladies decide to check it out.
Here’s a few more pictures of our finished chicken condo!!
What to do you think? Not to shabby for a first try! Have you built a chicken coop? Has this inspired you to try it? Here’s a really great post with helpful information from Gardenholic on building a DIY coop.
Honeychick Homestead 
October 30, 2015 at 9:21 pm
Wow! The new chicken condo looks great! Very well done :). I love the ‘pop’ of red and the corrugated metal roof. So fun! I bet your hens are pretty happy with their new home! I’m not sure that this is appropriate to ask, but about how much does it cost to build a coop like this? I’ve always wanted bees and chickens (maybe some pigs, goats, cows, or horses too…or even an alpaca so I can spin my own yarn!). I dream of having a homestead of my own someday…even if it’s only a few acres. As a girl who’s lived in the suburbs my entire life, though, I really have no idea the kind of money and time it would take for projects like these. If you don’t want to answer, don’t worry about it!
You two have done such a great job with your homestead! It seems like things are going well for you, Jen, and I am SO happy for you. Are you officially done with Lyme? I sure as heck hope so.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with all of us 😊
Kaylie K.
November 8, 2015 at 3:01 pm
Thanks Kaylie! My husband said it cost about $1000 for all of the material. It’s been quite the learning experience building out homestead. It’s fun and sometimes frustrating! And yes, I am officially done with Lyme. I have been since returning from Infusio last year. Thanks for checking in!
October 31, 2015 at 11:52 am
Nice! Looks great.