# Coop and Run Project, 5 Years in the Making



## royrector

*Coop and Run Project, 5 Years in the Making (Picture Heavy)*

It all began 5 years ago in March of 2013, when I begin replacing a row of red tip photinia bushes marking the northern property line of my place. The two previous summer droughts had killed off almost all of the trees, so I decided to pull them up and build a privacy fence in their place. While I was planning the fence, I started researching back yard chickens, and decided now is the time -- I can construct the fence as part of the chicken run and build a coop.
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June 2013
I got the picket fence built on the property line. I put up an 8 foot high fence, so it can double as the northern boundary of the chicken run. I started by installing 4x4 post -- setting them in concrete 40 inches deep and 8 feet apart:









Once I got the top two cross members in, I used my X748 John Deere garden tractor and my tiller to dig-out in-between the post so I can bury welded wire. That should keep critters from digging under the fence and getting my chickens.









The tiller worked pretty good. Just had to take a shovel and clean out the loose dirt:









I installed the wire, and curved it to the outside so if a critter digs down next to the fence, they will hit the wire:









Then I added a row of buried bricks, just to make it harder to dig under:









The wire was installed in the last 6 sections, which was originally planned to be the chicken run:









With the wire installed, I continued installing the pickets, to finish the privacy element of the fence:









So the chicken run has on its north border an 8 foot high picket fence with 4 feet of welded wire on the inside:









I installed the end posts of the chicken run's south side. This will be a welded wire fence to keep the girls safe, and allow us to watch them from the back porch. Originally, I planned on a run that is 8 foot wide by 48 foot long (384 square feet):









I will build the coop on that end in the shade. This picture was taken at 4:30 PM, so as the day heats up the coop will have plenty of shade. Here is the "coop's view" of where the run will be:









I installed some solar power accent lights on each post. Kind of gives it a nice affect after dark:
















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August 2013
I'm made progress on the project. After finishing the privacy fence construction, I started working on setting the post for the chicken run:









Next came burying the lines. I am running water, electricity, Cat 5 (internet) cable and compressed air to the coop:









Yep, my girls will have their very own internet café. And I figure 140 PSI compressed air will be handy for blowing out the coop at cleaning time.

I then set the post for the coop. I used 4x6's and buried them 40 inches in concrete:









The string you see in this picture (around the post) mark where I will add fill to raise and level the ground. Since this is the lower part of the yard (and in the flood plain) I figured I better raise the coop up off of the ground and fill in underneath to redirect the rain run-off.
I cut the post to 18 inches above the fill line, and will use the underside of the coop for more additional run area:









I installed the hardware cloth before adding the fill, and used road base for the fill so it would pack in real tight under the coop, and if a critter gets past the hardware cloth, trying to dig though road base will be its worst nightmare:










_Darn, I hit the 20 picture limit -- see follow up post for: "the rest of the story."_


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## royrector

*Coop and Run Project, 5 Years in the Making Part 2*

Next came the floor supports. I placed them on 12 inch centers because I plan on using sand as the coop floor covering and I want to make sure it can handle the weight:









I put it together with 4 inch TruLock framing bolts, so hopefully it will outlive me:









Here is the view from the creek:









And a view from the back porch:









I set the angle of the coop so we will be able to see the birds through the coop windows from the back porch.
I'm also working on the on the upper end of the run:

















I'll use PVC roofing sheet to cover the run so the chickens can have shade and a mud free run with it rains.
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October 2013
I installed the PVC roofing on the first section of the run:

























And then I decided that would make a great shed. So I completed the next section and added a crushed granite floor:

















So the chickens will have 16 less feet of run. But if you don't tell them, they will never know. ;-)
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June 2017
Well, it has been 5 years since I started the chicken coop project. Life got in the way and I haven't worked on it at all, until now. I plan on getting it finished this year, in time for 2018 spring chicks. The project has weathered a bit over the last four years, but I built it with treated lumber and added Thompson water seal so I'm good:

















The white bundle in the background are the shingles for the coop. the black enclosure is a compost pit I built from composite railroad ties:









It will be inside the run. I'm thinking the chickens will love scratching around in it, and with all that poop'in and scratch'in, they will be little worker bees making compost for the garden. ;-)

I went to Home Depot and bought the lumber for framing up the coop. My RV is in the shop, so I took advantage of the empty RV shelter to frame up the walls and created the roof trusses:

























In a couple of week, I have my son come over and we'll have a good old fashioned "barn raising" and install the wall and trusses -- getting it dried in and ready to install the shingles.

So that is where I am at to date. Still lots of work to do, which means still a lot of pictures to come!


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## robin416

And I thought there was a bunch of us OCD about keeping our birds safe but I think you've topped us all. Your excellent pics and explanations could help anyone new that would like to know what it takes to keep trouble out.

The other plus is that you gave this so much thought, a few years anyway  before you got the birds. They might not know they lost some footage in their run but they will know they've found the right home.


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## dawg53

I've never seen anything like it...a chicken mansion in progress! I wish I had your carpentry skills.


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## seminole wind

Wow is not a big enough word! That's just amazing! I can't wait to see more.


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## chickenqueen

Wow!!!Wow!!!I'm soooooo jealous!!!!That's a wonderful set-up.I need to show your pics to my hubby...


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## WeeLittleChicken

Wow, color me impressed! That's gorgeous! Can't wait to see how the rest goes!


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## IncubatorWarehouse

Oh wow, looks amazing.


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## royrector

robin416 said:


> And I thought there was a bunch of us OCD about keeping our birds safe but I think you've topped us all. . .


I would love to be able to free range them in the back yard, but back when I was doing all the research about runs, I learned I pretty much have to build a fort for my birds. We have the usual suspects (feral cats and loose dogs), but in this creek that runs along my property, every year I see squirrels, raccoons, hawks, owls, coyotes and red foxes. Last year we had a bob cat!


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## robin416

I've got that here but I don't live in the burbs. It's why I have hot wire around the base of my bird's pens. I do let what I have left in chickens out to free range but only under close supervision. Something chased one of my old Hamburg hens last week. Chased almost to the road but when she heard my voice she came out of hiding. I had to go meet her because she didn't want to be out in the open without backup.


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## Seriph

What a stunning project! I wish I had anywhere near that amount of skill to build something like that.


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## royrector

Update - July 3, 2017

Today we got the coop framed up. It is a 10x20 Gambrel roof structure that is much bigger in real life than it was on paper. 

After reading a lot on this forum, I'm thinking it ain't gonna be no coop. 

Apparently, from what I read it will be - - - - a Chicken Mansion:

View from the back yard:










View from the shed at the end of the run:










View from behind the coop looking down the run area.










Still lots of work to do, but I have a good start in getting it finished this summer. If you are interested the framing process, I had a GoPro camera running and taking a photo every 60 seconds. I made a quick little time-lapse video. It is a minute and a half long and pretty much shows the day from start to finish. Here is a link to the video:


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## robin416

Ok, here's what I want to know. How can you possibly have a complete coop and run out in your backyard and have it be empty until next Spring?


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## royrector

robin416 said:


> Ok, here's what I want to know. How can you possibly have a complete coop and run out in your backyard and have it be empty until next Spring?


I would like to get them as soon as I get the coop and run ready, but I just haven't gotten around to asking the "where to buy chicks" question. I know that the local Tractor Supply has them in them only in the spring. I was looking at the McMurray website the other day. I noted I could buy chicks almost all year, but they have a 15 min order. I only want 5. So, "how to buy less than 15 chicks when it is not springtime" is a question I have.


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## nannypattyrn

If you have an Atwood farm store, you can buy individual chicks.


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## dawg53

Meyer hatchery has a minimum order of 3 chicks from April to November, 15 chicks December through March. I've ordered from them before without any problems. They are in Ohio.


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## chickenqueen

dawg53 said:


> Meyer hatchery has a minimum order of 3 chicks from April to November, 15 chicks December through March. I've ordered from them before without any problems. They are in Ohio.


In Ohio?I'll have to check them out.I bought my first 3 batches from Mt Healthy Hatchery because I could pick them up.I quit buying from there because they don't have many breeds to chose from.As for buying chicks,there's always Craig's list and livestock sales with no minimums to buy.You got a chicken mansion that will hold a good sized flock.A dozen is just as easy as 5 to raise,there's just a little more poop....


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## dawg53

Meyer hatchery is located north of you in Polk, Ohio, CQ.
I stopped buying chicks from Meyer because they stopped selling Black Sex links. That's when I switched to Ideal hatchery out of Texas. They dont have a minimum order per say. You have to purchase $25 worth of chicks (or more) though. The quantity and cost can vary depending on the breed you order, just as long as it's $25 or more. Since I ordered standard breeds only, it usually came out to 12 or 13 chicks. 
I ordered from Ideal once in December, big mistake on my part. In addition to the 12 chicks, they sent me 15 Leghorn male chicks for warmth purposes. I had to cull them.
You're absolutely correct; a dozen is just as easy as 5 to raise. (I could bump that up a little more) LOL.


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## royrector

dawg53 said:


> . . . I switched to Ideal hatchery out of Texas. They dont have a minimum order per say.


That is good to known, Thanks! Ideal hatchery is just an hour's drive from my house, so I can order chicks and go pick them up. Hurray!


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## seminole wind

I like Hoover Hatchery as well. Your coop is coming along nice!


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## royrector

July 4, 2017

Celebrated Independence Day by getting a little more work done on the coop. Got the roof covered so if it rains I'll be good:










And started working on installing the Hardy Plank roof eave trim and the drip edge:










But at about 5:00 pm I ran completely out of gas -- I am pooped. Two days of hanging out with Manual Labor wore me out (did I mention I am almost 61?). But the good news is I have an awesome farmer's tan!

But tomorrow it will be time to get back to reality - got my little retirement job to focus on for the next three days. It will be the weekend before I can get back to my little back yard chick coop project.


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## robin416

You'll find a large portion of this group is retired or very near retirement so we get it. Just a few years ago I would unload 700 pounds of feed. But then things began to switch up and I found myself parking the truck in the garage for the night then tackling the unloading the next day. Then the bags started getting heavier and heavier. 

It used to take me one day to clean my 12 by 40 coop, then it started taking days. Now I have a 10 by 10 and it takes two days to clean it.


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## royrector

July 9, 2017

This weekend I got all the roof trim and drip edge up as well as window openings and end caps framed in:


















The coop is now ready for shingles!

This overhang will have a dual purpose. It will provide cover for the front door steps:










and a 4x10 overhead storage loft on the inside, in the "people" section of the coop:










During clean up, I found this clinging to one of the support post under the coop:










OMG! I think I have baby dragons!


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## robin416

You have a new pet! And a tenant for the coop until the birds arrive.

Being married to a union carpenter for a while now I am very impressed with the construction on your building. Now to get that siding up so you can remove the cross bracing. BTW, are those turnbuckles?


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## royrector

robin416 said:


> You have a new pet! And a tenant for the coop until the birds arrive.
> 
> Being married to a union carpenter for a while now I am very impressed with the construction on your building. Now to get that siding up so you can remove the cross bracing. BTW, are those turnbuckles?


Thanks. I'm no carpenter, just a country boy DIY kinda guy.

The support straps are just galvanized pipe hanging straps. I built a garden shed a few years ago. It is a trick my neighbor (retired construction from the industry) showed me to square up the building. It is thin enough to to leave in place. I'll cover the exterior with OSB board and a moisture barrier cloth, and follow that up with Hardy Plank siding. The coop should last about 1,000 years.


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## royrector

July 18, 2017

Last weekend I didn't get much done, just some minor tweaks in the framing. I cut out a "clean-out" portal:


















I thought it would make it easy to add or remove the bedding if I had a port big enough to shovel material in or out, regardless of what I use: sand, shavings, etc. Since this portal will be at floor level and outside the run, I will be able to open the door, park my tractor's front-end loader bucket right up against the coop and scoop material out and haul it away with minimal effort. Same with moving material in.

So, if you have any other ideas, or things you realized you needed to add to your coop at this stage of construction, please let me know what they are!


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## robin416

I didn't have a clean out portal but I did have an L series Kubota with a bucket. I parked the tractor at the door and shoveled everything into it. When it got full I climbed on the tractor and took it to the compost pile. So, your idea for using the tractor is one you won't come to regret. It's a back saver for certain.


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## dawg53

I had a 'trap door' on the backside of my main coop. It made coop clean out so much easier.


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## seminole wind

Always these little things that make life so much easier!


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## robin416

And for most of us the obvious isn't spotted until after the fact.


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## royrector

This weekend I was able to get two walls dried in by getting the OSB radiant barrier board and moisture barrier wrap installed:










Here is how it looks from the inside:




























Hopefully next weekend I can get the other two walls and the roof gables dried in too!


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## robin416

Don't you hate having to do real world stuff while something like that just waits on you to find the time? Or energy?


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## seminole wind

I think if I rebuild, it will be 16x16 foot pens each with having a 3 sided covered area like a run-in. I really don't need a coop here. And living in fresh air is the best.


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## royrector

This weekend I was able to get all walls up and covered, the roof is shingled and the chicken door entrances built in:










I have been incorporating advice from others about things that need to be added to the coop during construction. The 2nd chicken door was one of those suggestions. Thanks!

From the inside you can see the chicken doors, and where the windows will be; left, right and center:










Still have the gable on the "people" side to finish, and I plan on added two 24" x 18" vents to the gables on each end:










Lots more work to do, but it is slowly coming together.


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## robin416

Did you ever say what you're putting down for flooring?


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## royrector

The jury is still out on the flooring. Originally I thought I would lay down ¾ plywood and fiberglass it. But now I am thinking I will coat the plywood with Tuff-Coat rubberized floor coating, or Black Jack 57 roof coating. Building a chick coop and trying to get all the right features in at construction time is much harder than I thought it would be. ;-)


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## robin416

Remember off gassing and curing times. Since the birds will be in very close proximity those things could be a problem.

I had deck boards in my big coop. Sheet plywood in my small coops. The big coop worked very well, I could hose the floor down and have it drain easily. My biggest complaint was getting the cracks totally clean. 

Many put the plywood down and cover it with sheet vinyl for easy cleaning.


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## royrector

Haven't made much progress on the coop project in a few weeks. We did some August vacation traveling. And all this time I have had a 2nd back yard project in progress that is now the priority. I had a framing crew working on a covered deck/outdoor kitchen project on the side of my house:



















But I fired them right before we left on vacation because they were doing a terrible job with finishing work. So, now I am finishing it myself. But I did manage to get the windows installed on the coop today:












I should be able to finish the deck project by the end of October, and then I'll be back to work on the coop project. Looking forward to the day I can walk out to the coop, grab some fresh eggs and cook breakfast on the deck while watching our chicken play in their run. ;-)


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## robin416

Well, I can say that's the first time I've seen support posts quite like those I see in the pic. I'd show the carpenter husband for his opinion but he's already in bed.

That outdoor space is going to make for some nice outside entertaining when it's done. And if you've got birds by then you might not get the guests to leave because they'll be so zenned out by the birds.


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## robin416

OK, just showed him the support post. His comment? He's never seen anything like that and doesn't understand why they would isolate the posts that way. He said the 6X6's should have gone all the way down to the footers.


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## royrector

robin416 said:


> . . . He said the 6X6's should have gone all the way down to the footers.


The post do go all the way to the footers:










(Note coop in background - good pictures that shows how I have both project running simultaneously.)

Me and myself and Mr. Manual Labor poured the concrete footers over many week (7 pallets of 80 lb. bags) using a 2 bag electric mixer. The footers are 24x24x48, with a 12x12x24 concrete beam connecting them together to support the brick work. The post are connected to the footings with galvanized metal anchors. I had the framers build the pony wall in with one inch clearance above the floor joist so when I install the composite deck flooring, I can slip it under the wall and not have to do all that precision cutting. It also will make it easier to make up for any un-squareness. The pony wraps the post, making it appear as if they do not go all the way to the ground. ;-)


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## robin416

I was in a doc's office with hubs when I saw your post and forgot about it until now. I knew I was forgetting something. I blew your pic up to 200% and the optical illusion was still there. 

Tell you what, you must pay Mr. Manual Labor and myself well. They did a nice job on that work, especially the concrete.


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## seminole wind

That is a very nice area you built. I love building stuff. I should scan those pics and post them when we built this 4 stall barn .


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