# First coop and run I made



## MamaHen (Apr 15, 2013)

I am a stay-at-home mom to 4 little ones (6, 4, 3, & 1). I have a huge fruit and veggie garden, I love to make our clothes, canning, anything DIY, & repurposing or buying used. So it seemed fitting to add chickens. I am so glad I did!

I made the coop myself out of recycled materials 
Whenever I had a spare minute. I spent under $100 on it. It took me about 3-4 weeks to make with NO experience at all! I had a blast! (I even decided to make a playhouse for my kids).

Here's the coop:









The run:








The nesting boxes:









The access door:









The clear roof:








The storage closet under the coop:









One of my Buff Orpingtons:









I know it's not perfect and I learned a lot making it but it fits out needs and we (my family and chickens) love it.


----------



## pedro29769 (May 30, 2013)

u can build me 1 if u want lol thats perfect


----------



## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

thats a great coop. but wont the clear roof make it very hot inside when its sunny~?


----------



## LittleWings (Jul 15, 2013)

Great job!


----------



## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

LOL You sound like me. I am a SAHM of 3 with 3 step-kids. I re-purpose anything I can and make clothes for my youngest at times. I love my garden and try to keep my family as low cost as possible. 90% of my meals are from scratch. I built my coop out of re-purposed material and it cost $4 ($78 if you count the fence) in the end. I think we were born in the wrong era . 

Great looking coop ! And welcome to the world of chickens


----------



## MamaHen (Apr 15, 2013)

Thanks everyone!!!! 



rob said:


> thats a great coop. but wont the clear roof make it very hot inside when its sunny~?


The coop & run is under a great shade tree and as far as I can tell it's not any hotter in the coop than outside in the yard. There are two windows for ventilation too. The girls don't hang out there in the day anyways, they are in the run dust bathing or waiting for me to bring a treat  I hope in the winter when the leaves fall that it is warmer in there since we can have some nasty winters.


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

You did a beautiful job. I too love re-purposing things. I stop by the thrift shops and find garden things as well as old jewelry boxes and shelf's and paint them. I pick up old globe lights and paint herbs and flowers on them and put them atop old bird fountain bases in the garden. Garden art is expensive.

Here is my coop. It is a DIY . I wish it cost under 100.00 to build.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Barred, that's adorable. Have you ever posted pics of the other stuff you do? I don't have a very imaginative brain when it comes to ideas like that.


----------



## back2simplelife (Jul 6, 2013)

Love them both!


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

I will go take some pictures when I get a chance. One of the globes came with a decal on it of flowers. I used to make allot of stained glass years ago and still have tons of glass so Im making flying things like butterflys, dragon flies. I also made a medallion of the sun and anchored it in an old clock frame of vines. I'm not that savvy either. It comes on all the sudden and I act on it. Other wise I use patterns. I would love to make a 4ft dragon and hang it in the tree. I drop by second hand stores once a week and sometimes score to get ideas.

Another fun thing is making twig arbors. I made one the other day and it turned out cute. It is also a duck and cover for the hens in case a hawk swoops down.


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 20, 2012)

MamaHen said:


> Thanks everyone!!!!


Great job!

The door under the nesting boxes. The dead bolt, **** wacks it and the weight of the bolt will unlock the door. Might want to turn the dead bolt 180 degrees.

Chicken wire is only good in keeping chickens in, no good keeping predators out.

Your design provides a lot for the small investment. Are those Buff Orpingtons?


----------



## MamaHen (Apr 15, 2013)

Hi, thanks! The door under the nesting boxes is just to a closet, the **** would be happy with his bounty of chicken food but no access to the actual chickens. We never had any problems with predators (very suburban area) in our time there and yes hardware cloth is a better choice for protection but is worth about 20 times that of the hens  and was way out of budget. We have since moved and the hens now have a converted play house and a much larger run - 330 sf. Two are buffs, yes.


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

Robin. I took a few pictures but the forum owner may not appreciate them as they and non chicken pictures. Do you want me to email them?


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You can but there is a general non chicken topic on here some where. Let others enjoy your artistic abilities.

Believe me, this forum is not like the one we shall not name.


----------



## MamaHen (Apr 15, 2013)

I say share those pics, I want to see them!!


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

Here are my new babies. I have a Black Jersey Giant named Luna. She is so pretty. Her feathers are almost blue.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Wait a minute, you did those? I can puzzle out how things work but I don't have an artistic bone in my body. 

Lovely ladies. What is the treat they're checking out?


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

I did those. I just finished a bench I purchased for 18.00 from a thrift store that turned out cute. Im not that artistic either. But sometimes I get an idea that turns out cute. 

That treat is the Chicken Po Po platter. I made it during the summer months as all the greens are dried up in the yard. I put 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, 2 cups of broccoli, 2 cups of spinach and 1/2 apple and blend it. Half goes to the old hens and the other half to the babies. They just love it. I have always supplemented with fresh greens. I feel in the wild they would be eating these things if they could. LOL. You always read about chickens getting into the garden.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Barredrockmom said:


> I did those. I just finished a bench I purchased for 18.00 from a thrift store that turned out cute. Im not that artistic either. But sometimes I get an idea that turns out cute.
> 
> That treat is the Chicken Po Po platter. I made it during the summer months as all the greens are dried up in the yard. I put 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, 2 cups of broccoli, 2 cups of spinach and 1/2 apple and blend it. Half goes to the old hens and the other half to the babies. They just love it. I have always supplemented with fresh greens. I feel in the wild they would be eating these things if they could. LOL. You always read about chickens getting into the garden.


I have to make a run in to town tomorrow, looks like I'm going to be running by the grocery store while I'm at it.


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

I'm telling you Robin. Once they get a taste, they are hooked and expect it. If sunflower seeds make parrots feathers pretty, I feel like it is good for the chickens too. Sometimes I add carrots or peas in pods, grapes. But I keep the fruit to one as the sugar is high in grapes. 

Yesterday the chicks got their first taste of spaghetti. It was plain but after a few seconds of walking around a strand and having a conference on "Is this safe, and do we like it" suddenly there was a free-for-all at full speed. They grab and run before Lacy the Tank takes over the feeding area. Lacy is my 5 year old Barredrock hen and she is huge! She is still laying every other day. Her crop is so full at night that it bounces around when she walks. It is not from what I'm free feeding but the free ranging of weeds and chicken food. 

Yesterday my 4 year old grandson was introduced to the babies for the first time. He loves to run over to them yelling Chickens! Of course they all run for the bushes. But something happened for the first time with the Jersey Giant hen. She must be about 4 months old. She is very timid and shy but on this day, she came running out of the other side of the yard up to the grandson with neck feathers out. She stopped, took one look at he kid and then the kid chased her. As soon as the kid stopped and ran back to us, out comes the Jersey again. We were laughing so hard. 

Now when I first brought home the babies, someone crowed. It happened only once. All the babies are establishing pecking order but the Jersey is stand-offish. She does once in a while check the other hens but in a gentle raising up on her toes and then the stare down for a few seconds. 

My neighbor came over and the hen did it again to the neighbor. She was real interested in the intruder. This same hen when picked up is a doll. She coos and closes her eyes when I hold her. I hope she is not a rooster. I don't see any saddle feathers or spurs.


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

Here is the Jersey Giant again. Does it look like a rooster to anyone?


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

Here is another.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There are those on this board who know hard feathered birds better than I do. I don't see any of the feathers that would suggest she's a boy but I know Silkies. She might turn out to be a great guard dog for the yard if she keeps that up. How old is she? Or I wonder if she's a one human bird like d'Uccle males are. My little Shoester would chase any other human but me that happened to walk up.

Do you ever sell any of the stuff you do at fairs? From the few pieces you've put up its exactly the kind of things people like for their yards.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Barred, I tried the mix. I think I got lucky, I've got a Silkie and a Hamburg co-brooding some chicks and they couldn't call the chicks to it fast enough. I went out a few minutes ago, everything I put out is gone. Even the dishes I put in with the bachelor roosters are empty. 

My town didn't have the sunflower seeds but they get them in the AM any way in their seed mix.


----------

