Reinventing the Chicken Coop: 14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions

Reinventing the Chicken Coop: 14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions

Reinventing the Chicken Coop: 14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions

Reinventing the Chicken Coop: 14 Original Designs with Step-by-Step Building Instructions

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Overview

Build a stylishly modern home for your poultry. Backyard chickens meet contemporary design in this inventive compilation from authors Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy. Reinventing the Chicken Coop presents 14 complete building plans for chicken houses that range from the purely functional to outrageously fabulous, with designs that include water-capturing roofs, built-in composting systems, and modernist architectural details.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781603428637
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date: 01/01/2013
Sold by: Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format: eBook
Pages: 192
File size: 43 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy are the owners of Just Fine Design/Build, a company that produces original pieces of furniture and small structures. In 2010, they designed a chicken coop called “Chick in a Box” that went on to win an Editor’s Choice award for design at the Bay Area Maker Faire and was featured on theMake Magazineblog, theFarmhouse Modernblog, and theTreehuggerblog. Kevin lives in Oakland, CA.


Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy are the owners of Just Fine Design/Build, a studio that produces original handmade furniture and small structures. In 2010, they designed a chicken coop called “Chick in a Box” that went on to win an Editor’s Choice award for design at the Bay Area Maker Faire and was featured on theMake Magazineblog, theFarmhouse Modernblog, and theTreehuggerblog. Matthew also is a Senior Mechanician for Furniture and Carpentry at the University of California Berkeley's College of Environmental Design and teaches woodworking at The Crucible, a non-profit arts school in Oakland. Both authors live in Oakland, CA - Matthew in a 120-square-foot tiny house he designed and built.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

The Basics

Chicken Coop Essentials

During the process of designing and building coops for this book, we became accustomed to quizzical looks when explaining our latest projects. There were plenty of positive responses, but just as often came the question, "Why would you want chickens?" It was an easy thing to answer: "For the eggs, of course." However, this wasn't the question we were hoping most to be asked: "Why would you want to build a chicken coop?"

What appeals to us about the form is that there's a set of design parameters for a well-designed coop, and beyond that it can really be anything. Also, most coops are informal structures and typically do not require building permits or messy bureaucracy. With coops, ordinary people can actually build something of architectural significance next to their home and be proud of the statement it makes: "I made this thing, and it brings me closer to the food I eat every day."

Along with our desire to explore the idea of what a chicken coop could be, like any thoughtful designers we wanted to be cautious and deliberate. A new idea isn't always a good one, and a classic, time-tested technique is not something to be dismissed. We wanted the design choices we made to be significant, not random, guided by the site and concept for each coop. We also wanted to experiment with conventional and unconventional building materials and to treat the chicken coop like the hybrid structure it is — part outbuilding, part outdoor furniture, part sculpture. Throughout the project we often joked with each other that our mission was to bring the coop from the backyard to the front yard.

Given the scope of what we were taking on, however, it was important to stick to our fundamental premise: To design really good coops for the chickens and their owners. An experimental design that looks incredible but functions poorly and doesn't pass the scrutiny of an experienced hen raiser would be a failure on our part. Therefore, we approached each coop project with the following design considerations in mind. The same guidelines and questions can help you when making modifications to your own projects.

General Space Requirements

While there are many different breeds of chickens and, of course, different sizes, our rule of thumb is to provide roughly 8 to 10 square feet of space per chicken. This number is the coop and run space combined. Keep in mind that if you live in a cold climate where the chickens will be inside for a good portion of the year, you should increase your coop size so that it remains a healthy living environment.

To encourage your chickens to spend more time outdoors, you can provide a covered area where they can be outside of their coop but somewhat protected from the elements. More time outside results in healthier chickens and a cleaner coop. As always, the more space you can offer the better. Free-range chickens who can roam for insects and have a safe place to sleep at night are the happiest.

Coop and Run Setups

For backyard chicken keeping, you can have a variety of different setups, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Deciding which setup is right for you involves many considerations, such as the amount of available space, local zoning ordinances, weather, the number of chickens you'd like to keep, and how much time you want to spend on maintenance. Keep in mind that a coop alone — with no access to outdoor space and ground contact — is not ideal for backyard chicken keeping. There should always be a relationship between the enclosed coop and some yard space, and that arrangement can take many forms. Here are some classic examples.

Coop and Enclosed Run (Confined Housing)

Many of the designs in this book combine a coop with an attached run, both secure from predators. The advantage here is that there's no need to let the chickens out of their coop in the morning and lock them up at night. They're always safe and can come and go between indoor and outdoor spaces as they please. This is probably the most low-maintenance of coop designs. If the chickens have enough food and water, they can even be left for several days while you are out of town (though you'll probably want to have someone check on them). The Container Coop, Pallet Coop, and Corner Coop are all built in this style.

One disadvantage to this style is that it requires more care and attention when building the coop and the run, because any weakness in the design can be exploited by crafty predators. Building a secure run also includes having a roof of some sort (which can be mesh) so that no birds can get in and predators can't jump in from trees. As with the fenced range option, another disadvantage is that the chickens will quickly eat through all of the vegetation in the fenced-in area and leave a generous amount of droppings. However, you can supplement their food supply with kitchen scraps and edible greens that might not make the cut into your salad (be sure to see What Not to Feed Chickens, on page 18).

Coop and Fenced Range (Open Housing)

If you like the idea of having "free range" chickens, and you're the type who enjoys the daily rituals of tending to them, a coop and fenced-in run setup is ideal. With this arrangement, the coop must be secure for the hens to roost at night, but the run simply has to contain the chickens and can be nothing more than a fence (at least 4 feet high) with no roof. This simplifies construction and allows for more design possibilities, though it does require letting the chickens out in the morning and locking them in at night. Also, the same issues of vegetation depletion and droppings accumulation noted with the coop and enclosed run apply here. Your hens will also be more vulnerable to predators if the run is built without a roof.

Chicken Tractor

The chicken tractor is a popular design that works like a very old-fashioned, but very natural, lawnmower. The coop is mobile and has no floor, allowing the chickens to forage, peck, and fertilize the ground directly underneath the coop. Once the immediate area is exhausted, the coop is moved to a new location with fresh ground.

We love the idea of chicken tractors but find that for small urban lots you might have to dedicate all of your yard to the chickens to provide enough fresh ground. In a matter of just two or three hours, the chickens can eat all of the vegetation in a tractor. We think a better application of a tractor design is in a farm setting, where there is plenty of area for moving the tractor, allowing sufficient time for the vegetation to regenerate before the chickens get to it again. Another good option is a hybrid structure that can be both a tractor and a coop and run, if desired. Other drawbacks to tractor systems are that they tend to offer inadequate protection in cold weather, and when not set on level ground, they can create holes for predators to exploit.

Paddock Rotation System

The paddock system is a favorite of permaculture practitioners. While none of the coops in this book is designed for paddock rotation (due to the nature of the sites they were built on), some could be modified for this application. A paddock system involves dividing a yard into several sections — each with its own entrance to a stationary coop — and rotating the chickens from one paddock to another.

As a variation of the tractor system, paddock rotation requires a decent amount of space to allow the vegetation to regenerate and the ground to become sanitized during the fallow periods, but it does not require moving the coop/tractor every few hours. The time needed for letting the paddocks rest varies on their size and the amount of chickens you have. An ideal setup might include four or six paddocks, each with 8 to 10 square feet of space per bird. There are also some two-paddock systems that work quite well, and the chickens are moved every six months. While accumulation of droppings is still an issue, this does give the resting paddock a chance to regenerate.

Roosts

Roosts, or roosting bars, are perches that chickens sleep on at night, similar to a tree branch if they were in the wild. A great deal of droppings will accumulate underneath the roosts, so having a well-designed, easily cleaned floor (or even a drawer) is a good idea. Chickens typically like to roost high up in the coop, but you can put your roosts pretty much anywhere. Allow for at least 8" of horizontal roosting space on the bar per bird and 12" of height. Also be sure to use wood that doesn't have sharp corners. A 2×2 with rounded edges works great. Making a roosting bar removable allows for easy cleaning and replacement. We like to cut a notch in each bar support so that a 2×2 can simply slip right into it.

Protection from Predators and Rodents

In addition to comfortable shelter, a well-designed chicken coop provides a haven from predators, such as dogs, raccoons, foxes, and hawks. Keep any gaps in the coop itself to less than ½" to ensure protection. As we will discuss in the next chapter, wherever there is mesh, we suggest using ½" hardware cloth instead of traditional chicken wire. Hardware cloth has smaller openings, and it's more durable and easier to cut (during building) than chicken wire. (See page 26.)

While stapling the mesh creates a pretty strong connection, a better way to secure it is to sandwich it between a piece of 1×2 and the coop framing by screwing through the 1×2 and one of the openings in the mesh. This type of attachment prevents raccoons from prying off staples and using leverage to get into the coop. Similarly, use latches to close all doors and windows. Spring-loaded and lockable latches keep predators out, and if you live in a high-traffic urban environment you may consider a padlock to keep out the most industrious predators — humans!

Where the coop or run meets the ground is another important area for protection. Rather than ending the mesh at the ground, we suggest digging a trench and burying it 16" below the surface to keep out burrowing predators. While this is quite a bit of extra work up front, it can potentially save your chickens down the road and gives you peace of mind. If your coop is completely enclosed with a mesh floor, this step is unnecessary.

The primary rodents to keep out of your coop are rats. Though not necessarily a danger to the chickens themselves, rats do get in to eat the feed and wreak general havoc. Rats are industrious and can wiggle themselves into small openings, so take extra care with the design around vulnerable areas, such as door openings and roof joints.

Ventilation

Ventilation is essential for a healthy chicken coop. It removes dust and moisture, prevents the buildup of ammonia from accumulated droppings, and reduces the likelihood of airborne diseases. We like to put mesh near the roof at both sides of the coop so that hot air can escape and a cross breeze can enter the interior. Keep in mind that during the winter reducing drafts is also important. This may mean covering one or more of the sides (depending on your location and the position of the coop) to provide a good balance between weather protection and ventilation.

Nesting Boxes

Hens like to feel extra safe and secure when laying eggs, so a nesting box typically is a dark space with an enclosed feel. Without a nesting box, your hens may lay their eggs all over the place, so providing them with an ideal laying space ensures that you'll know where to find your eggs consistently. Also, each chicken does not need her own nest; we generally recommend one nest for every four to five chickens. The ideal dimensions for an individual laying box are 12" wide × 14" high × 12" deep, and it's usually best to arrange multiple boxes side by side, like little row houses. Since chickens leave a lot of droppings where they roost, it is best to avoid having the chickens roost in their nesting area.

A handy detail to include is a little lip on the front and back edges of the laying box. This will prevent eggs from rolling out and helps keep in nesting material (straw or shredded paper). Figuring out how to gather the eggs easily and quickly is a fun design challenge to take on. We have several different schemes for egg collection, but feel free to invent your own.

Human Access

Perhaps the most important requirement for a chicken coop is that it's easy to clean. If cleaning is difficult, it increases the likelihood that cleaning will fall by the wayside. To prevent detritus from accumulating, we recommend smooth surfaces and a minimum of cracks in the floor of the coop. There should be at least one opening for humans to access the coop easily to scoop or sweep out soiled bedding.

In addition to a human access door, most of our coops have an additional door just for the chickens, commonly called a "pop hole." An added design feature would be an automated pop hole connected to a timer, which would allow for the chickens to be let out in the morning and locked in at night. We have seen some clever DIY designs for these.

Climate Control and insulation

While most of the coops in this book were designed with the mild weather of northern California in mind, the Standard Coop and A-Frame Coop were built with stud walls spaced to accept standard house insulation. The other coops can be adapted to suit either warmer or colder climates. However, some coops are better candidates for weatherizing than others. These are the Corner Coop, Coopsicle, and Container Coop, and we have included tips for modifying them.

To keep your coop temperate (particularly from getting too hot) in more extreme climates, apply insulation to the roof and walls. One simple modification is to add rigid foam insulation board between the framing members, on the inside of the coop; just be sure to cover the insulation with some sort of interior siding to keep the chickens from pecking at it. Rigid foam insulation comes in a variety of thicknesses. Typically you want to match it to the thickness of your wall framing (for example, 1½"-thick insulation for 2×2 wall studs). Using aluminum or a light-colored roofing material can help reflect heat, as can painting the roof white and having plenty of shade from trees around the coop.

In very cold weather, you'll want insulation as well as an air and moisture barrier (such as housewrap) lining the walls. In a well-designed and -built structure, even in the dead of winter the chickens can remain at a comfortable temperature as long as they are not wet or subjected to an overly drafty environment. If your coop has a lot of mesh-covered openings, you may want to cover them for the winter, but be sure to leave enough open for adequate ventilation.

Coop-Building Basics

One of our goals for this book was to keep things simple, using ordinary shop tools and building with similar materials and repeatable processes as much as possible. So while all of the coops are custom, one-off designs, each with a distinct look and function, many of the materials and techniques used are the same.

This chapter is intended as a reference covering the primary supplies and standard building techniques used throughout the book. Many of the projects will refer you back to this chapter for detailed discussions on specific processes, such as installing roofing, doors, or mesh.

Your Tool Kit

Listed on this and the following page are the basic hand and power tools you should own or have access to for building most of the coops. If there's something in the list that you don't have, read through the project you'd like to build to see if the tool is needed. For example, not every project calls for a rubber mallet or a jigsaw.

The list of optional tools includes several woodworking standards — power tools that are ideal for certain operations or that might allow you to add some custom detailing on an otherwise simple feature. In some cases, it might be worth it to borrow or rent one of these or visit a friend who has one in their shop.

If you're hoping that building one of these coops will serve as a gateway to future carpentry and woodworking projects, we strongly recommend investing in high-quality tools. The adage "you get what you pay for" certainly applies to hand and power tools, and having quality tools can save headaches and wasted time throughout the building process.

Power Tool Safety

We were always taught that one should have a healthy fear when using power tools. They are scary instruments, capable of serious harm. Accidents often happen when you are tired, working too quickly, or operating well above your skill level. It's also important to have the right approach with power tools: let the saws do the work, operate them carefully, and don't force them into your material. Always get saws going at full speed before starting a cut. As with kitchen knives, sharp tool blades and bits are safer than dull ones.

When done safely and properly, operating power tools can be an empowering skill set that one has for life. Of course, ear and eye protection are essential at all times, as is a dust mask when there are fine particles flying around. Wear a proper cartridge respirator when working with spray equipment and products with harmful vapors.

(Continues…)



Excerpted from "Reinventing the Chicken Coop"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Table of Contents

Preface

 

The Basics

Chicken Coop Essentials

Coop-Building Basics

 

Coop Projects

Two Simple Classics: The Standard and the A-Frame

Stoop Coop

Modern Mobile Coop-Tractor

Icebox

Modern Log Cabin

Chick-in-a-Box

SYM

Corner Coop

Kippen House Garden Roof Chicken Coop

Pallet Coop

Coopsicle

Cupe

Container Coop

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