Building a Coop

[peter.webber]

Hi, I would like to build a Chicken coop and I have downloaded some excellent plans from http://www.buildingachickencoop.com/

I have read conflicting articles on whether to use treated or untreated timber. Treated timber would be more durable but I do not want to poison the Chickens. Can anyone please give me some advice on the best timber to use?

[bunya boy]

PW,
Use untreated MGP10 dressed pine and seal it with (used or unused) Vegetable oil.
My chook house was built from scraps of pine, leftover iron and reused pine decking. All coated with used (filtered) sump oil from our local mechanic.

Inside was lined (up to 1200) with unpainted Fibre cement sheeting to make it easy clean and keep the vermin out. It is snake proof with flap seal to door and a pull out feeder tray under the wired window. It has elevated egg boxes which are easy to reach from the outside (with Brass knobs on the access panels!!) We had no problems with the old treated pine decking, chhoks were quite happy until the Fox got them.
We call the house the Chook "Hilton" and seeing we only have one old girl left, she is now called "Paris".

Good luck with your build and make sure that Carpet snakes and Foxes can't get access to the girls.

Cheers IanK

[GaryD]

Hi,

Flash-looking chook-house there Ian. In fact, I've had to live in worse (albeit somewhat larger) quarters myself in my younger years.

Peter.....using recycled timber is good if you can get it, but treated pine if OK, too. Chickens don't lick wood and so won't be at much risk from the chemicals used to preserve it.

The other possibility is a chicken tractor. They are usually much less fuss to fabricate and they offer lots of advantages over the conventional chook-house.

Gary

[Dufflight]

Thats a flash looking coop Ian. Do the chickens put out the trash cans for pick up.

Out this way heat is a major problem. In summer it can kill your chickens. Wood will cut out a lot of heat, the thicker the better.

[bunya boy]

Duff:

Thats a flash looking coop Ian. Do the chickens put out the trash cans for pick up.

Gary:

Flash-looking chook-house there Ian.

Flash?
"She be Flash as a rat with a Gold tooth" as some of my non-reflective mates used to say in Dubbo!

The Muscovies used to live under the Chook house until the Dingoes got them! so it's multi-storey as well!

Will be building a purpose-made Duck house as one of the future projects on the block, to house more Muscovies, but this time they will be protected from being harvested by anything other than me!
Will post design Drawings when I can find them.

Cheers IanK

[DaveOponic]

I agree with Gary on this one. A chook tractor can be moved around the yard to refresh and fertilise as well as clear areas you might want to prepare for a garden etc.

I am just in the process of building a 3 metre high geodesic dome for a pool shade and came across a lot of plans for domes as well as a few chook tractor domes.

You can google and find the dome calculator that gives you lengths for the spans. I have used half inch poly pipe as a scaffold and then bamboo cble tied to the pipe. You can use galvanised EMT steel conduit, but it is very expensive here. Besides, I have lots of bamboo and the polypipe is cheap.

I will build a small geodesic later as a moveable rabbit hutch so we can let bunny mow and fertilise the lawn for us.

DaveOdesic

Hi,

Flash-looking chook-house there Ian. In fact, I've had to live in worse (albeit somewhat larger) quarters myself in my younger years.

Peter.....using recycled timber is good if you can get it, but treated pine if OK, too. Chickens don't lick wood and so won't be at much risk from the chemicals used to preserve it.

The other possibility is a chicken tractor. They are usually much less fuss to fabricate and they offer lots of advantages over the conventional chook-house.

Gary

[hellbent]

so after looking around a bit and not finding anything, i went about building my own coop. not bad i dont think for someone who doesnt work with wood much.

[GaryD]

Mate, I've known architects who couldn't have put something like that together. Any chicken should be proud to call that tractor home.

If I might offer a suggestion......think about putting a piece of aluminium angle or similar along the uppermost edge of the roof door. It will stop rain from running down the underside of the lid and into your chicken palace.

Great job!

Gary

[peter.webber]

Thanks for the advice guys, its been very helpful.