Coop De Villa!

Brent Dowell

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Reno NV
I swear I don't know what gets into me sometimes. So, I want to get some chickens, but need a coop, and I need a run for them.

Well, I've scraped up a patch of desert for the run and have sunk some fence posts in there for them. And I've been working on the coop for the last couple of weekends.

I think I'm going a little overboard on it. I've framed the walls out of 2x2's and have lined the insides with 1/2" particle board, with 1.5" polystyrene insulation.

So far, I've got the base built, nesting box built and the walls assembled. Next up is to assemble the walls on the base and build a roof to put on it.

Then I'll be making all the doors and windows.

Here's what the kit for the walls look like so far.

All I can say is it's a good thing I've got a skid steer with fork lifts to move this thing. It's going to be heavy.

chicken coopkot.jpg
 
Yeah, I've seen the owl and the hawk munch on quail just outside my office window. No free rangers here. But they will have enough room to roam and have fun, it'll just be covered and well fenced in on all sides. More pictures to come.
 
Snakes are a problem here. Don't know if your desert dwelling snakes like eggs, but ours sure do. Never stick your hand in a box without looking first.:eek::eek::eek:
 
If you are raising them for eggs, include entry to the back of the nest box from the outside so you aren't tracking their poo back to the house.
That is a great idea. I hadn't even thought of that, but it would be much easier now to position it with the nest box outside the fence.

Snakes are a problem here. Don't know if your desert dwelling snakes like eggs, but ours sure do. Never stick your hand in a box without looking first.:eek::eek::eek:
Believe me, I've thought about that as well. Hopefully my fencing solution will keep them out. Using some 1/4" and 1/2" hardware cloth for fencing to keep the rodents out as well.


Around here eggs are only about 10 cents each. Am I missing something? :)
Nope. Not missing anything at all! Not really doing it for the eggs as much as the experience. Certainly not a financial decision.

charlie, home grown eggs are better than store bought for eating..:) and they have color to:)
That will be an added bonus!
 
That's a very nice looking chicken tractor.

Well, I'm doing more of a fixed run/coop type thing. I figure I can collect the 'fertilizer' and use it in the garden.

I gave up on having a yard a few years ago. Just not worth pumping the water to have green grass in the middle of the drought.
 
I got to thinking about the financial side some more, and clearly my greenhouse and garden doesn't make sense financially. Well, at least not from the effort and materials I've put into building them. But considering that a sunk cost, it does give me quite a bit of enjoyment to putter around with that kind of stuff.
 
If we had to justify our hobbies, none of us would have one. I don't keep chickens but would like to, so I helped a little with getting local government to incorporate chicken keeping into the ordinance. Here's a link to our local chicken keeping organization. Peninsula Chicken Keepers (PECK) where there is some good information and links.
http://peninsulachickenkeepers.weebly.com/
 
If the nesting box lids are sloped, hinge the lids so you can clearly see into the nesting box in the event of a snake or unwanted critter. I hate sticking my hand into a dark nesting box.
 
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