This post is going to let you tour our three dominant chicken coops. Our first chicken coop has been decommissioned, but I’m still going to share all about it, so you can get a good look at what you get out of a store-bought coop. Now, let’s get on with these chicken coop tours!
As a result of us getting chickens unexpectedly, we had to build a makeshift coop (here’s a video of it). We actually had a raccoon in the chicken coop one night! Probably, because it wasn’t very predator proof! Consequently, it was only a temporary deal. We knew it would probably not hold up very long.
The Rhode Island Chicken Coop
We put our chicken coop together (see it on Amazon) on Saturday. It was pretty simple to do. There are a lot of parts but, the directions were fairly easy to follow. The chickens seem to love their new coop so far. They are free range birds for the most part, but they will be imprisoned, if you will, within the confines of the coop and run for at least a week. This will teach them that they have a new place to sleep. They will no longer be sleeping in the makeshift coop! We will be tearing that mess down immediately! YAY!
First, you start by building the coop. This is pretty easy because there are dowels that help line up these parts.
Now, can you see my husband down there? He is screwing in the bottom pieces.
The next step is placing the ladder and the chicken door opener. See the metal bar on the door? It allows me to open the coop door without having to walk into the chicken run, which we will attach in later pictures.
In this step, we added the poop deck (slide-in tray) and the roosting bars. What are those huge holes in the sides? See the next picture…
Those holes are where the nesting boxes go. There are 6 individual nesting areas for the 10-15 birds you may keep inside! This picture shows one of the nesting boxes with 3 individual nesting areas. On the other side is another one!
The nesting boxes are attached at this stage.
And… the roof goes on!
The lids for the nesting boxes are installed.
The supervisor approves of the work so far…
Here we are getting the chicken run together.
A closer picture of the chicken run. We are about to attach it to the chicken coop.
The chickens are over there pecking on the wood. They are so nosey!
It is just about done! Finally…
Update:
After having this coop for several years now, I’ve come to the conclusion that we obviously should have painted it. We were in such a need for a better coop, we didn’t get around to painting it. It is falling apart now. Literally! The wood started rotting after it rained every day for a couple of weeks. Mold started taking over the inside. This wood is very thin, not super sturdy as is most coops you buy. We have built a new coop, and are working on a second coop. I plan to write a new post for both of those soon to share with all of you. We expect the lifespan of the homemade coops to wayyy outlast this one!
It looks pretty good, right? This photo tour is done now. I also hope that you will enjoy my video tour of the chicken coop because it is my best one yet! Here is the video…
I made a video tour of the chicken coop I’m getting better at making these videos! This is the best video I think I have made so far! Let me know what you think of my new coop in the comments!
A week or maybe more have gone by since getting the chicken coop. We acclimated the chickens to their new home because if you don’t do this, they’ll go back to their old coop. So, when I let them out I thought they would probably run for freedom. Rather, the opposite happened. One of them ran out and then ran back in. It seems like, they were skittish all over again. Unsure of their environment. They probably just needed a little while to come around to the idea of being free!
Now, it seems like they are very happy in their new home. Since they have had time to get used to their new home and free ranging again, they are happier than ever! I am most of all happy with the fact that the chicken coop came together just before the cold weather appeared. The makeshift coop was made out of fencing with large holes, as a result, it probably would have been very drafty. Therefore, it wouldn’t have kept them very warm during these cold nights we are having.
Horse Trailer Chicken Coop | Second Chicken Coop Tour
We drug this old horse trailer out of the woods. It was full of stuff, leaves, lizards, spiders, etc… It was in pretty poor shape. We had to rip the wall off since they were rotted.
Some of the floors had to be replaced because it was rotten. Most of the metal was rusted. We sanded, primed painted, built walls, doors, and even roosts!
It was a super fun build. Check out the entire post if you want to see the full chicken coop tour of the horse trailer chicken coop.
Truck Topper Chicken Coop | Third Chicken Coop Tour
We pulled this truck topper out of the woods. We cleaned it up, painted it and then my husband built a frame for it to sit on. The side panels are actually made of red roofing panels. Check out more of this chicken coop tour on the truck topper chicken coop page.
I’d love To Know what you think!… Leave me a comment!
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Omg cutest chicken coop ever!!!!!! Loving that it looks just like a real house.
I know I love how it looks too! Super cute right? Thank you CourtneyLynn!
I love this! Our chicken coop still needs siding on it, but it works for now! I love the color, and that it is off the ground so much.
Thank you Heather! I hope you get your coop finished soon! I like the color too. Although, I am thinking of painting it red and white to match the house. I thought that would be cute! I like that it is far off the ground and I think the girls like that too.
You coop looks beautiful against your forest backdrop… Love this…
Awe, thanks Karen!
Your supervisor looks very content with all the hard work you guys did. I think it would be so much fun to have a chicken coop and to have fresh farm eggs. Yours coop turned out very well.
Thank you Blythe!
My siblings and I used to have chickens when we’re kids. Each of us had our own chicken and give them names LOL. Your tour brings back the memory. I watched the video, and I must say your new chicken coop is handy, and practical.
I had no idea how fun chickens would be. My boys just love them. So glad I could help you remember good times! We love our new coop!
I have always wanted chickens so this is awesome! And I sure wish my supervisor was that handsome, lol.
Thank you! Our supervisor is a woman, but I agree she is good looking!
My sweet sunday school girls own them and they always bring me fresh eggs! They are always so pretty! Love the chicken coop tour! 🙂
Awe, that is so sweet! So glad you like the tour!
Wow what a great chicken coop. Very well designed and looks great in these pictures. My mum is looking at getting chickens, she loves the idea!
Thank you so much. Before we got chickens, I had no idea how fun they would be! They are so dang entertaining! It is unreal!
Your chicken coop is awesome! I used to have chickens and I would love to have them again one day. Nothing beats fresh eggs from the coop!
They are a lot of fun! You are right about the eggs! We just love having chickens!
This looks great! I bet the chickens love it, it gives them space to move about fairly freely too!
Thank you! They really do love it!
That’s awesome! It’s nice to have a very well built and nice looking chicken coop! I think you did a great job.
Thank you Amanda! I am very proud!
That is the Cadillac of chicken coups! My grandparents raised chickens over 30 years ago and did not have anything this fancy. Awesome job building it!
Yes it is! I feel like my chickens have a mansion! Thank you so much, Roxanne!
Wow, that looks like a lovely and fun home for your chickens! I’m glad your supervisor approved. 🙂
Haha, thank you Tanya! It sure is, the chickens really love their new coop!
Such a great project! It looks amazing and it seems not only the chickens likes it, also the dog 🙂
They all love it. The dog caught a squirrel trying to steal food, and she wasn’t having that! Thank you for stopping by.
This is so cute. It looks like they love their new home. I love the video!
Thank you. They really love it, and so do I! The kids even like it. They go out and let the girls out in the morning,and help put them up at night!
Oh I want one of these so bad, I just have to get me city to be okay with people having chickens in their yards!
I wish people everywhere could have chickens! There shouldn’t be a law against it. They are lovely and entertaining as heck! Thank you for stopping by!
I love the look of your new chicken coop. Pretty fancy! I watched the video. It was fun seeing how the coop actually works!
Awe, thank you. That means so much. We are loving it too. I really enjoyed making the video and I think it came out pretty good even though I was filming with one hand and opening the hatches and doors with the other!
This chicken coop is fantastic! We don’t have chickens any longer, but we did have 8 of them for a few years. We set up a place for them in our extra garage. I loved having them. I am sure your chickens will be happy in this home.
Oh wow! We had them in a makeshift coop under the carport. We didn’t have a garage or I would have used that! I sure my husband would have loved that! Hahaha! They are super happy with their new home and so am I! Thank you for stopping by and sharing!
Um…how cool is this? I would LOVE a chicken coop and a bunch of chickens of my own! Too bad it might be tricky to do with a Cleveland winter. Your coop looks so chic! haha… I am impressed!
It can be done in cold weather. Believe it or not. I have a friend in Alaska who has chickens! Check her chicken coop at http://idlewildalaska.com/touring-chicken-coop/.
This is so cute and what a lovely new home for them! They look like they are enjoying it. The coop is awesome and looks pretty easy to put together too!
Thank you so much Charlotte! They are, they really enjoy it!