Weekend Homestead

Steps along the journey.

Chicken Coop 2.0

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This is the second chicken coop we have used to keep chickens. This coop features several improvements.

  1. Outside Access To Nest Boxes
  2. Automatic Chicken Waterer
  3. Automatic Pop Hole Door
  4. Floor
  5. Light Weight Top Entry
  6. Easy Access Clean Out Door

In the past, we kept a small flock of bantams. The coop was basically a plywood box that rested on the ground. It was made from scrap 3/4 inch pressure treated plywood. After using this coop, I decided that it left a lot to be desired.

I did a lot of searching for different chicken coop plans and designs. I liked this coop from backyardchickens.com including the run they built in the shade. I finally settled on the ten hen house from the book Poultry House Construction.

Note: you can click any image in this post to see a larger version.

1. Outside Access To Nest Boxes

An outside view of the nest box.
The ten hen house has outside access to the nest box.

This will allow collection of the eggs without stooping over. Making this task easy is important because it must be performed at least once a day.

Read about the design considerations and construction details of this external nest box.

2. Automatic Chicken Waterer

Inside view of the ten hen house chicken coop.
Inside view showing the automatic chicken waterer and the nest box.

We have hung an automatic chicken waterer in our coop. I purchased the do it yourself kit from the folks at avian aqua miser. I installed three nipples in a reused food grade plastic bucket.

3. Automatic Pop Hole Door

A view of the chicken door.
The chicken door.

Unfortunately, I have not yet installed the automatic door motor. I plan to install an electric motor that will raise and lower the chicken door using a timer. Update: I completed the automatic chicken door conversion in two phases. Click here to read phase one. Click here to read phase two.

4. Floor

Side view of the chicken coop.
Side view of the chicken coop.

The benefit of the floor is that it prevents unwelcome animals from entering the coop. This keeps predators that would eat the chickens and vermin that would eat the chicken feed out of the coop.

5. Light Weight Top Entry

View of the top door of the chicken coop.
The top access to the chicken coop.

The top access allows us to feed the chickens easily. It is light weight and easy to open because it is made of half inch plywood. Click here to see details of the rubber membrane used to water proof the seem between the roof panels.

6. Easy Access Clean Out Door

View of the clean out door.
The clean out door.

The side door allows the litter to be easily removed. This door also provides access to the automatic chicken waterer.

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Comments

  1. Great pages to read! I like your designs for the perches; my daughter and I spent some time collecting branches from the creek nearby for ours but ended up using an old ladder which we cut, and we also have a board similar to your 2×2, so I was surprised to see you had all the same ideas. Even more to my delight was reading your idea for the auto timed door! For the last three years since building my coop I have wished I could incorporate that into my chook house. Maybe one day…

    • Rosemary,

      Thanks for the feedback. If you are thinking of the automatic door, go for it! It is quite literally life changing. No more going out in the morning to open up the coop.

      The external nest box and automatic waterer are also great convenience features. I have tried it both ways. Being able to collect eggs without opening the coop and only filling the water once a week while the chickens have clean water is definetely better.

      -RDG

  2. Thanks for all the great information. The tips on the outside nesting box are particularly helpful. I was wondering what the overall dimensions of your coop are, since I am hoping to build my own, also for around 10 chickens. Have you found it to be an adequate size for that number of birds?

    • Ivan,

      The coop is 4 foot by 4 foot on the bottom. It is also 4 feet tall at the peak of the roof. These dimensions are modified from the design in Poultry House Construction. I modified the dimensions because the coop is made with 4×8 sheets of half inch plywood and this way there is less waste. The coop as designed in the book is slightly bigger.

      The coop provides enough space for ten chickens. I don’t think there is enough space for more than ten though.

      You might also be interested in all the posts about chicken coop construcion.