Hey Hyper, Thank you very much. I appreciate your kind words!!!! We just started getting a few eggs about a week ago. Very exciting!! Thank you for watching. Paul
Very nice 👍 We are getting ready to build our first chicken coop, been looking at lots of designs and I believe we are going to make one like yours. By the way, we love your hat 👍👍👍
Thank you!!! It was a great project. A lot more work than I had originally anticipated. Good luck with the build. Here is a compilation video of the build. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Paul, I built one very similar to yours, after looking at a lot of them on RU-vid. This was in 2014. I call mine the "Chick Inn", and my wife made a sign for it. windows on both sides, 4 laying boxes in the same place, the ramp and door that comes down. I put bars across where they can roost at night in the shed part. Mine has the area under the roosting/laying area like yours. I have a solid door on the end that opens up for cleaning, instead of like yours. You have a very good coop. Well done sir...I am in the Texas Hill Country. Where are you located?
Hello Rock I am in central Pennsylvania. It sounds like we both had the same approach……watch RU-vid and decide what you like and dislike about a lot of designs. Here is a compilation video of the build. Thanks for reaching out. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello Bina, When I started the project I had no idea how involved it was going to be. It was a big job. Here is a compilation video of the build. Thank you for watching. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Great looking coop. I'm in the middle of my coop build right now and will be implementing the air flow door on the clean out main door area. It's such a game changer when there's high temps. By the way, is that a bernese mountain dog? We have a couple and are training them to be around the chicks.
Thank you. I’m very pleased with how the coop turned out. The only adjustment to the coop I would make is to raise the nesting boxes. Our chickens just started laying eggs and we found a few of the eggs with broken shells from being pecked. We found that the chickens being “ground level” with the nesting boxes allowed them to stick their heads in the box and peck the eggs. We fixed this problem by attaching a piece of paneling across the bottom entrance of the nesting boxes essentially raising the entrance to the boxes by 4 inches. So the chickens have to go up and over the paneling to get into the nesting box. This has solved the problem of the chickens pecking the eggs and they seem to like the additional privacy in the nesting box. Our dog is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. A relative of the Bernese. Good luck with your build!!!!!!!
@@Paul_Mundy Yeah another great idea with the 4" wall for the nesting box. I seen that on another video and already put that into my coop. I'll be keeping an eye on your future vids. We don't see many greater swiss mountain dogs where I'm at, well even bernese mountain dogs are fairly hard to come by too. It's a weird thing that happens with me since I don't see many berners, I automatically stop and go say hi to anyone I see with a berner. Cheers Paul
Hello, We currently have 20 chickens. We got our chicks September 1, 2022 and a few chickens just started laying about 2 weeks ago. We are currently getting 3 - 4 eggs a day. This should ramp up to 10 - 15 a day over the next month or two. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Hello Holly, The coop is 8 x 6. The run is 8 x 16 I have 17 chickens. The chickens free range every day except when I go away. I’ve left them for 4 days and they have been fine. If I was going to keep them in the run all the time I would probably only have 6 chickens. I hope that helps.
Awesome build Paul! Just got done building my first, not the best, but does the job. It would be a shame for your coop to be that nice and only use a sliding string door and not a automated door with the fancy sunlight recognition and automated timer.
Hello, We had planned on getting an automated door from the beginning but quickly realized we really don’t need a door at all. The entire run is predator proof, so nothing can get into the coop through that door. We leave the door open all the time and the chickens can go in and out as they please. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I enjoy everyone’s input!!!
Love this!!! Do you have plans and how many chickens does this hold? Can you tell me how much your materials cost? My contractor comes tomorrow to talk about plans!
Thank you for the nice comments. I do not have plans. I wish I did. I was figuring this out as I went. Materials cost north of $5,000 We have 20 chickens and they seem to be doing great. Here is a compilation video of the build. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello Nancy, A couple of things here and there…. I would have liked to raise the roosting boxes a little. I really didn’t have the room to spare unless I made the windows smaller. The problem we had early on was one chicken pecking at the eggs. We think it was because the nesting boxes were so close to the floor of the coop and the chickens, being curious and pecking everything, could just stick their heads in the box and peck away. We solved this by placing a 4 to 5 inch strip of paneling across the bottom of the nesting box opening. Now the birds have to go up and over to get into the boxes. We haven’t had any egg issues since. I also put up a small wind barrier for the winter along one side of the run. (Link below). My coop sits on top of a hill very exposed to the wind. We have 18 birds, 16 hens and 2 roosters. They are doing great but I wouldn’t put any more birds in that space. Coop is 6x8 run is 16x8 (+ 6x8 under the coop) Hope this helps. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hd63VjdLOkk.html
Wow ! It's clearly one of the best if not the best design ! The only thing I would add would be two puncture proof tires so that I could move it to new pasture giving the chickens new forage and reduce my cleaning of the run . Otherwise it's near perfect !!! Nice 👍🙏🔥
Hey Eduardo, Thank for the comment. The 8 main 4x4 are set 40 inches in concrete 🤣 I plan on building a mobile coop this spring for meat chickens. We currently allow the egg birds out of the coop to free range a couple of hours each day. Again, thanks for the comments!!! I love getting feedback and suggestions.
Hey Paul. Very nice looking coop. I am designing one similar you yours this winter. What are the rough dimensions of your coop and run area? Anything you would do differently?
The outside dimensions of the coop are 8 x 6 the run is 8 x 16 (again outside dimensions) I used those dimensions so it would work well with 4x8 sheets of smartside siding and 8’ lumber. With the run being 8’ wide I could use 8’ 2x3 for the base of my trusses. I used eight 4x4 pressure treated lumber buried 40+ inches to make sure everything is anchored down securely. As far as doing anything different….. I wish I hinged the two back ventilation doors on the top of the clean out door. As things are now is those doors are open when it starts raining we have to be there to close the door. If they were hinged on top they would create their own awning and keep the rain out. Everything else I am thrilled with. I am not a builder so this was a great learning experience for me but I could not be happier with the way it turned out. I also added removable panels for the underside of the coop (3 sides) for wind protection during the winter. Good luck with your project!!!!
Hello Minda, Everything is in my head. I watched a lot of videos and decided what I liked in other designs and figured it all out as I went. Not the most efficient way of building but it worked for me. It was a very slow build with many sleepless nights because I couldn’t figure out how I was going to do certain steps and the order of those steps. I am not a builder by trade so things took me a while to figure out. I was thinking during the build that I should be writing things down but that would have slowed me down more. lol Here is a compilation video of the build. Thank you for watching. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hey Diane. Here is a compilation video of the build. Thank you for watching and commenting!!!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
nice coop. my question is how much does it cost, how long does it take to build and how many chickens can you raise in this space? thanks for sharing your accomplishments...
Hey CPX, Coop took me most of the summer working on it when I wasn’t working at my full time job. I started in May and we got chicks Labor Day. I am not a builder and I did not have ANY PLANS so things took me a bit longer to figure out as I went along. I also built the entire coop single handed with the exception of my wife handing me the roof panels when I was on the roof. The coop cost north of $5,000. We currently have 20 chickens in coop and they seem to be doing fine. Here is a compilation of the build. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
If I may ask, where did you get the poly sheets? I've been looking, but I can't find them. I like the idea of the panels for winter protection. What part of the country are you in....I'm in NNY and our winters can be very cold and lots of snow. We are planning when we build our coop and run to cover the run part way with heavy plastic to keep the snow out and the wind . I know we will need to keep ventalation at the top. This is awesome.
I got them at Home Depot. Veranda PVC Sheets 4 x 8 x 1/4 $63.98 when I bought them August 2022 I live in north central Pennsylvania. Clearfield, PA ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hd63VjdLOkk.html
Thank you very much. It was a lot more work than I had anticipated but I am very pleased with the results. Here is a compilation video of the build. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello Ewa, It was quiet a project. Every trip to the store seemed to empty my wallet 😂. The build cost north of 5K but it was worth it in the end. Thank you for watching.
Will you add roosting bars in the laying area? It would be beneficial during bad weather. Also adding feed and water systems accessible outside the pen would be advisable. Otherwise, nice build
Hello Robert. I did add roosting bars to the coop and wind protection to the run. As of today I have not completed the rainwater collection. That will be my spring project. Here is a build compilation video showing the coop with chickens. I will definitely post an update this spring and discuss “needed additions” Thank you for watching and any additional comments would be appreciated! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello Judi, The only thing I added so far was some wind barriers. We live on top of a hill with a lot of open space. With the winter weather I added some temporary “shelter”. I will improve on this over the summer. Here is a link showing the wind barrier. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hd63VjdLOkk.html
Hardware cloth was from critter fence. 1/2 x 1/2 www.critterfence.com/ The poly board was from Home Depot. 1/4 x 4 x 8 PVC Sheet Veranda HP $63.98 when I bought it August 2022
Hey BionicWings, Thank you for the nice comments. The poly sheets were from Home Depot, $64.00 for 4 x 8 sheet. Here is a link to a build compilation video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Thank you MX🤣 When I was finished the build I couldn’t help but think….. now the chickens are going to trash all my hard work. Lol Thx for your comments!!
They roost in the coop. I built roosting bars but they only use them as a ladder to get up into the rafters. I show this in this video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hd63VjdLOkk.html Thank you for watching and commenting!!!
Coop post are 6 feet apart set in concrete (coop is 6x8) Run post set in concrete are 8 feet apart with another post at 4 feet (not set in concrete) to anchor the hardware cloth to. Hope that is clear and answers your question. You may be able to see what I’m talking about here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Looks great! We just bought 8 acres and chickens will be the first animals we start with. If it is not to rude would you mind telling me what your approximate cost of materials were to build one this size?
Hey Mac, I would say north of $5,000. It seemed like every trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot was another thousand. 🙄 I know the roof alone was $1,100. Materials add up quick. Hardware cloth was about $500 from Critterfence.com, screws were a couple hundred. Good luck and thank you for watching!!!
Exactly my thoughts with the drop down door. The door rests on the lip of the wheelbarrow and we just slide the old bedding into the wheelbarrow. Great minds think alike!!!! Thanks for watching and thank you for the comment!!! The more feedback people give and the more we share our ideas the better we all become. Hopefully people see my video and improve on my design to come up with something better!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
We have 20 chickens. They are fine in this coop but we will probably go down to 15 this spring. Everything I read said to order more birds than you want because you will lose some. We’ll see how the do through the winter. We do let them out a few hours each day. We also just started getting eggs this past week.
Hello MN chicken whisperer, This was a great summer project but so much more work than I had anticipated. My daughter kept commenting during the build, “when you’re finished you can build one for me” 🤣 I don’t think that’s happening 😂 Good luck and thanks for commenting. Here is a build compilation: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
How much of it was treated wood? Obviously the posts but what about the rafters and the hen house? Like you I'm looking at different designs seeing what I like but also what I think I can actually do.
Hey Stephen, I used treated wood for everything except the trusses. I may have a piece or two untreated in the coop I might have used between lumber runs to the store but for the most part it is all treated. Surprisingly when I was building the treated was the same or CHEAPER than untreated. I couldn’t figure that one out. Good luck with your build.
Hey Betsy, Thank you. I’m very happy with the coop. Here is a compilation of the build. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello Sammedi, I agree, my chickens are living the good life. I kept joking while I was building that I was building the "Chicken Taj Mahal"🤣 Thank you for watching and commenting.
Splendid construction,the hens will definitely Love it, but in India we have a problem that at night snakes visit the coop and may bite the chicken,so we arrange sticks for the chicken to perch upon them and this will save them from the snakes.
Hello Abdul, hopefully I won’t have problems with snakes. We definitely have snakes in the area and I took painstaking precautions to close every gap I could find to 1/2 inch or less. If a snake happens to find a way into the coop it will be a small one. 🤞🏻 Thank you for watching and I truly appreciate the comments!!!
Hey Lotus, Looks like a Carolina Koop …..ONLY BETTER!!!!🤣😂👍🏻 I’m thrilled with the coop. It was a HUGE project for a solo build. Here is a compilation video of the build. Thank you for watching and commenting!!!!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
It was very expensive. I used this more as a learning experience to advance my limited building skills. I used all pressure treated lumber with the exception of the rafters. Total I’m sure was over 5k. It adds up fast. The roof was $1,100+. The hardware cloth was close to 1k. I spent a couple hundred on screws, nails and lag bolts. Lumber during the pandemic was crazy expensive as well. I did not skimp on anything…. That’s not my style 😎🤣
The coop was 99% done when I shot the video. I still had a little more to do. Here are a few more videos that show the roosting bars. Thanks for watching!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hd63VjdLOkk.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IX-2XaWy6qY.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Thank you!!!! Sorry about the language barrier. Here is a link to the build compilation. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
@Paul Mundy you did a fabulous job. I have just been a Carolina Coop fan for years. I try to talk my husband into making me one that style but alas. He said building a house shop and barn are more important lol.
nice build. Better tack 3 ft of hardware cloth all along the perimeter on the ground and bury it to keep predators from digging their way in. A fox got into my neighbors by burrowing under the run. Took out the whole flock
Hello Donnybrook, I did bury the hardware cloth around the entire perimeter. That was a tough job. I watched Carolina coops and they just lay the cloth on the surface. They say in time the grass will grow up through it and hold it down…… I envisioned a catastrophe mowing around the coop so I buried mine. I am confident nothing is getting in there. Here is a link to the compilation video of the build. You can see the hardware cloth in some of the pics. Thank you for watching and commenting. I love getting the feedback. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hello James, My coop is 6 x 8 and my run is 22 x 8 My chickens have access to the coop and run all day. I have 20 chickens and they seem to be doing fine. I would not want any more than that in that space. I planned on having 15 chickens. I ordered 20 chicks because everything I read said to order more birds than you want because you always lose some. I received 22 birds in my order and lost 2. I’ve had my chicken since September 1 (4 1/2 months now) and they are doing great. We just got our first eggs this week, which was a surprise. We didn’t expect eggs until March because of the short days and cold weather. I hope this helps with your question. Hope you have a great day.
Hello Joy, I did build roosting bars after this video. Funny part is they use the roosting bars as steps to get up to the roof rafters. Here is a link that will show the roosting bars. Thank you for taking the time to watch my video and comment!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Roost bars in house? Do u have electricity? Don't forget about a latch/opener if u r in coop & need out. My luck would b to get locked in & Noone would know where I was
Hello Rebecca, No electricity yet. I am having electrical work done at the house this spring and I plan on having a line run out to the coop then. Here is a compilation video of the build, it shows the roosting bars. Thank you for your comments!!!😊 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
The coop cost me a little over $5,000 for materials. I did all the labor myself. Thank you for watching. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hey mega Paul, It was quite an expensive project. Probably much more than what is actually needed but I don’t believe in doing things halfway. I’m thinking this will be around much longer than I am and my grandchildren will be collecting eggs long after I’m gone. 😂 Thanks for watching and commenting.
Hello Matt, I looked at a lot of coops in stores, on farms, neighbors, RU-vid, the internet and many DIY books. I also looked at many shed building videos and DIY shed and deck building books. After gathering a lot of information from a lot of sources I had a good idea in my head of what I wanted to build. Armed with nothing more than that idea I started my project. I did not have any diagrams, sketches, instructions or set of plans. My wife kept telling me to write down what I was doing because I was keeping it all in my head. This lead to many sleepless nights lying in bed, trying to figure out how to do things. When you get right down to it there are certain things that work in a coop and certain things that don’t and you will see a lot of those things in most coops. Here is a compilation video of the build. Thank you for watching and commenting!!!😊 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
Hi Brian, The coop was 99% done when I shot the video. Roosting bars were added after this video. Here is a compilation of the build. The roosting bars are seen in this video. Thanks for watching and commenting. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rekokAO-lIQ.html
