Step-by-step building plans now available! Includes full materials list, cost to build, dimensions and more. Get it here: www.slowsteading.com/original-chicken-coop
I would suggest putting in a piece of linoleum to make cleaning out the coop easier and I would also put a piece of screen on that window so nobody could get in or out.
That's great advice, thanks so much for sharing. I'll be adding nesting boxes behind the window, so it will just be for grabbing the eggs. Linoleum sounds like a cool idea too.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but chicken's legs are built differently than other traditional birds, their knees do not lock into place and circular roosting bars can be uncomfortable to them and may cause bumble foot. I probably haven't explained this properly, but there are some videos out there that explain why a rounded roosting bar might be uncomfortable for a chicken and not a parakeet
@@Adam.304 thanks for watching! I added nest boxes to the window, they ended up getting their own video to themselves! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9Do7OVLUeB8.htmlsi=wOjGFP9qilIwXoVD
When I saw this video, it honestly reminded me of all the obstacles I come across when I have projects going on. 😁😁 it's awesome to see how he doesn't hide his issues while building something like most do. 😁 they make it seem so easy, but once you get hands-on, it sucks when you hit obstacles. Awesome video!!😊
Came for the diy chick coop ideas and subbing for cool relaxed vibe of the video. Currently working on my own homestead and couldn’t help but notice the colors you choose for your home. I’m going with something similar as well. Lots of similarities. Keep up the good work 👌🏽
Amazing, thanks so much for checking out the coop build. And thanks for the kind words! The black panels for the house are great for some passive solar heating in winter time. We're up in Canada so the summers aren't too hot (nor too long), but it's something to keep in mind. Good luck with your homestead as well
You might want to attach 18 inch width of horizontal hardware cloth along the outside on the ground to keep animals from digging under the edge of the coop.
@@Slowsteading Watching your birthday biking video right now. Nice! You're an awesome guy. Really inspired to copy your coop build. Thanks for sharing your methods.
This is absolutely the! best! chicken coop build I have ever seen so far! Excellent craftsmanship, high quality, and very spacious!!! Love this build!❤
I was gonna say something but also if you strip the bark the wood will last 10 times longer and will be less likely to rot. Same reason why they strip the bark off of log built cabins.
Excellent job dude. I have been watching chicken coop videos for years since I have chickens and you have my vote for best built and functional coop. Job well done.
I’m surprised you spent $500! It seemed like the only new materials were hardware cloth, closures, and some minimal lumber at the beginning. Makes me a little nervous for building my own coop down the line. Fantastic ideas here, love the use of recycled materials, and it looks beautiful and functional
Thanks for the kind words! Honestly the hardware cloth was the bulk of it, being over $200 for the full roll. It's amazing how quickly latches and hardware add up at $10 a piece as well. I can't even imagine the price tag with all new material, the roofing alone would be a hefty bill! If you have a good enough head start gathering material though, you can definitely keep the price down 👍
@@colinstace1758 Definitely, especially if you create a larger run outside or allow for plenty of free ranging. 30 chickens would poop the place up pretty quickly but you'd have a pretty awesome compost machine if you stayed on top of it all!
@@Slowsteading yes, I have 18 bantam breeds, silkies, green queen,polish white crested , buff Brahma, Easter egger, and a few others. I came up with this ramp because I also keep 4 dwarf Nigerian goats in my chicken run that are pretty destructive. They kept knocking off the pieces of wood off the ramp . Which would make it difficult for the silkies to use. Silkies can fly maybe a foot and a half but that’s it. One by one I kept finding the pieces of wood with nail facing up waiting a unsuspecting chicken to step on them . I even use glue with nails but they were no match for these little fat goats. With the new ramp now my chickens can go in the coop with no problem. 👍🏼
@@victorm7274 That sounds like a dream flock, lots of beautiful birds I'm sure! Very cool to hear you have goats sharing the run with the chickens. Do you find they coexist quite well?
With egg price skyrocketing at lightening speed, it's time to start to utilize our backyards, Thank you so much for the step by step video, I am planning to build mine on a trailer frame due to hurricane so I can move them in the shed when required.
I agree, you really don't need a lot of space to keep a few chickens, enough for a family. A trailer frame sounds like a great idea, I can't wait to see what you build!
Came for the DIY chicken coop. Now I'm watching all the videos and subscribing! love this way of life and glad to see the kids being a part of it! Keep up the good work man!
Cheers thanks for checking it out! Materials were a big deal for us :) The nest boxes got their own video! Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9Do7OVLUeB8.html
That size tree branch was perfect for a roosting perch, but you can also use a small round post from TS or another agriculture supply store. I used a skinny round post I paid seven bucks for. Their feet wrap perfectly around it and is very stable for them balance wise.
Yeah I was happy I found that branch laying around, it was destined for the burn pile anyhow but now I saved a trip to hardware store as well. Good to know you can get good posts for relatively inexpensive, thanks for sharing!
If you have trouble with animals digging under and eating chickens staple the hardware cloth to the bottom and run it out a couple feet. Digging it down is best as predators usually see a wall and dig right at the wall to get under. I love your run and coop ❤ safe chicken keeping my friend!
Thanks so much for checking it out! The chickens seem to like it too, everyone's happy with how it came out :) Looks like you have some fun stuff going on as well, can't wait to see what you've got building. You've got a new sub 😉
@@Slowsteading Starting with peach and apple trees, and growing amaranth, beans, peppers, millet, buckwheat, sorghum and sunflowers. I've tried many things here on the high plains of Colorado, but it's been challenging to figure out what grows well here. Grasshoppers thrive, so chickens are in the plan for spring. Cheers!
Thanks so much for watching! It's my understanding that that refers more to using cedar shavings as bedding than it does using cedar lumber for the structure itself. I've done some research online and can really only find anecdotal evidence to this fact as well, nothing scientific. But I'm happy to be proven wrong, after all chicken health should be a priority for us all 😁
Hey thanks for checking it out! A 2x8 laid flat? I'd be curious to learn more about your thoughts on that, that seems a bit too close to flat ground but maybe I'm missing something 😅
This is giving me the confidence for my coop and run build in the next couple months! Using an old shed right now but it's just awful lol. Amazing build! 👏 😊
Thanks so much for the kind words! You totally got it! Haha nothing wrong with a shed, I'm a big fan of using what you've got 😁 What breeds do you have right now?
@@Slowsteading 4 Isa browns, 3 australorps and a copper Maran, plus 8 meat hens in another area & quails. We had ducks too but we've downsized a lot recently 😅 the australorps are honestly so annoying and go broody every other day lol what about you guys? Yours look so cute, especially the little black and white ones!
@@_oksure That sounds like a cute flock, but the broodiness sounds challenging! We have a mixed flock, a few black copper maran, buff orpington, welsummer, easter/olive eggers, and barred rocks. The small barred rock is super cute (Tiny, she's my favorite), but definitely not ideal genetics as her eggs are tiny too. 😅
@@Slowsteading oh I want Easter eggers so much! I love the idea of all the different coloured eggs you can get! Do you get much predators in your area other than the raccoons?
@@_oksure Yes! The rainbow eggs were a big motivation for selecting all those breeds, and it's always a treat seeing the different colored eggs in the next boxes each day 😁 Raccoons are the most obvious predators here, but there are also a lot of mink in the area. Also a LOT of bald eagles, but my property seems to have enough tree cover for it to not be too big of an issue. I've only lost two chicks to predators so far, but all the full size hens seem smart enough to seek cover when needed 😅 Have you had issues with predators?
did you end up putting hardware cloth to cover the window? thats the only thing i would definitely do for this one. really love the whole thing. will definitely be drawing inspiration from it
@@Slowsteading no, I don’t have chickens, I am vegan. I live in the middle of the African Bush on anti poaching patrols, with no buildings, electricity or running water... a little difficult to keep chickens with all the major predators around such as lion, leopard, hyena, wild dogs, etc.
Amazing craftsmanship! That coop would cost several thousand dollars if purchased from a builder, especially if they used new materials. Then moving would be a nightmare....good job!!!!
Muy bueno el proyecto, lo vi desde el comienzo. Yo lo hubiese instalado más lejos de la casa familiar (por los olores). Otro tema a tener en cuenta, es mucho cuidado con la gripe aviar.
Muchas gracias! Greater distance from the house is a great suggestion, thanks for sharing! If I had a bigger property I would, but ultimately this is about as far as I can get 😅
I just subscribed to your channel, you are very talented and I will be building the same chicken coop in the next couple of weeks. Keep up the amazing work
Your roost bars are better than anything out there, I made mine from treated wood I had thrown around, im building my roost hangers out of metal, your coop looks very nice
Thanks, I'm happy with how they turned out. Using what you have laying around is always an awesome idea 👌 Can't wait to see your finished coop it sounds next level
@@Slowsteading Just search chicken bunker build 5 and it should pop up, it's not done yet, but it's going to be nice once it's stuccoed, it's going to have rain harvesting, solar and a pumping system that all runs on one solar panel.
@@MosaicHomestead Wow I just checked it out, that thing is awesome! Sounds like an amazing automated system. I've subbed now, can't wait to see the progress!
Hello ! Very Cool Your Chicken Coop! However, there are some details that can be improved such as: - The perches must be rustic (not smooth), but they must not have bark, as this favors the proliferation of ectoparasites; - These same perches, if possible, should be placed in a small extension to the chicken coop, Covered and Their Sides Protected from the Weather. This greatly facilitates the collection of feces, in addition to increasing the longevity of "soil beds". The perches should have a maximum diameter of 4 cm, 30 cm apart (And 30 cm from the ground to the first perch), 20 cm laterally (for each bird), Maximum height of 120 cm and maximum angle of 45º (To avoid bruises that can become serious problems on the feet of birds when they "land" if they jump from the highest perch). If possible, let them graze in paddocks with grass and green leaves, as they love it, make them happier and less stressed so, Without a doubt, they will produce more and better eggs. That’s It ! Good luck ! Ed São Paulo, SP Pindorama
Curious as to what predators you worry about if any. I have hawks and built 2 chicken tractors that allow me to free range in my urban back yard. Hawk proof and movable on a daily basis to keep them on fresh grass and saving feed costs.
Mink are a big problem here, as are raccoons. Aerial predators would be bald eagles and hawks, with ravens causing trouble and snatching eggs. Rats could be a problem too if there are chicks in the coop.
Deep litter has been awesome so far, I only need to clean it out once a season or longer. The branches I used for roosting bars are quite a large diameter so their feet do wrap around a bit, but not all the way around.
The coop's been great! Honestly not much I would have changed. I think an integrated rain water catchment system connected to a gutter and a waterer would be nice, but as it is it's working perfectly!
I love your coop. This looks better than the Carolina Coops! Question- With the open windows along the top around the henhouse, does heat escape and get cold in the winter?
Thanks so much! Thankfully it doesn't drop too much below freezing here, the winters are quite mild. As a result heat loss during the winter was not an issue.
Noce coop, but unless you have some kind of hookup I don’t know how that was only $500? Hardware cloth alone is $160 for 100’. Cedar is ridiculously high, like $3~ a linear foot. Still a nice coop though.
A lot of time was spent salvaging and reclaiming used and discarded materials. You're right, the hardware mesh was probably the single most expensive item, but we were able to use the whole roll across 3 different projects.
@@Slowsteading i believe it has to do with how they live/roost and care for their young.. they hide in brush in the wild whereas birds hide high in trees
Thanks so much! The chickens aren't quite laying, so I haven't built the nest boxes yet. My plan is for them to rest inside the long window so I can reach in from the outside to gather the eggs. Stay tuned for a future update!
@@Slowsteading you answered my own question in another comment. Thank you! I love the recycled material idea. So much more cost efficient. I've seen coops for thousands of dollars!
@@irgeeksauce4165 Thanks so much! Keeping costs down is super important to me. After all, how many eggs will you need to collect to pay off a multi thousand dollar coop? 😂
That's a very beautiful coop and run! I love all the ventilation under the eaves of the roof! Do you have hardware cloth bolted over it so predators can't get in? I can't see. Chickens prefer to roost standing on the wide flat side of a 2x4 so they can set down and let their feathers cover their feet to keep them warm, and because it's more comfortable than standing on a rounded surface. I think raccoons can open barrel latches. If there's daylight showing between the vertical boards on the sides of the coop, it's too drafty. But overall it looks fantastic!
Thanks so much for the great feedback! Yes there is the same 1/4" hardware cloth under the eaves which has worked out well so far. I had believed a round branch would be more similar to their natural environment, an actual tree branch. But maybe domesticated chickens are so removed from that, they prefer a flat surface? I have no idea 😂
@@Slowsteading 😂 Yes, domestic chickens are spoiled, they like to roost on a nice flat surface. I've learned a lot, especially about predator proofing, from The Chicken Chick and the Backyard Chickens sites. You're very talented! I'm sure your chickens love you!
@@Slowsteading Yes, I had my own chickens, since I live in the country. One fall I got sick, and the news was saying we were in for the worst winter in decades; so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to care for them and gave them to a neighbor who raises chickens and sells eggs. I loved them and am tempted to get more, but I don't know if I can find anyone to come out here and care for them if I have to be away from home. I sure miss them.
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@@michaellebert8907 Thanks glad you like the coop! Baha yeah hand tools are awesome but... so are projects that are finished in a reasonable amout of time 😂
