Homemade Cute Chicken Coops
If you own chickens, you probably keep them in a chicken coop. Most chicken coops can be constructed from small sheds, animal hutches or dog houses. You can adapt one one of these structures fairly quickly to suit your needs. By investing in nontoxic paint and some small windows that will enable you to look inside, you can design a chicken coop that is not only efficient but cute, as well.
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Things You'll Need
- Large wooden dog house
- 12-inch-by-12-inch open-ended box
- Pine shavings
- 4-foot-tall wire dog exercise pen panels
- 4-foot-tall wire dog exercise pen panel with door
- Hammer
- Nails
- Wire fencing
- Tie wire
- Wire snips
- Nontoxic paint
- Paintbrush
- Chicken waterer
- Chicken feeder
- Tarpaulin
Instructions
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1
Place a wooden dog house where you would like the coop.
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2
Place the open-ended box just inside the dog house, and fill it with pine shavings.
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3
Line up wire dog exercise pen panels at least 4 feet tall to sides of dog house so that they make a rectangular run from the dog house out. Use a panel with a door on the side for easy access.
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4
Hammer nails into the dog house along the attachment points and bend the nails around the wire so the panels stay snug.
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5
Cut the fencing to fit the top of the exercise pen panels.
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Use tie wire to attach the fencing to the top of the exercise pen panels.
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7
Paint the house in a bright color. If you're artistic, try painting bright flowers, designs or even chickens across the wooden house. Let the paint dry overnight.
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8
Add a feeder and waterers. The feeders and waterers may sit outside on the ground. Add a tarpaulin over the exercise pen panels for hot, sunny days and for rainy weather.
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Tips & Warnings
Many coops are put on blocks to keep digging predators out of the coop. This design does not require blocks as long as you have a sturdy floor. If you decide to have it up higher, be sure to fashion a ramp from the house to the ground.
Wait until the paint dries thoroughly before moving your chickens into their new coop.
Do not overcrowd your chickens. An adult chicken needs a minimum of 2 square feet of floor space within the coop and about 4 square feet in total.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit galinhas na capoeira image by fran_ from Fotolia.com
