This is the second chicken coop I've made, here is a photo of my first chicken coop, which was made in haste but actually was quite functional at the time.
I have a tiny Philadelphia back yard and I currently have two hens and 3 chicks. The chicken coop I had (above) was really not ideal, it was tiny, hard to clean and actually falling apart after two years. I put the above chicken coop together over a weekend because I found two adult hens before I even thought about making a coop and had to throw it together quickly. It was nice looking but actually awful and hard to clean, there was no place for the chickens to roost and they slept and pooped where they were supposed to only lay eggs so I finally decided to make a change. I had an old window that I found at a garage sale in my basement for 8 years that I decided would be the center piece of my new coop... The only issue was that I didn't want to waste money on my coop, so I deconstucted the old one to make the new one while the chickens pretty much just ran around free in the back yard. luckily my dogs and chickens get along. I also picked up a bunch of pallets for the rest of it.
I measured the window and built a frame that would fit it for the inside of the coop.
I measured the window and built a frame that would fit it for the inside of the coop.
By the end of the day I had installed the window, put the frame on stilts and put on the sides I got from pallets. The chickens had a place to sleep, thankfully.
I built an additional frame for the outdoor area, and a nesting box that was a lower point in the coop so they wouldn't be tempted to sleep in it. In the meantime the chickens just laid the eggs in flower boxes in the yard! Chickens find the highest point in their home to sleep at night, in my old coop the nesting box was the highest point which was why they were always in there messing up the place.
Covered it with wire mesh and added a door and ramp for them to get inside, I added an outer door that was tall enough for me to walk into and clean.
Next I added a roof using some old traffic signs I had in the basement, and a roof garden. When you have a small backyard you need to maximize space! Also my neighbor and I took down the fence between our yards.
and put in some doors I found that were destined for the trash and turned them into a fence.
Here are the ladies enjoying their new roost in their new coop.
here is a future resident of the coop and the new 'fence' after I painted it white.
and here is the completed coop in all its glory, with soda pop tiki torches. (although the garden looks better now and grass is growing, I promise).