Chicken Coop Progress

A few months ago, I posted that we had decided to get some chickens. In that post, I warned whomever was reading that this process would take "two weeks" Money Pit style. Well, Scott has remained true to form. But in his defense, this unbelievably wet summer and fall have kept him from getting the coop completely finished before winter. I told him that he didn't need to rush because chickens don't lay much during the cold months anyway.  However, it is now possible to see that he is turning my sketches into a reality and I'm starting to see what the coop will eventually look like.

The picture below shows the rear view of the coop. The openings are to the nest area and will have doors with latches to keep predators (and grandkids) from getting in. On each side, Scott will cut pieces of plywood to fit and add hinges to the outside. It will make it easier to keep the interior clean. He is going to run the chicken wired down along the bottom so the chickens have an additional area to access.

 The next picture shows the front of the coop. There will be ramps from the doors to the ground. He built it higher in the front to allow for rain run-off and a place to put a perch. We are putting a galvanized tin roof on the top; but, you can see that there is a space along the front that doesn't reach where the roof will be. Scott left that open so that he can put wire across it and allow for ventilation inside the coop.

back of coop

front of coop

 The coop sits on the west end of the property we own in Killeen.  There will be a large run in the front of the coop. It will have a screen door in it so that we can get inside without having to stoop over.  We have been stalking Pinterest and other blogs for innovative ways to dispense water and feed. Some of them are pretty far fetched and other are pure genius.

side of coop

I've done some research to see which chickens are the best for the hot climate we have in Texas. I also do not want to mess with raising chicks. We hope to get our first chickens around Easter time. So far, I'm really please with what Scott has done. I can't wait to see if completed.