Custom Chicken Coops – My Story

I’ve wanted to get chickens for a while now and my wonderful wife got me six baby Araucana chicks for my birthday. So now I had to figure out a way to house them once they were grown, and not go broke in the process.

This is the front of the old dog house with the sides abd back cut out.
The old dog house with the sides and back cut out.

I decided to take my dogs old dog house that she never uses and convert it to a chicken coop. I cut the sides and back out.

The old dog house with the sides and back cut out.
Back of the old dog house

Obviously the dog house by itself would be a little small for the six baby chicks so I made nesting boxes for the sides and back. Essentially double the square footage in the coop.

Back of the old dog house
Back of the old dog house

I made the nesting boxes with a hinged roof so I can gather eggs and clean the coop.

I used plywood that I sealed to protect it from moisture.
I reinforced the lid with a board that I screwed through to attach the hinges.
I reinforced the lid with a board that I screwed through to attach the hinges.
Another shot of the side nesting box. I used the same design for the back nesting box.

On the inside I’m using a old closet rod for a perch in the new coop.

This is the mount for the old closet rod that I’m using for a perch.

I then attached the sides and back.

This is the dog house with the side boxes attached. I also cut a door for the front.
This is the back.

After all this I painted it red.

This is the final coop. I added 3 tab shingles to the sides and back.

I still need to finalize the foundation.

Left side
This is the back.

So this is it. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Do you have a cleaver chicken coop design. Let us know.


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