The Chicken Coop (Part I)

The very first thing we had to do when we moved here in June was build a chicken coop.  Our chicks were no longer "chicks" (more like juvenile delinquents) and they were busting at the seams in their little brooder.  So while my poor children slept on a mattress on the floor in their room, Bear and I slaved over the construction of the chicken coop.

Bear Clearing a Spot for the Coop

I wanted a coop that was raised for multiple reasons:

• Safety
• Shade and shelter underneath
• It kept them off of the cold ground in the winter
• I didn't want to or have time to lay a cement floor

On my hunt for the perfect coop plans, I came across the Daisy Coop.  You may have seen it at CleanCoops.com, or MyPetChickens.com.  It's a beautiful coop and I thought it may be a stretch for Bear and I to make....we had never built anything beyond a headboard.  There were a few parts of the plan that we had to rig and brainstorm to figure out but overall, it really wasn't too bad for a beginner builder.  

Location

The Coop Wall Framing

Choosing a location was tough.  We thought about clearing out a section of brush to the west side of the house but we wouldn't be able to see them without having to walk through a patch of trees and it would be too time consuming considering the crunch we were under.  Plus, it wasn't near an electrical source in case we ever decided to run electricity to it. 

We ended up deciding on a spot on the east side of the house close to the driveway, close to the garage for electricity, and viewable from the windows of the house.  Bear rented a brush hog for a few hours and cleared out a nice spot beneath a pine tree in a matter of hours.  We were officially on the road to building our coop!

Tools

Before we started, we made a trip to Lowe's for the proper tools.  Out of all the tools we bought, I have to say, the Bostitch air compressor nail gun was by far the most appreciated.  I can't imagine having to do the project by nailing in each nail manually.  It would have taken 3 times as long to complete.  I truly feel like I can build just about anything now that I have one of those...stay tuned for other posts on things I built using it.  

Coop Base and Framing

Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow, or skip ahead to the Finale!