You can see every step in my Building a Crate Coop album on Facebook.
This is all free material I picked up out of trash bins or from Craigslist postings. That includes all the cans of paint on the shelf.
From December 2011 through June 2012, I assembled the pieces in my garage. I had spend the previous months visiting other people's chicken coops, doing research online, and making sketches.
After painting the coop, I completed the assembly on site. The coop features a nesting box that's accessible from the outside, lots of ventilation with shutters, and a linoleum-lined floor -- that protects the wooden floor from chicken poop. There's also storage below the coop.
Most of the material was free, but I did have to buy a few things, including hinges, screws, and a roll of 1x2 inch welded wire.
While I was able to assemble the coop single handedly, I needed help assembling the chicken run, so I organized a barn-raising style party to enlist my friend's help. The night before the coop raising, I was a bit behind. I stayed up late digging out the chicken run's foundation, and filling it with heavy gravel for drainage.
I'm lucky to have friends like these. Rodney spread sand in the chicken run, while Hilton and Lynne put together the chicken run walls. We got everything assembled and secure for the chickens.
Another friend, Christie, gave me my first five hens.
In order to project the girls from predators that dig, I added a wire barrier all the way around the chicken run, making it extra secure.
Around the back, three pallets and a wire screen make for a great place to convert food waste into compost while feeding chickens. The chickens pick through the kitchen scraps and their natural habit of scratching quickly breaks down the material. The composting process also attracts loads of bugs the chickens love to eat. Read my post "Making compost with chickens."
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