We’ve been making pretty good progress on our large chicken coop prototype. We’ve got the siding on, most of the sides complete, and have it roofed. Putting the roof on really make it seem like a “finished” structure.

Here you are looking at the “South” side of the coop (the one with the lengths of boards). The roof slopes down to the south, so that the rest of the unit can get more shade. Heat is a huge problem with chickens (they handle cold much better than heat), so our design has to take that into account (hence the galvanized roof versus shingles, etc).

We have the roof material running horizontally since it comes in 2.5′ x 6′ pieces, and going that way meant no cuts. We aren’t in a snow zone, so we don’t have to worry about snow building up (and rain dries in an hour under the Texas sun). The roof is held with lathe screws, and sealed with clear silicone.

In the above photo you can see that the bottom is all screened in, and that the end has a solid door (top) and a screened door (bottom). Below is the other end of the coop:

As you can see, the birds will get more air on this side. The idea is to put the roost on the screened end, and the nest boxes on the solid wall end. (Hens prefer laying eggs in darker conditions, and it protects them a bit more.)

Here is a 3/4 view of the “North” (or “Front”) of the coop:

You can see a solid section (on the nesting box side), and then a screen section. Plenty of ventilation, and this side faces North, so you are protected by the shade of the roof.

The upper section (below the rafters) is designed for potential storage. Here is a close up of one of the panels. We were playing around with using old beer cans as a panel design:

The above door was one that used corrugated nails to hold the miter joints together — hence the “slop” in the upper right. The biscuit doors are FAR better and feel like a solid unit. One other thing you can see in the photo is the screening we use for the middle rafter area. The center is open, to improve airflow along the roof (so heat doesn’t build up in the upper part of the unit).

Finally, here is a bit of the inside. This is where we’ll be installing the ramp, shelves, hen boxes, and roost.

There is no gap more that 1/2″ in the unit — most gaps are smaller. And we are using 1/2″ “hardware cloth” (a very strong metal mesh) for all of the screened surfaces. This is done to keep those pesky predators out. Humans and foxes and hawks and raccoons all LOVE chicken. They go for the birds. They go for the eggs, and they are VERY smart. Something we’ve had to keep in mind throughout the project.

For example, you can see in the photo above that we used metal lathe screws (on 6″ centers) to hold the “cloth”. Staples were simply not strong enough to protect the area, especially given that our whole lower level is screen.

Once we have the coop outside we’ll shoot a video so that you can see it in action — and see the “special sauce” that makes this coop pretty interesting. Stay tuned.