I was trying to figure out what on earth to post today. It's been a busy day of errands and planting plants that have been sitting on my deck for... let's just say a long time. Ha.
Since I shared with you some chickens yesterday, I thought it would be a fine time (and I was asked... haha I won't name names) to share with you my chicken coop.
We tried to build it as cheap as possible. Which is really hard when you're just starting out on a home and don't have that nice pile of scrap materials that you tend to get. Free materials are hard to come by out here. So, we did spend a bit more than we would have liked, but, it works! Chickens see happy!
DA BUILD
Not a whole lot to say about the build. It was an interesting process, I would definitely do things differently next time but it was a great learning experience and, well, the chickens don't care what it looks like as long as it's dry and safe! CHECK AND CHECK.
Thankfully we were able to reuse some materials! The floor base is actually made from the deck off of another building that is being torn down here on the property. It was a perfect start! We used a lot of pallets in the build, but after we built we realizedc, what we did here was extra work and not really necessary, but they look cool, I guess! Haha. We covered the floor with some linoleum for easy clean up, the real cheap stuff!
Koodge and I supervising 
So here's what it looks like open! Got those fake eggs in there, hopefully they'll lay in the boxes but... I am betting they lay some place ridiculous...
Have you ever seen a chicken "poop deck"?
Well, that's what this is! It's fantastic! Haha. Majority of poops that happen in the coop happen when they're roosting! So, POOPS just fall right into the poop deck! Then we have the small branch roosts for whoever is too lazy to get to the top portion. I haven't seen the littles use them much yet, but they're sort of dumb anyway. Haha.
So, this is basically a huge chicken litter box! Haha. I have it filled with sand and Sweet PDZ (Sweet PDZ helps with the smell! And is OK to put into your compost!).
So, about once a week, I go in and scoop the poop, throw it into the bucket and toss it on the compost pile. Here I cleaned out the far right side.
PS. Chickens are messy. I also use the deep litter method for the floor of the coop. It surprisingly doesn't smell in there bad at all! I think that Sweet PDZ in the poop deck really helps the coop as a whole. It does absolutely help that I have the window on the front there, and there's ventilation holes in the top! Though, I think it wouldn't hurt to start fresh soon. I need to go buy some more pine shavings anyhow.
Their food is in the small dishes still because I have been procrastinating making an "infinity no-spill" feeder. I will get that done this weekend and hook you up with a "how to"! I gotta get it done for my cross beak guy, really. He can get his face into the small holes but when he's hungry he's like a crazy animal and can't seem to aim. Ends up knocking it over and everything. I'll have to make a post just about him!
Here we have the chicken door and in the back we've attached the duck hut! The ducks aren't in there yet, but they will be!
So there we have it! The chicken coop! Woo! Very exciting, right? This was our first major build. Like I said, there's LOTS of things I would be differently! But, it does work, and the chickens seem real happy! Maybe I will make another big one someday! Haha!
As always 
Photos by me using my iPhone 6s, unless stated otherwise!
Check out my most recent Steemit Posts.
- Silvery Lupine [Nature on the Farmstead #2]
- What will Happen with My Steemit Earnings
- Cardinal Meadowhawk Dragonfly [Nature on the Farmstead #3]
- 200 Followers! A Milestone for a 12 Day Old Steemie
- A Free Resource No Homesteader Should Be Without
- Brewer's Blackbirds aka Crap Nuggets [Nature on the Farmstead #4]
- Meet the Chickens!
Blog Series
- Nature on the Farmstead - These posts will be educational and informative about the nature that happens on my farmstead. Look forward to posts about wild animals, birds, wildflowers and plants, insects, and more!
- Just click here to see all my posts in one place!
