Our Coop

Our coop started at a $10 shipping crate that I found on Craigslist.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of ours but it was similar to the ones in the middle of this picture:

I started by raising the lid to create a slanted roof so that it wouldn't hold snow and rain and the gap was needed for ventilation with chicken wire keeping other creatures out.  We used a pack of shingles on the roof.

Then I used hinges and some hooks and handles to create a door on the back so that I could lift it up to retrieve eggs, and lower the bottom door when I needed to clean out the coop.

Then I built a simple shelf for nesting boxes 

and cut the hole for the door to the chicken run.

After a few weeks I installed some plastic storage bins to create more nesting boxes and our coop is complete.  (Yes I know the one on the far right is lower - I did that for a reason).

We use pine shavings in the nesting boxes and on the floor.  I also put in some lime and some "DE" to help with the odor, moisture, and flies.

There is a water feeder and a feeder with grain for them inside the coop, as well as everything outside of the coop.