"The A-Frame Chicken Coop"- by the Hopefully Not Too Neurotically Green Couple

A-Frame Chicken Coopa la the hopefully not too neurotically green couple

Foundation & Floors A-Frame Walls, Mesh & Doors Final Touches

A-Frame Chicken Coop- page 1

Basics- 3’x6’x3’ coop

Pallets/ Slats (1x1.5”)

• 1-3 if they’re easy to find (atleast should be a 3’x3’ andgapless)

• OR lots of slats 1”-1.5” thickthat can be cut into 3’ lengths

2”x4”-s

• 2of 8’ lengths

• 3of 2’&8.25” lengths

• 6of 3’ lengths

Hardware Mesh/Cloth- metal

• One 3’x3’ piece (preferablycoated w/ plastic)

• One 3’x3’ piece (w/o plasticcoating)

• One 3’x6.5’ piece

Other Materials

• Nails (4”) and/or screws (3”)

• 2-3 Hinges

• 2 metal gate latches

• Paint

• Linseed Oil or other naturalpreservative

Materials

A-Frame Coop w/ exterior (left) and interior (right) sides

Whole pallet repurposed as “interior” floor Right side view


Foundation

6’x3’ Frame

• 2of 2”x4”x8’

• 3of 2”x4”x2’&8.25”

• Screws/ Nails (3”-4”)

Flooring- on “interior” side”

• 3’ wide pallet (slats are

butted together- aka

gapless)

• Or cover one side of frame

with slats, plywood, etc

(something that snakes or

unwanted critters can’t

wiggle through)

Flooring- on “exterior” side

• 3’x3’ piece of mesh (plastic

coated mesh is a bit nicer

on your chicken’s feet)

• Spare slats of wood

Materials6’ long 2”x4”

2’&8.25” long 2”x4”

3’ from center to outer edge

Cut your 2”x4” to length (NB 2’&8.25” = 2 feet and 8.24 inches).

Nail/screw the pieces together securely and on a flat surface.


Flooring- “interior” side

Gapless Pallet Method

• Pallet should be as close to

3’x3’with a 2’&8.25” gap

between the insides of its

2”x4” supports

• Nails/Screws

Other Method

• Enough wood to cover the

3’x3’ “interior” side of the

frame

• Nails/Screws

Materials

You may have to knock out a few pieces of wood from your

pallet in order to fit it around the frame. If its simpler to just

break it apart, find a sheet of plywood cut to size, or simply buy

wood then go for it :)

Gapless is best to prevent pests from harassing your chickens,

stealing feed, or even stealing eggs. But a trap door for getting

rid of old bedding is a great idea for those up to the challenge!

>Gap between outer supports

should fit around the frame

>You may have to knock out the

middle support

>Only gapless pallets should be

used (to prevent tresspassers)

Pallet/wood should at least meet to

the end of the wood


Flooring- “exterior” side

Mesh

• 3’x3’ piece of mesh

• Should have holes just large

enough to fit a pen through

• Plastic coated is nicer on

chicken feet (even though

it’s petroleum derived)

Wood slats

• Optimal dimensions are

1”x2”x2’&8” but smaller

lengths can work fine too

• Basically these are going to

be nailed over the edge of

the mesh, sandwiching it

between the slats and the

frame

Nails & Screws

Materials

Flip the frame over so you are looking at the underside of your

future coop. Placing the flat piece of mesh over the “exterior”

side of your frame, push through so the mesh is level with the

ground (and thus the wooden “interior” side you just completed).

This leaves you with an inch or so of edges that can be

sandwiched between the inner side of your frame and your slats.

Side view:This is an underneath shot of the coop

F

R

A

M

E

MESH

SLAT


Building the A’s

Wood

• 6of 2”x4”x3’ (we ended up

using 2 layers of pallet slats)

• 6 bits of left over wood

(1”x2”x4” sizes are

preferable)

• Extra pieces of plywood,

slats, etc to add extra

support to tops of the A’s

Nails/Screws (3”)

• Screws are optimal here

since the angle doesn’t

ensure a strong hold for

many nails

Materials

As long as you do you’re A’s consistently, you should have no

problem later on with doors, walls or windows other that having

to deal with angles.

Wood bits help stop

2”x4”s from moving


More pictures of the A’s

This is a basic idea of how your frame, flooring,

and A’s should look like so far

Extra bits of plywood etc to

fasten joints securely

Interior-Exterior-


Walls Pt1- “interior”

Wood (for 2 sides)

• Slats taken from a pallet at

least 3’ in length and

enough to cover 2 sides of

the coop

• OR 1”-1.5” thick slats to

cover the same area

• OR ply 1/2” plywood (much

thicker and the coop gets

super heavy)

Nails/Screws (3”)

• Nails work fine

Materials

Cover the rear of the “interior” coop section with

the wood you have but leave about 2”

to for the next section & cover the

outer A-wall from edge to edge

Fill up the rearMake sure to leave space

for securing mesh later

This is basically how it looks after

(windows add ventilation for our

hot New Orleans summers but are

not necessary)


Walls Pt2- “exterior”

Wood

• 10-12 Slats/plywood pieces

roughly 1”x4”x3’

Mesh

• One continuous piece 3’x6’+

at least since it will start at

one end of the remaining A-

frames, around the top, and

to the other end

Nails/screws

Staple gun or extra slats

• to add more security to the

mesh along its edges

Materials

As best as you can, roll the mesh

from end to end, secure with wood

and/or heavy-duty staples

Then cover the outer A-frame with the remaining piece of mesh,

cut to size, and secure with wood in the same way as before

If you’re up to it, try making a

window- it makes for easy

access to replacing water


Main Door

Plywood sheet (1/2” thick)

• 3’x3’

2-3 Hinges

• Sturdy ones like those used

to hold the doors in a house

Screws

• Must be able to secure the

hinges effectively to wood

Handle (option)

• Makes it much easier to

open and close the door

Materials Hinges should be evenly spaced


Final Touches & Words

Paint & Paint Brush

• Exterior grade

• Enough to cover the entire

exterior twice (about 1/4 gal)

Linseed Oil/ Chicken-safe

Preservative & Old Rag

• This goes on the interior

section and will help prevent

mold and other wood eaters

• Squirt it on your rag & rub in

(play with this stuff if you

never used it before, it takes

a bit getting used to)

Wood Scraps, Nails/Screws

& Necessary Tools

• Use these to build your egg

nest area and perch

4 Metal Handles, Screws &

Screwdriver

• These give our 1’ “handles”

the proper shape for lifting

Materials

Make sure every exterior nook gets a spot of paint and that every interior

crevice gets a healthy dose of preservative.

We built this one in October of 2009 (it is currently January of 2011) and

only in the past few months has mold started to accrue in a few spots & not

a single squirrel or cat has broken in.

Although we used handles, I would probably have installed a wheel at one

end of the coop to make moving it even easier. Also, I would have used

more plywood if available for its lighter weight and for better protection

against rain.

2 Latches, Screws, & Screwdriver

• Metal latches w/ holes big enough to place carabineers/locks through


Documents

"The A-Frame Chicken Coop"- by the Hopefully Not Too Neurotically Green Couple