Leftover wood from the domes and some old siding we found under the shed were used to build this chicken coop. I read online that chickens need about 9 to 12 inches of perch space per bird, so we built this coop a little over 2' x 6' to house six to eight birds comfortably.
It's off the ground to provide a little more shade and room to run around. An opening was left on both sides of the coop for ventilation. Five to six inch handles were incorporated into the design to make it easier to move. Hinges were put on the roof to allow access to the interior of the coop, as well as being able to slide the door into place as an added layer of protection against predators. A roost was added to the coop and a milk crate to be used as a nesting box. A ramp was built so the chickens could enter and exit the coop easily.
Over time we removed the milk crate and door. Wherever I put the plastic egg is where the chickens would lay their eggs. We weren't having problems with predators trying to get in, so the door was removed so the chickens could go in and out of the coop whenever they wanted but were still safely inside the chook dome. We also changed the roost by putting it a few inches off the floor.
If we were to build it again, I'd use different flooring so the poop could just fall to the ground. Or I'd build a covered roost and make it more tree-like and put individual nesting boxes on the ground. But this design works well. I just take five minutes out of my day to scoop out the poop and dump it in the dome.
Over time we removed the milk crate and door. Wherever I put the plastic egg is where the chickens would lay their eggs. We weren't having problems with predators trying to get in, so the door was removed so the chickens could go in and out of the coop whenever they wanted but were still safely inside the chook dome. We also changed the roost by putting it a few inches off the floor.
If we were to build it again, I'd use different flooring so the poop could just fall to the ground. Or I'd build a covered roost and make it more tree-like and put individual nesting boxes on the ground. But this design works well. I just take five minutes out of my day to scoop out the poop and dump it in the dome.
The coop was built during the first week of March, 2012.