Upcycled Chicken Coop

I’ve seen (and will feature in this series) a number of coops made from children’s playhouses, some even with trampoline frame runs. And lots of folks are using salvaged materials. This one, however, features all three elements and as someone who values freecycling I give Deon and her husband props for their creativity and desire to use materials that otherwise might have ended up in the landfill.

---

My family got our first birds in February; 15 in total: two Barred Rock, two Welsummer, two Speckled Sussex, two Blue Copper Marans, two Olive Eggers, one Rhode Island Red, two Mille Fleur D’Uccle, one Blue Cochin Bantam and one Buff Brahma bantam rooster.

This was our first coop project, but not our first building project. We did a pretty thorough remodel on our home a few years back and it was all DIY so we had quite a few materials left over. 

We wanted something creative and budget friendly. I ran across ideas on Pinterest for smaller single-story playhouses and trampoline coops and runs and figured we could do something on a “grander” scale. For years I’ve been watching the ‘free’ section of online marketplaces and frequently saw trampolines and even playsets.

People just want those giant lawn ornaments gone so if you have a way to move them you can save some money. We did pay $150 for the playhouse, although I ended up seeing the very same one for free a few weeks later. If I had all the time in the world and no growing chickens I could have waited my way to an almost completely free coop. 

I did most of the work. My husband helped with some of the two person jobs, specifically parts of the run. I lost track of how long it took. Trying to get a project like this done with a very dependent two year old meant I could only work on it in tiny increments. If someone had all the materials ready to go and no other commitments I imagine it would only take a few days. 

95% of the material were reclaimed, recycled, reused, or dug out of the tool shed and junk drawers. We tried to keep it as cheap as possible by sourcing free materials. I spent $159 on a 100’ roll of hardware cloth (exactly the right amount), $150 on the playhouse, $60 on a roll of remnant vinyl flooring, $80 on brackets, screws, hinges, blades etc.

Free things included the metal roofing, trampolines, 8’ oak pallets, a screen door and pressure treated wood. I used Facebook marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist. The “Buy Nothing” groups were so handy!

The coop is 3’ x 7’ up top and used for sleeping and laying only. Their food and water is on the lower level. The run is 15’ x 12’

Features

• Automatic door
• Coop camera 
• Hazelnut roost bars 
• Radiant bulb heat on a thermostat
• Predator proof hardware cloth fencing
• Vinyl flooring
• Sand on the run floor
• 4 nesting boxes
• Dust bath
• Mirrors
• Xylophone

Future Plans

• Electric fencing
• Auto waterer and feeder
• Metal roof on the coop
• Exterior paint
• Supplemental lighting for the winter months
• More cameras for the run and exterior to monitor for predators  
• Landscaping around the outside perimeter and an extended fenced yard for free ranging

There is still a ton of tweaking to do here and there, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

---

Many thanks to Deon Siekkinen, of Washington, USA for sharing her story and photos, used with permission.