Chicken Daddy’s Western Coop

This is the 41st post in my series on cool coop builds. I haven’t been looking for the biggest or best, but ones that express the heart and soul of the owners that have interesting backstories that might inspire my readers.

I’ve noticed more chicken keepers who repurpose materials to build their first coops. The results are so much more interesting and satisfying than buying a pre-fab coop or hiring someone to do the work for you. I’m hoping that their stories will inspire others to challenge themselves to do the same.

I’ve had chickens for about five years: 10 hens and a rooster – Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, Olive Egger and Easter Egger. I just got three turkeys: Narragansett, Blue Slate and Royal Palm.

This is my first building project. I do a lot of traveling and like to visit ghost towns in the west which is where I got the inspiration for my coop. I did all the work myself, which took about six weeks.

I live in Kansas City, Missouri. We’re allowed to have chickens within the city limits. Roosters are only okay if your neighbours don’t have issues or you’re 300’ away from them. The only issues with predators I have had so far is stray dogs, which is why I built the coop to be so strong. Two German shepherds broke into my old coop and killed my favorite rooster.

And this is the second half when I expanded the run to look like a second building, but it’s actually a larger run,

Coop & Run

Budget

Maybe $600. I got a lot of stuff from the trash or free, including lots of pallets for the frame.

Coop 12’x 9’ 8’ tall in front and 6′ at its highest inside

Run 8’ tall from the front that looks like a building; @ 7’ tall inside because it goes to the ground unlike the coop which has a floor

Features

5 nesting boxes
3 roosts above a shelf for a poop tray
Roofs are hinged and can be lifted for cleaning
Linoleum for easy cleaning
Roof is made out of the racks from warehouse pallet shelving, which I got for free
In the run roost bars and a shelflike nesting area because the turkeys prefer being outside instead of in the coop at night

Future Plans

This winter I will either have a safety goat heater or a radiator type heater. The coop is very well insulated so I’m not sure about that yet.
Signs over each of the buildings: Big Eddie’s Saloon and a Jail

Thanks to Jeff Roland for sharing his build and photos, used with permission. Check out his Chicken Daddy Facebook page

“Where nerds and hens flock together.”