I spent another 25 hours or so on my chicken coop this weekend. I’ll roll all this into a more detailed post at some point, but for now check out this album.

This weekend was mostly spent on the cabin part of the coop (as opposed to the larger, open “run”). This is where the chickens will roost at night. I decided to line the floor of the coop with linoleum flooring, to protect the wood from absorbing any of the nasty smells/fluids from the chicken waste. It should also make it much easier to clean out periodically.

The front of the coop has a window to let in some natural sunlight and allow for needed ventilation in the summer. I covered the window with hardware cloth (strong chicken wire) from the inside, but will add a sheet of clear plexy-glass before the fall/winter season for weather proofing.

The entire back side of the coop is a swinging door with a really beefy hinge (spring-loaded to prevent the door from remaining open) and latch. This door is essential for cleaning out the cabin and is the only way a person can get into the coop.

The siding is all tongue & groove boards which makes for a very time-consuming build. I’m not complaining though, my father-in-law Chuck had it left over from his house build and gave it to me for free! Similar boards at Lowe’s run about $10 each. Each! I would have just left it at plywood if that was my only option, but I had so many of these boards left over that I figured this would be well worth the extra effort. I love how the siding looks, with its nice horizontal grooves, it really adds to the desired “barn” look. Of course the “barn door red” paint with white trim really paid off too!

Stay tuned for more updates on the coop.