Finishing the Chicken Coop

This weekend had beautiful weather and I was able to put most of the finishing touches on the chicken coop.  I wanted to make this coop mobile so I had been on the lookout for some cheap wheels.  I had looked at wheels for garden carts and wheelbarrows, but many of them cost upwards of $15 or more per wheel and I wasn't looking to spend a lot for wheels for this project, so I started looking around at the local resale shops.  I considered bike wheels, but wasn't sure if I wanted wheels that large on the coop.  I also wanted something that would be fairly simple to attach, and not hold the coop very high off the ground.  Finally I came across a handful of jogging strollers.  The wheels were almost exactly what I was looking for.  The only concern I had was whether or not they would support the weight of the coop.  I checked the prices and the cheapest one was $15.  I could have three wheels for the price of one, so I promptly bought it and brought it home.

I was happily surprised to find out the the wheels were already mounted on a pin, so I wouldn't have to buy any additional hardware to attach them to the coop.  All that needed to be done was to drill a hole through the sides of the base and pound the wheels into place.  Very simple and already functional.

I will probably secure the wheels better on the inside with a pin, but they fit so snugly in the holes, that I can easily move the coop without the wheels coming loose.

The next step that was completed was attaching the access door.  Originally I had wanted to have a main access door on one side to make it easy to clean the coop, and a small access door for the chickens on a different side.  However, this would have make attaching the run to the coop difficult, so I decided to put the chicken door on the main access door.  First I attached the last piece of sheet metal to the top of the coop with a pair of door hinges.  The door opens upwards and will simply be held open with a board when I need to clean out the coop.  The smaller door came from the same salvage wood as the end of the chicken run.  The cabinet door is the perfect size for a chicken , and after I put it in place, I simply cut a hole in the sheet metal behind it.

The edge of the coop sits nicely on the lip of the chicken run and the floor lays nearly level when they are attached to each other.  I will thread a rope from the chicken door through the top of the run to make it easy to open and close the door without having to enter the run.  

In a few more days, I will be getting a small batch of baby chicks which will start their life in a rubbermaid bin in my back room.  In about a month, or whenever they are feathered out enough and the weather is nice enough, they will be moved to their custom built chicken tractor.  I only have a few more weeks to put the finishing touches on the chicken tractor, but I'm sure everything will be ready when they are!  Nothing will get me motivated more than taking that next step to growing more of my own food!