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DIY Chicken Coop Construction Part
2 - Flooring and Side Walls
 The
next step was to cut and mount the floor of our chicken coop. The
dimensions our base and floor is 8' x 8'. Two 4' x 8' sheets of
strand board made short work of the floor of our chicken coop. We used
strand board because we planned to protect it from the moisture of the
bedding with a tarp. I would suggest using something more water
resistant if you are not planning to do something like that because the
strand board will disintegrate quickly if constantly exposed to moisture
unprotected. If you can find some, you can use scrap remnants of
linoleum to cover your floor. We went with the tarp because I couldn't
find a remnant large enough for less than $75 and I could purchase a lot
$10 tarps for that price. The tarp so far has worked well.
 Next
step was to build our walls. We began with our easiest wall which
had no windows or doors. Construction is in the same manner as with our
floor. Lay out your materials on the ground. Measure to find
the center points of all your studs and mark them. Screw everything
together as with your floor.
 Move
the completed wall section out of your way to prepare for side wall
number two of your chicken coop. The wood shown behind this wall section
is not attached, it was just put there to get it out of the way as well.
 Next
we began construction
of our wall with the window. We had a window that was left over
from out homes construction 14 years ago that we quickly designated for
use on this project. You can use any window that may be available
to you. If you don't have one and don't wish to purchase a new
window, spend some time shopping the garage sales in your area.
Old windows are often very easy to find as many people are replacing
their windows with new more energy efficient ones and then often sell
the old one.
 As
you did before with the other chicken coop wall section, once you have
completed it and have
everything screwed together, move it out of the way for temporary
storage until later when installation to the floor is required.
 Next
we began construction on our back wall which where the nest boxes were.
We had researched the
proper height for the next boxes in our chicken coop and once again we
found varying opinions on what the proper height for these should be. We
settled on about 40" off the floor but as much as anything it was the
height that worked for our particular set up more than a suggested
height. The main thing is that there is good and easy access for
the chickens to the nest boxes and the actual height itself I believe is
not really all that critical. We also opted for a rear "outside of
the chicken coop" nest box access design, so the opening shown is
actually the front of our nest boxes.
 Once
again we want to store this wall out of our way as we continue working
on our project.
“Here’s How To Keep Happy, Healthy, Egg Laying
Chickens In Your Own Backyard or On The Farm…
[ Back ] [ Next ]
[
purchasing, raising, & caring for our new chickens
] [
diy chicken coop
] [
chicken coop size & location ]
[
building
our chicken coop ] [
chicken
coop construction part 1 ] [
chicken coop construction part 2
-
] [ chicken coop construction part
3
] [
chicken coop construction part 4 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 5 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 6 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 7 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 8 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 9 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 10 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 11 ] [
chicken
coop construction part 12 ]
[
chicken coop construction part 13 ]
Written by:
WM8C, November 8th, 2006. Not for use without
written permission
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