Pooped from the Coop: How I Started Building Our Backyard Chicken Coop

When we first decided to raise backyard chickens, I quickly discovered there were hundreds of chicken coop designs to choose from. Some were large walk-in buildings, while others were simple portable tractors that could be moved around the yard.

After spending hours looking at different ideas, I decided an A-frame design would fit our small backyard perfectly. I liked the idea of building something lightweight, practical, and inexpensive using materials I already had on hand.

Building with Recycled Materials

One of my favorite parts of this project was giving old lumber a second life. Rather than buying everything new, I dug through my pile of leftover boards and started building with what I already owned. Not only did this save money, but it also fit perfectly with my philosophy of recycling and making the most of available resources.

Even my sewing supplies found a second purpose! Measuring tape, clips, and odds and ends from my sewing room proved surprisingly handy while laying out the coop.

Learning as I Went

This was definitely one of those projects where I learned by doing. I bent more than a few nails, broke a hammer along the way, and made several trips to the hardware store for "just one more thing." Looking back, I wouldn't change a bit of it. Every project teaches something new, and building this coop gave me the confidence to tackle even bigger homesteading projects later.

There's a special satisfaction that comes from standing back at the end of the day and seeing a pile of lumber slowly become a home for your animals. Even though the coop wasn't finished yet, I could finally picture our little flock happily scratching around their new backyard home.

Today, I dragged out my recycled lumber and started on the coop. I've been researching A-frame coop ideas on the Web. I've always wanted a tractor coop that I could drag around the yard.

Getting started was a little rough. I bent a couple (okay, several) nails, and even broke a hammer! Thankfully we had a spare.

Leaning the frames against each other you can see where this project is going...

Sewing supplies come in handy!

So far so good...

Gotta run to Home Depot for some screws, hinges, and chicken wire. This is fun, but I'm pooped!

Materials Used

• Recycled lumber
• Exterior screws
• Hinges
• Chicken wire (later replaced with welded wire mesh)
• Hammer
• Tape measure
• Circular saw
• Drill/driver
• Bamboo (for later additions)