I wrapped the roosting bars in twine. I am going to caulk the gaps in the sides of he wood panels that are nested in the metal frames. All this after I remove them and weather paint them. After all the rains that bare wood might rot. I think the joint in the roof above can trap water in the connecting bracket and let it leak into the coop through the screw holes, so I will use extra shingles over the seam. Also, the gaps in the doors can use some weather stripping. Lastly, I will cut a hole for another vent int he side that faces the coop. They can always use a little more ventilation. SInce you bought this thing, they came out with a rod that allows you to pull the coop door open from outside the run. The rod fits through a hole in the outer frame, and screws into the side of the door. You can pull the rod back and forth for your convenience. The door needs a little sanding up top and bottom to slide for when it expands and starts to catch on the wooden rails that keep the sliding door in place.
Nice set up, but you should put a solid roof on the top so the chickens will be comfortable whether it's sunny or raining. We wanted to get this exact coop/run to separate some of our girls because they don't always get along with each other. We're new at keeping chickens too. I wish coop manufacturers would stop exaggerating how many chickens can actually live comfortably in their coops. I'd put only 5 or 6 chickens in this coop. I also planted some edibles (kale, tomatoes, herbs) near the chicken coop so I can grab a handful of snacks when I visit them. Good luck with the girls.
Hey Flower Girl! You're right on with the suggestion on the roofing. We went with a thick shade cloth that works well and it has 3 citrus trees on the south side of it that helps shade them during the intense summer heat. And yes, I would agree that 5, 6 birds max is really what this holds comfortably. Great idea on adding munchies for the girls. Our moringa tree, mulberry tree and grapevine leaves are what we use to get greens into their diet. Thanks for the comment!
just bought one. i ended up putting the door on the other side, in front of the box.. i am thinking the run is small but my chickens have the whole property to free range on.. a great tip for ya.. chickens are evolved dinosaurs.. that being said, they love meat.. i have been feeding hot dogs and hamburger (along with forage and scratch) and my chickens are wonderfully healthy. their feathers are shiny and smooth, their combs are deep, rich red and it doubled egg size. i'd love to have my eggs analyzed to see how it changed the protein count. i have a chicken that came in two days ago from a neighbor. she'd been savaged by a very aggressive rooster, so savaged repeatedly. i gave her a quiet corner the first day and wondered if she would survive. yesterday, i gave her some burger (raw, btw) but only a little and 3 times yesterday. i went to the shed to see if she had survived and she was on her feet and at the doorway,. i'd have loved to see the box being assembled.. the instructions are seemingly complicated. i will put together tomorrow. enjoy your birds..
Hey Linda. Thanks for the tips. We have feed them meat from time to time and they DEVOUR it! Amazing to hear how much production you're getting from your birds with the added protein. Definitely makes sense.
How are folks covering the vertical gaps between the panels? Or by attaching 1/4" hardware cloth around perimeter bottom 2-3'. Wondering how to close the gaps around the door as well. The panels make for easy assembly but anything 1/2" makes it easy for raccoon to reach in, mice/rats to squeeze through not to mention snakes...
We did put hardware cloth around the entire perimeter. We don't have a problem with raccoons here, but we plan on putting hardware cloth extending from the base as well just in case. The challenge is the door. It's the only place we still have gaps that we can't fill and while the ability to open the door in or out is nice, we have kicked around the idea of attaching hardware cloth or something similar to the door to close that gap. Not sure yet..
I use 1/4" welded black hardware cloth. Keeps out baby rattlers and is pretty rust free. Mine is around entire house(about 900 linear feet) , not the whole ranch.
I really want one of these! Are you going to put a cover roof on the run to protect your flock? If you do I recommend Lowe's or hd for their corrugated panels on it. It's extremely durable and will give them protection from the rain, blaring hot sun in summer even in the morning & the grow some vines up the west side of that coop. It is getting a lot of light and it's too much for summer. I also recommend that planting yams and sweet potatoes their at on the wall by the door because one it will provide nutritional food and also shade.
You nearly read our minds on that! We were going to start with shade cloth for the first year or 2 while we have a few flame grapevines grow up the sides and top. Great idea on sweet potatoes, we may need to add that to the plan!!
Hey Jesse. We actually haven't used anything other than straw in the laying boxes and they're staying pretty clean. I think we have a distinct advantage in our extremely dry weather, so they just sweep out nicely. Still love the coop overall, but we're going to extend the run this summer to give the girls more space.
I think at some point we just realized it was going to happen (most of the time it seems) and we just didn't want anybody to think we were other than normal people trying to show what can be done out here. Plus, those are some of the best parts of movies I've seen in the past, so I wanted to include them here as well.
Duane, how well did this coop work for you guys back then? I was just looking at this coop at Tractor Supply today 12/2020. Any issues with summer heat?
Hey Chris. It was a decent starter coop and if you're going to have no more than about 10 chickens at any given time it should be ok. The major issue with it is the enclosed coop. We had it surrounded by citrus trees that helped cool it during the summer and always left the door leading out into the run open.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I really like your current setup with the chain link and pallets, but wife wants something that can easily be relocated until we find the right spot for it as we get the house built. The heat does worry me on the tractor supply coop. I may just get dog kennel portable fence panels and do a pallet setup like yours for now. I will still have to bury some wire in the ground of course but beat digging up concrete when she changes her mind :)
@@ChrisGuththat's a solid plan. We almost went with dog kennel fencing ourselves before we settled on the permanent run. The pallet coop was surprisingly easy to put together and we're rookies still with the wood working projects.
Thank you so much, this is very helpful. I keep waiting for the price to drop at TSC but it’s only $50 of so I am holding out a little longer. Do you think you could extend the pen by adding something at the outside door of the coop?
We actually plan on extending the coop to house more birds and yes it wouldn't be too difficult to remove one of the side doors of the coop to do this. When/if we get around to it we'll post an update with the addition. You could also extend the run by adding an enclosed dog kennel/run which we've discussed doing also. It really is a great way to get off to a good start with chickens when you're not too handy or are a little intimidated by building projects.
Very nice! To keep snakes out 1/4 inch rabbit wire around perimeter of kennel. This will also keep rodents out of the kennel that are attracted by food and water. The wire should be anchored in concrete and approximately 24 inches high or more. The wire can be secured by using plastic lock-ties. Small snakes can slip through chicken wire rendering it unacceptable.
So far the ventilation is working well. We hit 103 degrees yesterday and they were fine with the entrance door kept open. Overall the coop is holding up really well. Had to mend the track the sliding door slides on as it was pulling away from the housing, but it's kept well since with no issues. The only thing I would say that I don't think I mentioned in this video, is keeping the number of hens to around 5-6. We have 9 and it's a bit cramped in the run for them during the day (we prefer giving them more room to move around).
What are the dimensions of the nesting boxes? I'm getting this coop this week and would like to insert the roll away lay boxes in there to keep the eggs cleaner and avoid egg pecking/breaking.
Hey Tyava. The boxes are a little awkward in dimension because there is a small border on the bottom of the box along the base. So they are 10" wide from the walls (9" along the base), 16" deep and 11" high. Hope this helps! If f you need more detail you can message us on our Facebook page and we'll try to get more info for you.
I wrapped the roosting bars in twine. I am going to caulk the gaps in the sides of he wood panels that are nested in the metal frames. All this after I remove them and weather paint them. After all the rains that bare wood might rot. I think the joint in the roof above can trap water in the connecting bracket and let it leak into the coop through the screw holes, so I will use extra shingles over the seam. Also, the gaps in the doors can use some weather stripping. Lastly, I will cut a hole for another vent int he side that faces the coop. They can always use a little more ventilation. SInce you bought this thing, they came out with a rod that allows you to pull the coop door open from outside the run. The rod fits through a hole in the outer frame, and screws into the side of the door. You can pull the rod back and forth for your convenience. The door needs a little sanding up top and bottom to slide for when it expands and starts to catch on the wooden rails that keep the sliding door in place.
Sounds like you're making some much needed improvements. We wound up giving this to our neighbor when we moved and it's still working well for them!
Nice set up, but you should put a solid roof on the top so the chickens will be comfortable whether it's sunny or raining. We wanted to get this exact coop/run to separate some of our girls because they don't always get along with each other. We're new at keeping chickens too. I wish coop manufacturers would stop exaggerating how many chickens can actually live comfortably in their coops. I'd put only 5 or 6 chickens in this coop. I also planted some edibles (kale, tomatoes, herbs) near the chicken coop so I can grab a handful of snacks when I visit them. Good luck with the girls.
Hey Flower Girl! You're right on with the suggestion on the roofing. We went with a thick shade cloth that works well and it has 3 citrus trees on the south side of it that helps shade them during the intense summer heat. And yes, I would agree that 5, 6 birds max is really what this holds comfortably. Great idea on adding munchies for the girls. Our moringa tree, mulberry tree and grapevine leaves are what we use to get greens into their diet. Thanks for the comment!
just bought one. i ended up putting the door on the other side, in front of the box.. i am thinking the run is small but my chickens have the whole property to free range on.. a great tip for ya.. chickens are evolved dinosaurs.. that being said, they love meat.. i have been feeding hot dogs and hamburger (along with forage and scratch) and my chickens are wonderfully healthy. their feathers are shiny and smooth, their combs are deep, rich red and it doubled egg size. i'd love to have my eggs analyzed to see how it changed the protein count. i have a chicken that came in two days ago from a neighbor. she'd been savaged by a very aggressive rooster, so savaged repeatedly. i gave her a quiet corner the first day and wondered if she would survive. yesterday, i gave her some burger (raw, btw) but only a little and 3 times yesterday. i went to the shed to see if she had survived and she was on her feet and at the doorway,. i'd have loved to see the box being assembled.. the instructions are seemingly complicated. i will put together tomorrow. enjoy your birds..
Hey Linda. Thanks for the tips. We have feed them meat from time to time and they DEVOUR it! Amazing to hear how much production you're getting from your birds with the added protein. Definitely makes sense.
How are folks covering the vertical gaps between the panels? Or by attaching 1/4" hardware cloth around perimeter bottom 2-3'. Wondering how to close the gaps around the door as well. The panels make for easy assembly but anything 1/2" makes it easy for raccoon to reach in, mice/rats to squeeze through not to mention snakes...
We did put hardware cloth around the entire perimeter. We don't have a problem with raccoons here, but we plan on putting hardware cloth extending from the base as well just in case. The challenge is the door. It's the only place we still have gaps that we can't fill and while the ability to open the door in or out is nice, we have kicked around the idea of attaching hardware cloth or something similar to the door to close that gap. Not sure yet..
I use 1/4" welded black hardware cloth. Keeps out baby rattlers and is pretty rust free. Mine is around entire house(about 900 linear feet) , not the whole ranch.
Didn't know it came in black as well as the standard galvanized silver.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm A little pricey , but got tired of painting my own.
Thanks so much for this video! Its very helpful, my tractor supply is offering this coop for 200$ off on November 1 :)
Just a little jealous...:)
That's a nice setup.
It works really well for about 6-8 birds or so. Beyond that and it's just too crowded.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm, that's about how many chickens I could have. It would be perfect for my house.
I really want one of these!
Are you going to put a cover roof on the run to protect your flock?
If you do I recommend Lowe's or hd for their corrugated panels on it. It's extremely durable and will give them protection from the rain, blaring hot sun in summer even in the morning & the grow some vines up the west side of that coop. It is getting a lot of light and it's too much for summer.
I also recommend that planting yams and sweet potatoes their at on the wall by the door because one it will provide nutritional food and also shade.
You nearly read our minds on that! We were going to start with shade cloth for the first year or 2 while we have a few flame grapevines grow up the sides and top. Great idea on sweet potatoes, we may need to add that to the plan!!
Edge of Nowhere Farm I also like growing gourds up on it too
What did you end up using for "tubs" to help keep the operation clean? I just purchased this coop last night (floor model).
Hey Jesse. We actually haven't used anything other than straw in the laying boxes and they're staying pretty clean. I think we have a distinct advantage in our extremely dry weather, so they just sweep out nicely. Still love the coop overall, but we're going to extend the run this summer to give the girls more space.
AH the First Blooper reel!
I think at some point we just realized it was going to happen (most of the time it seems) and we just didn't want anybody to think we were other than normal people trying to show what can be done out here. Plus, those are some of the best parts of movies I've seen in the past, so I wanted to include them here as well.
I have a place in Tucson and want chickens, but so much work to keep predators out. NEVER had to deal with this in Colorado....grrrr
I say give this one a shot. We did reinforce it with hardware cloth, but it's pretty solid. Love your TH-cam "Handle" by the way...
Duane, how well did this coop work for you guys back then? I was just looking at this coop at Tractor Supply today 12/2020. Any issues with summer heat?
Hey Chris. It was a decent starter coop and if you're going to have no more than about 10 chickens at any given time it should be ok. The major issue with it is the enclosed coop. We had it surrounded by citrus trees that helped cool it during the summer and always left the door leading out into the run open.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I really like your current setup with the chain link and pallets, but wife wants something that can easily be relocated until we find the right spot for it as we get the house built. The heat does worry me on the tractor supply coop. I may just get dog kennel portable fence panels and do a pallet setup like yours for now. I will still have to bury some wire in the ground of course but beat digging up concrete when she changes her mind :)
@@ChrisGuththat's a solid plan. We almost went with dog kennel fencing ourselves before we settled on the permanent run. The pallet coop was surprisingly easy to put together and we're rookies still with the wood working projects.
Thank you so much, this is very helpful. I keep waiting for the price to drop at TSC but it’s only $50 of so I am holding out a little longer. Do you think you could extend the pen by adding something at the outside door of the coop?
We actually plan on extending the coop to house more birds and yes it wouldn't be too difficult to remove one of the side doors of the coop to do this. When/if we get around to it we'll post an update with the addition. You could also extend the run by adding an enclosed dog kennel/run which we've discussed doing also. It really is a great way to get off to a good start with chickens when you're not too handy or are a little intimidated by building projects.
Very nice! To keep snakes out 1/4 inch rabbit wire around perimeter of kennel. This will also keep rodents out of the kennel that are attracted by food and water. The wire should be anchored in concrete and approximately 24 inches high or more. The wire can be secured by using plastic lock-ties. Small snakes can slip through chicken wire rendering it unacceptable.
Thank you for the advice! Chickens are new for us, so we'll take all the advice we can get!
Rat snakes will climb all over that thing if they're around. You'd have to cover every inch in hardware cloth.
How's the ventilation? Is it holding up well?
So far the ventilation is working well. We hit 103 degrees yesterday and they were fine with the entrance door kept open. Overall the coop is holding up really well. Had to mend the track the sliding door slides on as it was pulling away from the housing, but it's kept well since with no issues. The only thing I would say that I don't think I mentioned in this video, is keeping the number of hens to around 5-6. We have 9 and it's a bit cramped in the run for them during the day (we prefer giving them more room to move around).
What are the dimensions of the nesting boxes? I'm getting this coop this week and would like to insert the roll away lay boxes in there to keep the eggs cleaner and avoid egg pecking/breaking.
Hey Tyava. The boxes are a little awkward in dimension because there is a small border on the bottom of the box along the base. So they are 10" wide from the walls (9" along the base), 16" deep and 11" high. Hope this helps! If f you need more detail you can message us on our Facebook page and we'll try to get more info for you.
Edge of Nowhere Farm Thanks for the info.
nice job you guys.
Thanks Mike!
Bruh I thought that was steven crowder lol
Little did we know, he takes jabs at liberals by day and helps out on a farm in his spare time!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm hilarious!
The coop is tiny
It fits the 9 layers we have pretty snug, so I wouldn't go above that without expanding the coop.
That your son or Steven Crowder?....lol
He does have a strong resemblance to Crowder, that's for sure!