We decided to get chickens early 2011 with a basic idea of a large dog kennel and chicken wire run. However after endless research into coop designs and space requirements for the chickens we realised we had to start from scratch.
We wanted there to be a run which we could walk into and walk around in but also strong and safe enough for predators to not get in (but also for the chickens not to get out!) With plans in the making we went about looking for our first baby chicks. We bought 5 little chicks from a lady in the Muchae area and took them home, we were so excited, we watched them for hours playing, sleeping, pooping and doing all the things 5 healthy chicks should be doing.
Here you can see a short video of our 5 original chicks having some boiled egg yolk. Three turned out to be boys but you can see Pingu at the bottom in grey and Raven at the top left in black.
This was a great start so we got to work on their outdoor coop straight away with some help from the family. We ended up with a strong 3mx2mx1.8m frame and reinforced it with metal corner struts and strapping.
We then surrounded the whole thing with 120mm square galvanised wire, nice and strong so no predators could rip their way through. To stop animals digging under the frame we attached an apron of wire along the bottom of the run and covered it with soil. A Fort Knox in Perth!
For their coop we bought a commercially made one from Ebay at a good price and placed it at one end of their run. As soon as we were finished the 11 week old chicks moved house, to their shiny new coop!
The set up stayed like this for a while and over time we had aquired a few more hens. However it soon became apparent that they needed a new and bigger coop. For bantams they still need a good amount of space! So I did a bit of seaching on eBay, Gumtree, The Quokka and basic word of mouth but I couldnt find anything appropriate for a minimal cost.
However one day we were driving down our road and on our left we saw a cream childrens cubby house on the side of the road! It was our suburbs roadside junk collection and this owner didnt want it anymore. We jumped at the chance! It was too good to be true, but after speaking to the owner he reserved it for us while to tried to find a way to get it to our house just up the road.
We couldnt believe our luck, a solid childrens cubby for free! After much pushing and rolling we finally got it home.( you should have seen us!)
Attaching the new coop (cubby) to the existing run frame was a bit tricky but with family help we decided to have the coop on stilts and off the ground a few feet to prevent unwelcome pests. We devised a ramp for the coop to be pushed up into place and then used itself for support for the floor.
With some more effort the coop was in place and the final finishing touches were made. They included fixing the run wire, adding wood under the coop so the chickens wouldnt get out and making some roosts. At last it was finished!
We built a simple picket fence around the coop so that the dogs wouldnt disturb the chickens and our chicken haven was complete!
Hope you enjoyed our story, if you have any questions about our coop build or any other questions infact, please contact us!
