March 29, 2020

I love chickens. I really like my chickens to be able to run loose. They eat up bugs and break up the horse poop, and it’s soothing to watch them clucking around grazing and doing their thing. But when they are loose they are prey to fox, coyote, and hawks.

My flock would be fine for a few months and then one would get snatched. They loved to be loose and I loved them being loose. But I also do not like them dead. And locking them back up after they have been loose and enjoying freedom is painful.

This winter I decided I was going to start fresh with some new peeps. These would not be allowed loose. I also planned out and purchased the materials to build them an extension on their coop so they would have plenty of space.

Mean while, other than the new peeps in the coop I was down to one good laying hen, which was my Last Americana, and a lavender hen that had begun acting like a rooster about two years earlier when the flock was attacked and left with no rooster. My fake-rooster crowed and no long laid eggs. These two were loose and living the good life. That is until a few weeks ago I heard my fake-hen get snatched at about 730 in the morning. This left my Americana on her own. So I snatched her up and chucked her in with the peeps – now adolescent pullets.

With that little bit of background, lets focus on the actual building of the coop extension.

My plan consisted of using 3/4” PVC pipe to build a 10×10 frame that’s 5’ tall. I started to construct this Friday after work.

Saturday Rich and I added in a frame for the top and glued the entire frame together. Then we added T posts to the four corners and zip tied the frame to them. Our final step for the day was to add a T post for the door frame. We will hang the door on this.

Sunday after the morning rain cleared we put up the chicken wire, hung the door, and cut an opening to attach the main coop.

The wire was wide enough to have to run it around twice and that gave some over lap and a bit to stick up at the top.

The door I hung with two pieces of old broke rope reins and then used the one intact snap on them to be the closure.

The very fancy but perfectly function and free!

The American immediately ran into the coop. She later flew up to the open top (which I may cover with chicken netting. I’m still deciding).

I ended up clipping her wings hoping that will keep her in. Right now she’s our only layer and I really do not want her to be Fox food.

The other chickens took a while to move out and check out the new run. But once they did they seemed very happy. Unfortunately every time I attempted to get their photo happily clucking around in the new run they would flee back into the main coop.

We still need to move the nesting box in and I would like to add a roosting rail. Those might be projects for next weekend.