I happened on this site by accident and cannot tell you how happy I did. What an amazing and entertain ing young lady.Just watching her videos makes me feel good about young people. Super talented and well spoken. I will not miss any of her videos now.
I bought April’s plans and just got done building the coop. If anyone is interested it took me about 3 full weekends to build. I’m handy but definitely don’t do carpentry full time so you might can do it faster. I have a table saw but everything else was hand tools (I need a nail gun lol). Counting up my receipts I spent around $580 on materials. Between watching her video lots of times and the plans it was pretty straight forward build. Now I just need to get chickens!
I built this 2 years ago and we are quite happy with it. Thank you April! It has held up strong for the chickens, ducks, and goose. We get a fair amount of rain and a few good snows in Missouri. If you have any questions on the build, I will be glad to help in any way. A few modifications I made are below, although I'm sure there are more than I can remember. - My wife had me double the size before I even had the walls framed, go figure. - I made every side removable, except for the coop door side. I even made the panels below the nesting boxes removable. This is to assist with easy cleaning and access. I used barrel bolts, one on each corner. - The roof above the nesting boxes is too short IMO. The water runs right off the roof and lands on the nesting boxes lid. Luckily, water does not go inside coop, but I have green algae marks all over the top of the nesting boxes. I suggest extending that roof portion out over the nesting boxes so water runs onto the ground, in lieu of the nesting boxes. - I added windows where needed, pretty much every side has a window - I dropped the coop door to floor level, was more ideal. Also think about if you're going to add an electric door (solar is possible), might want to make it to size. - I tiled the bottom floor and bottom section of vertical 2x4. This was such a clutch decision that I do not regret. Bedding and poop slides right off the tile, opposed to getting stuck to wood. I glued them down and pushed them together, then sealed seams with water proof caulk. If you need to get a hose in there you can feel good about not soaking the wood floor. Facebook market place has cheap tiles. - I felt there was so much extra room vertically in there, so I made levels for the chickens to walk up a ramp and can roost on them. There is a mini 2nd and 3rd floor, I used scrap wood. They love it and use it. - I added gutters to the back side (non nesting box side) and the water runs into my rain barrel, which is then given right back to the chickens. I cut PVC in half and attached using J hooks. - If you are in a cold climate, maybe think about having the coop walls extended out so the nesting boxes are more insulated and there isn't open air below them. A lot of our eggs are freezing in these cold temps, even though we have proper bedding.
I have literally been STRESSING for MONTHS on which coop to build and how. It all has been so overwhelming with all the options and I couldn't find plans for what we wanted... Thank you for what you do!!! This simplified everything into bite sized pieces. Now I feel ready to build!
@@AprilWilkerson I ordered my plans but still haven't received the PDF. I emailed earlier today but I know you must receive hundreds a day! Hoping I can reach out here and get it resolved. Thank you!
It's been remarkable to see your progress on RUclips. This was the girl I watched making a DIY key fob some years ago in her shared workspace/garage and answered to my reply about being inspired to make one. Nice job April. #longtimefollower
@@AprilWilkerson， I made this project last month. How can I find the chicken sign you made? Can you have me a link. I can't find on your website. Thanks.
Hi. We built this coop and run 6 months ago in June, 2020 and this is our unsolicited 6 month update. We are in upstate New York, and average around 96" of snow a year. It's not "freeze you standing up" Minnesota or Alaska cold every day, but windy and snowy it is. We love the design and the plans are fairly easy to follow. Pros: large coop and run (from subsequent video), required only common hand tools and basic power tools to build. Amateur levels of skill, we really didn't struggle figuring it out. It came together fairly quickly. We bought that little pocket-hole jig, some more clamps because you can never have too many clamps and a fresh blade for the table saw and chop saw, that's really all the tools we bought and I've used them all since on other projects. The plans were absolutely well worth the modest cost. That said, I would consider some changes and you can see the features I would change in the video. 03 seconds into the video, pause it and behind April's right elbow is the trim on the nesting box lid. This collects water runoff from the roof and can feed that run off into the nesting boxes. We caulked the crap out of the edge (all joints, went through two tubes of caulk over the whole coop) and now the water pools on the lid but doesn't run into the nesting box. I would consider extending that second roof to overhang the nesting box more, just continue it another 8" or so, that would cut down on everything but wind blown rain and snow landing on the box lid. 28 seconds to 30 seconds, April opens the lower side window. The lower runner that side window slides along collects debris (poop and bedding) and makes the window impossible to open or close if clogged. We just shop-vac it out before change of seasons and scrape with a scraper that we store in the coop stuck in one of the cross braces on the opposite wall for scraping poop off of surfaces when we stir the bedding. We're considering how to redesign this slide so that it's inaccessible to the birds from above, like hanging the window from rollers from above with no lower slide slot OR restricting the birds somehow from sitting close to the end wall of the run, it's really not worth spending money to fix. 9:40 April is introducing the second video, note the trim on the left and right corners of the nesting box. It's kind of tapered. That was a pain to get right, once it's right it looks really nice. For the run, we used 2' wide hardware cloth, and changed the design to have the studs 2' on center so we could staple them to the studs. The hardware cloth was the biggest expense of the whole project, more than the lumber cost. Finally, we built frames to protect the under-the-coop area and run from wind and snow out of 2x2s, and covered them with 6mil clear plastic sheeting, three for the under the coop area, one for the back of the run, one for the end, three for the door side, then screwed the frames to the coop and the walls of the run leaving about 6" above the frame of the run for air circulation. It works great, the chickens love the under the coop area if it snows, they don't get frozen or have to tread in snow. They use the under-the-coop area for dust bathing. We use the deep litter method in the coop with about 6" of industrial hemp bedding, scraping the surfaces and stirring every other day or so. We throw hay and straw in the run to keep them clean and rake it out once in a while (toss in garden) to clean it. In the spring, we plan to double the run by creating a mirror image of it and adding it to the other side. If I had to build it again, I would probably extend that roof section and find a way to protect any flat surface in the coop to prevent build up of chicken poop.
April, I have researched A LOT of coop designs, and this is by far the best I have seen! I love how everything is at standing height (for my bad back) and the clean out for the bedding looks SO much easier to use than the sliding tray that I have (gets clogged with litter almost immediately). Way to go - I am definitely buying your plans for Coop 2.0!
I am just completing the building of this coop from the plans I purchased from you. The design and instructions are great for my needs and easy to follow.
Thank you April l got mine built mainly by listening to you. However l did it with reclaimed lumber, and what l had laying around. No shop, just a drill and a skill saw all done outside with plenty of mosquitoes. It took a few days. Once again thank you.
Love this, April. You're incredible. Just bought the plans for the compact coop and I'm going to build it with my 18 year old daughter and 16 year old son. Thanks from Galt, CA.
A little bit late at this point, but you can also use a sheet of cheap lineol...linoelum...vinyl flooring on the bottom of the coop to both protect the wood since you are doing deep litter, and to also make cleanup a snap when you do go to swap the litter.
I always enjoy watching April's videos, she is such a hard-working very skilful individual and always does a really professional job no matter what. An inspiration to us all!
Λατρεύω να βλέπω τις δημιουργίες σου τον τρόπο που σκέφτεσαι και οργανώνεις την κάθε μια εργασία σου πολύ καλός ο εξοπλισμός σου όπως και το υπέροχο μαγαζί σου τελικά αν αγαπάς αυτό που θέλεις να κάνεις θα το κάνεις καλά πολλά μπράβο συνέχισε δυνατά να χαιρόμαστε οι θαυμαστές σου φιλιά από Ελλάδα.
I started with one much bigger for my 10 chickens and after the first year built our own. 12’x17’ plus we added a 6’x17’ covered porch the next year. Electricity, running water with sink, screened windows for air circulation, auto poop door, and auto waterer. Run is 25’x40’ with wire 12” deep below ground to keep predators out. This year we added cameras for inside and porch area so I can check on them any time. Love my girls and they are definitely spoiled 😀
I used this design to build my coop. Made a few changes because of different end goal. I decided to make the nesting boxes double row. The nesting box is fixed to righthand rear 4x4 post using gate hinges. It swings out which allows me to clean out the coop
I want to be like you when I grow up. I could do my own honey do list 😋 you really are inspirational. It looks so easy, but it goes to show the benefit of having the right tools, the right space, the right plan and lack of fear. Your experience shows, and gives me hope that eventually, I can do my own projects. I won't be climbing on top of my coops though lol. Too dang old! Thank you April!
Great job April, really like the way you're able to build in the shop or make a pre-fab kit then go set it up. You've come a long ways and like your folks and hubby we are proud of you too. Thanks for sharing.
I’m building this after holding off due to COVID lumber prices. Kid you not it’s 40% cheaper thanks to waiting. We get a lot of wind so the base 4x4 legs are same size(above ground)but the extra length gets it 18” underground.
My family lives north of Austin, where my four year old daughter and I love watching your videos together. She gets so excited any time you mention Texas. This is from her: “Thank you for inventing these videos and I like them. I want to invent some videos for you, but when I’m older. By Olivia 🐙😳🍭🍭🐙” She likes emojis. Thanks so much for being a positive role model.
this is so great now my children know how to build a chicken coop because they have wanted to have a chicken for ever because right now they are in the same cage as the 3 birds
We build this coop and improvised a guillotine door for the birds. I installed a pulley at the top above the door so that a cable can pull horizontally along the roof inside to open the door. I got a 12 inch 12v linear actuator from amazon, a 120v photo cell controller, a 12v power supply and a 120v HY-2 60 minute delay relay. The photo cell turns on at dark, the H3Y-2 delay relay waits up to 60 minutes after dark to finally activate. Since the relay is DPDT, it’s easy to wire the contacts up to reverse polarity to the linear actuator. When the photocell and relay are ON, the linear actuator lowers the door (down). The door is on a 1/8” cable so it just drops. If a bird gets caught under it, no problem- it’s only the weight of the door panel. When dawn comes, the photocell shuts off and the linear actuator pulls the door up.
April, be sure to stake the coup down with a steel stake at each corner , wind will blow the coup down very easy and brake your eggs, there goes your breakfast.
Love the coop! Built my own a year ago and I would recommend adding a few more "steps" to the ramp to give the chickens more places to grip as they're climbing up and down. The angle may also be a little steep too. Looks great otherwise.
Nice - An observation, we had about 16 girls at one time and the coop is about 4 by 8 but our nesting boxes are on the inside! Also your nesting access lid has a long hinge area. You're probably going to want to cover that with something. Our Texas downpours are going to go through that flat joint and get the boxes wet. The girls don't really like wet nests! Looks good, waiting to see part two!
This helps me in getting hints on making our chicken coop again, the snow blizzard ruined it earlier this year and I'm now looking for decent tutorials on how to do it myself. Thank you.
Have you considered putting wheels on the coop? That way in the Texas summers you could move the chickens to the shade under a tree. I spent 2 months (June & July) in Lubbock, when I was in the service. TOO TOO HOT!!!!!!! Thanks for the videos, keep them coming 😊
lots of work i started with 9 about 8 years ago now i have 2 left they have free range during the day and they go in when it gets dark and we lock them in safe. First one i got rid of was the 1 rooster i had very agressive. Fox got some of course!
I worked 40 years on elevators. I love my tools. I am a tool hoe. You have lots of nice tools. Most of the ladies and white collar crews have only a limited amount of tools to work with. They could use examples of what and how to improvise like using your diagonal cutters instead of a cutoff wheel. Then using safety equipment because they are inexperienced and more likely to be a weekend warrior causality. Great design and project. Nice job.
Super design! Love deep litter method,and the lino liner to keep the ply dry from MariaRosey. Can you make a plan addition for a rollout egg box with an exterior access for cleaner eggs and to keep the girls from breaking or eating them?
You have more building talent in your pinkey then in my whole body FML. If you want more chickens later just simply make another one and space it out and enclose both in chicken wire. Awesome video as always.
Nah, I doubt that's true. I just put all my focus into this. : ) If anybody else did the same, then they would have the same results I'm sure. Glad you enjoyed it!
I am so impressed. Beyond sharing the same love of Milwaukee, you have amazing shop. Online presence awesome, great job catching the right camera angle and just a pleasure to watch. Please keep them up and congrats on sponsors!
A scrap piece of sheet "linoleum" flooring, stapled around the edge, will prolong the life of your wood coop floor. Even though you will be deep littering, moisture does seep down. Have fun - chickens are great.
April, I wish your plans had the lettered cuts marked on the individual step pages, instead of just on the cut lists. I know it's color coordinated, but some of those colors are so close! I just started building the coop and I have all the materials I need for the coop and the run. I'm a beginner, and keep flipping back and forth between cut lists and build diagrams.
Will they free range during the day. nice to have an enclosed yard you can move. I think they call them a chicken tractor. Super nice coop. Should kee the critter out. Love the clean out system. Very clever!
I love everything about this coop except for the roof. I'm in Hawai'i and we get so much rain so I'll need bigger eaves. Thank you for this video - was super helpful and enjoyable to watch. You explain the building process very well!
Great Job!!! I am going to try to make one! Thank you for creating this video. I have watched the Carolina Coop video, but can't afford one of those right now. Also I can't build something too big myself, but this size I can do. I appreciate you!
Solid work. Did you use a forklift to move it from the workshop? I mean it would be super heavy. If I were to build it, I'd build it in my garage/workshop in modules and then fit it all together on location. A bit easier to manage such a big heavy built.
For the hardware cloth you should frame it in because I had it like this and the a racoon killed 22 chickens. Great looking. I am going to build this in the spring!
I don't want to sound like a troll, but I never would have used spacers and clamps to make the roof have even spacing! I would have gone up and down the ladder 30 times, drank a couple cokes, ate a bag of chips, a sandwich, another coke, and a kit Kate chased with another coke and been ready for bed. And a suger check. With that being said I must say, that is genius (if you could play a video of Tracy Morgan saying genius). Over the time that I've been watching your video content you have exhibited some of the most stellar examples of "work smart, not hard" I have ever seen!
Question? What is part V in the plans? We have V leftover that I can't figure out where they go :) What is V? It's two 2x4s ripped in 1/2 and 39" long each. We bought the plans for the coup and run, and are building it using basic tools. We have an old miter saw, table saw, drills/drivers, tape measures, T square, speed square etc a very modest collection of tools, we also have a compressor and a little pneumatic finish nailer, and borrowed a pneumatic framing nailer. We did purchase a new pocket jig to cut the holes for driving screws, which is a great tool to own and probably the best $30 I've spent in a long while, and new saw blades and bits (because you can never have enough of those). I'll post a comment in reply to this one with the full cost. We are almost done building it. Today, we level the four corner post pads and move it into place while it's not too heavy to lift with 4 people, then sheath the exterior, paint the trim and attach.
Is part V the two pieces that hold the runners in place for the side window? I'm also working from the blueprints. Am I missing something or is the 3/4" strips used for runners not on the materials list?
I used to have chickens. Then the fox 🦊 had chickens. It was great while it lasted. I just built a tractor coop. This is like a mansion. Mine was more like a double wide. 🤣
Find the Plans to build this project here! bit.ly/2yub1kF
I happened on this site by accident and cannot tell you how happy I did. What an amazing and entertain ing young lady.Just watching her videos makes me feel good about young people.
Super talented and well spoken. I will not miss any of her videos now.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.
I bought April’s plans and just got done building the coop. If anyone is interested it took me about 3 full weekends to build. I’m handy but definitely don’t do carpentry full time so you might can do it faster. I have a table saw but everything else was hand tools (I need a nail gun lol). Counting up my receipts I spent around $580 on materials. Between watching her video lots of times and the plans it was pretty straight forward build. Now I just need to get chickens!
What size nails did you use
question.. plywood.. is it 51 and 1/8th? or 56 and 1/8th? on cut list.. it says 51.. on plans.. it says 56... thanks
I built this 2 years ago and we are quite happy with it. Thank you April! It has held up strong for the chickens, ducks, and goose. We get a fair amount of rain and a few good snows in Missouri. If you have any questions on the build, I will be glad to help in any way. A few modifications I made are below, although I'm sure there are more than I can remember.
- My wife had me double the size before I even had the walls framed, go figure.
- I made every side removable, except for the coop door side. I even made the panels below the nesting boxes removable. This is to assist with easy cleaning and access. I used barrel bolts, one on each corner.
- The roof above the nesting boxes is too short IMO. The water runs right off the roof and lands on the nesting boxes lid. Luckily, water does not go inside coop, but I have green algae marks all over the top of the nesting boxes. I suggest extending that roof portion out over the nesting boxes so water runs onto the ground, in lieu of the nesting boxes.
- I added windows where needed, pretty much every side has a window
- I dropped the coop door to floor level, was more ideal. Also think about if you're going to add an electric door (solar is possible), might want to make it to size.
- I tiled the bottom floor and bottom section of vertical 2x4. This was such a clutch decision that I do not regret. Bedding and poop slides right off the tile, opposed to getting stuck to wood. I glued them down and pushed them together, then sealed seams with water proof caulk. If you need to get a hose in there you can feel good about not soaking the wood floor. Facebook market place has cheap tiles.
- I felt there was so much extra room vertically in there, so I made levels for the chickens to walk up a ramp and can roost on them. There is a mini 2nd and 3rd floor, I used scrap wood. They love it and use it.
- I added gutters to the back side (non nesting box side) and the water runs into my rain barrel, which is then given right back to the chickens. I cut PVC in half and attached using J hooks.
- If you are in a cold climate, maybe think about having the coop walls extended out so the nesting boxes are more insulated and there isn't open air below them. A lot of our eggs are freezing in these cold temps, even though we have proper bedding.
I have literally been STRESSING for MONTHS on which coop to build and how. It all has been so overwhelming with all the options and I couldn't find plans for what we wanted... Thank you for what you do!!! This simplified everything into bite sized pieces. Now I feel ready to build!
Awesome! That's great to hear. Enjoy the Build!
@@AprilWilkerson I ordered my plans but still haven't received the PDF. I emailed earlier today but I know you must receive hundreds a day! Hoping I can reach out here and get it resolved. Thank you!
It's been remarkable to see your progress on RUclips. This was the girl I watched making a DIY key fob some years ago in her shared workspace/garage and answered to my reply about being inspired to make one. Nice job April. #longtimefollower
Awesome! Glad you're still along for the ride and enjoying the Content. Cheers!
@@AprilWilkerson， I made this project last month. How can I find the chicken sign you made? Can you have me a link. I can't find on your website. Thanks.
Hi. We built this coop and run 6 months ago in June, 2020 and this is our unsolicited 6 month update. We are in upstate New York, and average around 96" of snow a year. It's not "freeze you standing up" Minnesota or Alaska cold every day, but windy and snowy it is. We love the design and the plans are fairly easy to follow. Pros: large coop and run (from subsequent video), required only common hand tools and basic power tools to build. Amateur levels of skill, we really didn't struggle figuring it out. It came together fairly quickly. We bought that little pocket-hole jig, some more clamps because you can never have too many clamps and a fresh blade for the table saw and chop saw, that's really all the tools we bought and I've used them all since on other projects. The plans were absolutely well worth the modest cost. That said, I would consider some changes and you can see the features I would change in the video. 03 seconds into the video, pause it and behind April's right elbow is the trim on the nesting box lid. This collects water runoff from the roof and can feed that run off into the nesting boxes. We caulked the crap out of the edge (all joints, went through two tubes of caulk over the whole coop) and now the water pools on the lid but doesn't run into the nesting box. I would consider extending that second roof to overhang the nesting box more, just continue it another 8" or so, that would cut down on everything but wind blown rain and snow landing on the box lid. 28 seconds to 30 seconds, April opens the lower side window. The lower runner that side window slides along collects debris (poop and bedding) and makes the window impossible to open or close if clogged. We just shop-vac it out before change of seasons and scrape with a scraper that we store in the coop stuck in one of the cross braces on the opposite wall for scraping poop off of surfaces when we stir the bedding. We're considering how to redesign this slide so that it's inaccessible to the birds from above, like hanging the window from rollers from above with no lower slide slot OR restricting the birds somehow from sitting close to the end wall of the run, it's really not worth spending money to fix. 9:40 April is introducing the second video, note the trim on the left and right corners of the nesting box. It's kind of tapered. That was a pain to get right, once it's right it looks really nice. For the run, we used 2' wide hardware cloth, and changed the design to have the studs 2' on center so we could staple them to the studs. The hardware cloth was the biggest expense of the whole project, more than the lumber cost. Finally, we built frames to protect the under-the-coop area and run from wind and snow out of 2x2s, and covered them with 6mil clear plastic sheeting, three for the under the coop area, one for the back of the run, one for the end, three for the door side, then screwed the frames to the coop and the walls of the run leaving about 6" above the frame of the run for air circulation. It works great, the chickens love the under the coop area if it snows, they don't get frozen or have to tread in snow. They use the under-the-coop area for dust bathing. We use the deep litter method in the coop with about 6" of industrial hemp bedding, scraping the surfaces and stirring every other day or so. We throw hay and straw in the run to keep them clean and rake it out once in a while (toss in garden) to clean it. In the spring, we plan to double the run by creating a mirror image of it and adding it to the other side. If I had to build it again, I would probably extend that roof section and find a way to protect any flat surface in the coop to prevent build up of chicken poop.
About how much did this cost you?
@@celina4243 in June 2020, almost $1500 in total and probably $250 or $300 of it was hardware cloth alone.
April, I have researched A LOT of coop designs, and this is by far the best I have seen! I love how everything is at standing height (for my bad back) and the clean out for the bedding looks SO much easier to use than the sliding tray that I have (gets clogged with litter almost immediately). Way to go - I am definitely buying your plans for Coop 2.0!
Great design. I’ve seen a lot of smaller coops but the pass through sweep out is extra good. This woman is a great builder. What a lady!
I am just completing the building of this coop from the plans I purchased from you. The design and instructions are great for my needs and easy to follow.
Thank you, April, so happy to have had your help building our first coop - which turned out amazing!
Thank you April l got mine built mainly by listening to you. However l did it with reclaimed lumber, and what l had laying around. No shop, just a drill and a skill saw all done outside with plenty of mosquitoes. It took a few days. Once again thank you.
Love this, April. You're incredible. Just bought the plans for the compact coop and I'm going to build it with my 18 year old daughter and 16 year old son. Thanks from Galt, CA.
Wonderful! Enjoy the build and the experience. Thanks for watching.
A little bit late at this point, but you can also use a sheet of cheap lineol...linoelum...vinyl flooring on the bottom of the coop to both protect the wood since you are doing deep litter, and to also make cleanup a snap when you do go to swap the litter.
Pleased to say that I'm not disappointed. I am learning. Thank you for sharing.
I always enjoy watching April's videos, she is such a hard-working very skilful individual and always does a really professional job no matter what. An inspiration to us all!
Λατρεύω να βλέπω τις δημιουργίες σου τον τρόπο που σκέφτεσαι και οργανώνεις την κάθε μια εργασία σου πολύ καλός ο εξοπλισμός σου όπως και το υπέροχο μαγαζί σου τελικά αν αγαπάς αυτό που θέλεις να κάνεις θα το κάνεις καλά πολλά μπράβο συνέχισε δυνατά να χαιρόμαστε οι θαυμαστές σου φιλιά από Ελλάδα.
LOVE IT!! Great Job!!! It really is nice to see a woman be this creative in a DIY video!!!
I'm blown away by your awesomeness, they don't make them like you.
I started with one much bigger for my 10 chickens and after the first year built our own. 12’x17’ plus we added a 6’x17’ covered porch the next year. Electricity, running water with sink, screened windows for air circulation, auto poop door, and auto waterer. Run is 25’x40’ with wire 12” deep below ground to keep predators out. This year we added cameras for inside and porch area so I can check on them any time. Love my girls and they are definitely spoiled 😀
GREAT job as usual and April really likes to stay on top of her projects, literally on top. Even with well practiced dance moves.
: ) Ha, yeah sometimes it's just quicker to climb up and get the job done.
I used this design to build my coop. Made a few changes because of different end goal. I decided to make the nesting boxes double row. The nesting box is fixed to righthand rear 4x4 post using gate hinges. It swings out which allows me to clean out the coop
I want to be like you when I grow up. I could do my own honey do list 😋 you really are inspirational. It looks so easy, but it goes to show the benefit of having the right tools, the right space, the right plan and lack of fear. Your experience shows, and gives me hope that eventually, I can do my own projects. I won't be climbing on top of my coops though lol. Too dang old! Thank you April!
Awesome coop! You can also use planer/jointer shavings as straw for the chicken's beding.
Wow What a lady she is .. Absolutely brilliant :)
You are so much fun to watch build stuff, you remind me 110% like my wife but you have cooler toys! Please keep up the super work and sharing with us!
Great job April, really like the way you're able to build in the shop or make a pre-fab kit then go set it up. You've come a long ways and like your folks and hubby we are proud of you too. Thanks for sharing.
I’m building this after holding off due to COVID lumber prices. Kid you not it’s 40% cheaper thanks to waiting. We get a lot of wind so the base 4x4 legs are same size(above ground)but the extra length gets it 18” underground.
My wife’s been asking for me to build a coop! Thanks for the excellent video and plans!! Now...just to find time to build it!
My family lives north of Austin, where my four year old daughter and I love watching your videos together. She gets so excited any time you mention Texas. This is from her: “Thank you for inventing these videos and I like them. I want to invent some videos for you, but when I’m older. By Olivia 🐙😳🍭🍭🐙”
She likes emojis. Thanks so much for being a positive role model.
Awesome! That's great to hear! Give her a big hug and a High Five from me! Cheers!
This one is going to come in handy in the near future. Because I love chickens, the pets that poop breakfast.
: ) hahaha yes, the pets that poop breakfast.
@@AprilWilkerson Great video. I shared it to my groups and page.
this is so great now my children know how to build a chicken coop because they have wanted to have a chicken for ever because right now they are in the same cage as the 3 birds
Great job April. Live your passion to work with wood. I love wood as well.
Steak and Eggs every morning! Right April??? This looks like a fun build, and it is a fun video to watch. Awesome Video!
We build this coop and improvised a guillotine door for the birds. I installed a pulley at the top above the door so that a cable can pull horizontally along the roof inside to open the door. I got a 12 inch 12v linear actuator from amazon, a 120v photo cell controller, a 12v power supply and a 120v HY-2 60 minute delay relay. The photo cell turns on at dark, the H3Y-2 delay relay waits up to 60 minutes after dark to finally activate. Since the relay is DPDT, it’s easy to wire the contacts up to reverse polarity to the linear actuator. When the photocell and relay are ON, the linear actuator lowers the door (down). The door is on a 1/8” cable so it just drops. If a bird gets caught under it, no problem- it’s only the weight of the door panel. When dawn comes, the photocell shuts off and the linear actuator pulls the door up.
We started today this project! Thanks for providing plans on your website and having your video instructions really help.
What is the approximate cost of the build? Thank you for sharing this!
I just got through building my coop and run. Wish I'd seen your video before starting. Mines a little bigger but I like yours better. Good job!
Very nice video April. I'm in the process of building my chicken run and would love the plans for this coop. Very nice work
April, be sure to stake the coup down with a steel stake at each corner , wind will blow the coup down very easy and brake your eggs, there goes your breakfast.
Love the coop! Built my own a year ago and I would recommend adding a few more "steps" to the ramp to give the chickens more places to grip as they're climbing up and down. The angle may also be a little steep too. Looks great otherwise.
انت وأنعم يا أبريل.
سلمت يداك مبدعة .
Nice - An observation, we had about 16 girls at one time and the coop is about 4 by 8 but our nesting boxes are on the inside! Also your nesting access lid has a long hinge area. You're probably going to want to cover that with something. Our Texas downpours are going to go through that flat joint and get the boxes wet. The girls don't really like wet nests! Looks good, waiting to see part two!
This helps me in getting hints on making our chicken coop again, the snow blizzard ruined it earlier this year and I'm now looking for decent tutorials on how to do it myself. Thank you.
The dance on the coop floor was the best part🐓😄
What a beautiful chicken coop! Great project. I'm wanting chickens now!
Have you considered putting wheels on the coop? That way in the Texas summers you could move the chickens to the shade under a tree. I spent 2 months (June & July) in Lubbock, when I was in the service. TOO TOO HOT!!!!!!! Thanks for the videos, keep them coming 😊
Got your plans, starting tomorrow with my boys, now that they're off for Christmas. Love your channel!
How did your coop turn out?
@@jfuentes9188 great, got chicks in it two weeks ago
lots of work i started with 9 about 8 years ago now i have 2 left they have free range during the day and they go in when it gets dark and we lock them in safe. First one i got rid of was the 1 rooster i had very agressive. Fox got some of course!
جمال واناقه ونظافه ورشاقة وشغله يخبل
I worked 40 years on elevators. I love my tools. I am a tool hoe. You have lots of nice tools. Most of the ladies and white collar crews have only a limited amount of tools to work with. They could use examples of what and how to improvise like using your diagonal cutters instead of a cutoff wheel. Then using safety equipment because they are inexperienced and more likely to be a weekend warrior causality. Great design and project. Nice job.
Hello, congratulation, very very wonderfull. I'm from italy and i admire your works .
A wonderful and outstanding work worthy of five stars
Great project as usual, April, but young lady... Dust mask! We need you around for a long time!
Really need the plans for your chicken coop build, ASAP! Thanks
Super design! Love deep litter method,and the lino liner to keep the ply dry from MariaRosey. Can you make a plan addition for a rollout egg box with an exterior access for cleaner eggs and to keep the girls from breaking or eating them?
You have more building talent in your pinkey then in my whole body FML. If you want more chickens later just simply make another one and space it out and enclose both in chicken wire. Awesome video as always.
Nah, I doubt that's true. I just put all my focus into this. : ) If anybody else did the same, then they would have the same results I'm sure. Glad you enjoyed it!
I am so impressed. Beyond sharing the same love of Milwaukee, you have amazing shop. Online presence awesome, great job catching the right camera angle and just a pleasure to watch. Please keep them up and congrats on sponsors!
A scrap piece of sheet "linoleum" flooring, stapled around the edge, will prolong the life of your wood coop floor. Even though you will be deep littering, moisture does seep down. Have fun - chickens are great.
Mariarosey That is exactly what we did with our chicken coop about 7 years ago. The floor still looks great!
could add a 'tv tray' with a linoleum bottom to easily pull out all the litter to dump at once and not have to sweep
I was thinking the same thing. I think I'll use some scrap linoleum or the 12x12 pieces and just be super diligent about cleaning it out.
Thanks for the tip!
Great advice, thank you!
You go girl! I'm venturing into raising raising chickens. These ideas are awesome. Thanks!
You are so welcome! Glad you found it useful.
I never felt so useless until I saw this video and this shop, wow! 😮
Lol yes so true
Thank you your video was so helpful I recently purchased 6 baby chickens from Ace and downloaded your plans I am so building this☺
Where do you download the plans ?
Hi Anthony, where can I download/buy the plans? I didn't see a link or anything. Thank you!
Your carpentry also a great you can do all of things 100 + %. Thank you a lot!
Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying my channel. Thanks for watching.
April, I wish your plans had the lettered cuts marked on the individual step pages, instead of just on the cut lists. I know it's color coordinated, but some of those colors are so close! I just started building the coop and I have all the materials I need for the coop and the run. I'm a beginner, and keep flipping back and forth between cut lists and build diagrams.
I can't even use the plans because I'm color blind and can't differentiate the colors
I love the double bottom doors for cleaning. Excellent idea.
Will they free range during the day. nice to have an enclosed yard you can move. I think they call them a chicken tractor. Super nice coop. Should kee the critter out. Love the clean out system. Very clever!
She makes everything look so easy, can you please make an outdoor sink next? If you have done one yet.
Great work! Thanks for taking the time to make, film, edit and share
Just an FYI...snakes Can climb! 1 ft. off the ground is child's play. It's just the way things are. Beautiful looking coop.
In the warmer months, the rafters of my barn usually slither with visitors looking for eggs and chicks.
Good job April. Wish all the best
April !!! Long time no see. You kick ass
I love everything about this coop except for the roof. I'm in Hawai'i and we get so much rain so I'll need bigger eaves. Thank you for this video - was super helpful and enjoyable to watch. You explain the building process very well!
Loooooove your shop and air conditioning! Love your dance moves lol
Dude you are freaking awesome and that coop looks awesome!
: ) Well thanks.
Pssst... She ain't a dude. 🤣
Dudette maybe?
VeritasEstVeritas I don’t care what she is that’s some talent.
@@BirdYoumans as a kid
Great Job!!! I am going to try to make one! Thank you for creating this video. I have watched the Carolina Coop video, but can't afford one of those right now. Also I can't build something too big myself, but this size I can do. I appreciate you!
Thanks for amazing video - do you still use it for chickens and is it working as well as you would like?
Getting stated on our Coop, I like this design.
Congratulations on the 1 million subscribers! Way to go!
April, I admire you!!
Solid work. Did you use a forklift to move it from the workshop? I mean it would be super heavy. If I were to build it, I'd build it in my garage/workshop in modules and then fit it all together on location. A bit easier to manage such a big heavy built.
For the hardware cloth you should frame it in because I had it like this and the a racoon killed 22 chickens. Great looking. I am going to build this in the spring!
I don't want to sound like a troll, but I never would have used spacers and clamps to make the roof have even spacing! I would have gone up and down the ladder 30 times, drank a couple cokes, ate a bag of chips, a sandwich, another coke, and a kit Kate chased with another coke and been ready for bed. And a suger check.
With that being said I must say, that is genius (if you could play a video of Tracy Morgan saying genius). Over the time that I've been watching your video content you have exhibited some of the most stellar examples of "work smart, not hard" I have ever seen!
Feel free to do it anyway you feel comfortable with, but the spacers route worked perfectly. : ) Glad you enjoy the content!
Great job. Fresh eggs are the best!
Thanks for the cute little dance jig, made me smile :)
Me too lol such a badass!🐓bet her chickens did the same lil cha cha!
Great design and easy to follow guide. Thank you April. This is the perfect size for the chickens my wife and I want to get.
What are your thoughts on using OSB to save money? For instance, OSB on the floor and roof would allow me to save valuable plywood for other projects.
This girl is next level.
excellent idea
Thank you
Coop looks great so far.
Nest box access as a drop down front panel rather then a lift up top panel makes cleaning easier and keeps joints and hinges more out of the rain ...
super cool, why are some of the studs facing different directions on the wall frame?
Question? What is part V in the plans? We have V leftover that I can't figure out where they go :) What is V? It's two 2x4s ripped in 1/2 and 39" long each. We bought the plans for the coup and run, and are building it using basic tools. We have an old miter saw, table saw, drills/drivers, tape measures, T square, speed square etc a very modest collection of tools, we also have a compressor and a little pneumatic finish nailer, and borrowed a pneumatic framing nailer. We did purchase a new pocket jig to cut the holes for driving screws, which is a great tool to own and probably the best $30 I've spent in a long while, and new saw blades and bits (because you can never have enough of those). I'll post a comment in reply to this one with the full cost. We are almost done building it. Today, we level the four corner post pads and move it into place while it's not too heavy to lift with 4 people, then sheath the exterior, paint the trim and attach.
Is part V the two pieces that hold the runners in place for the side window? I'm also working from the blueprints. Am I missing something or is the 3/4" strips used for runners not on the materials list?
I haven't built a chicken coop in over forty years your video makes me want to build another.
I'll admit this is a fun build. : )
Juvenal Jaimes
Thank you so much
What size plywood did you use ?
Can you make a video on how to build an adjustable standing table? Awesome videos!
I used to have chickens. Then the fox 🦊 had chickens. It was great while it lasted. I just built a tractor coop. This is like a mansion. Mine was more like a double wide. 🤣
I have those now I bought them thank you very much again and wish me break a leg take care
It's so nice to see a woman building all these things!!!!!!
I like your chicken coops .Very cool.
As always a very well made video. I have learnt soo much from watching your videos from the bed all the way till now. Thank you.
With more than 2 doors shouldn't that be a chicken sedan?
Dave in MD it’s smaller than the first one she made, so it’s a compact chicken sedan
@@jwharris417 Ah, got it. I prefer a full sized chicken sedan myself. More room to flap about.
I've been studying building coops and found a great website at coop magic tactic (check it out on google)
@@argenisacosta8296 that site looks super spammy, did you find success?
I love it when a plan comes together . Great job 👍