How to Update a Chicken Coop Using Upcycled Materials

If there’s one thing we’ve gotten really good at, it’s reusing materials whenever possible. Not only is it fun to see what can be created, but it also allows us to save money towards things we’re not able to make ourselves. Figuring out how to update a chicken coop is a prime example.

Last summer, my father-in-law’s ingenuity in upcycling several different materials, led to the chickens enjoying a pretty nice coop. I didn’t really have anything to do with the project, other than hold a board once and take pictures. But he’s too humble to say anything, so I figure I’d share on his behalf.

Enjoy the pictures! Perhaps it will spur some farmin’ upcycling ideas of your own! And please excuse my lack of technical language when referencing materials. If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll go ask my father-in-law for specifics! 😄

Trailer “Trash” Beginnings

I wish I could have seen the look on Grandma’s face when Papa came home with a busted up semi-trailer bed declaring it the new chicken coop. I’m sure it resembled mine when I heard about it. Confused, slightly affronted, a tad bit intrigued, and….skeptical. It used to be a refrigerated trailer and was most recently used as an onsite office for a construction company.

I will say it worked well for a few years once set up. The only major draw back, was cleaning it out. Shovel after shovel after shovel. It could have been much worse; however, as we all aged, we agreed it would be nice to have the ability to clean it out via driving the skid loader into it.

Now, I’ll let you in on a secret here. Unless you’re prepared for Papa to charge full steam ahead into any mentioned project, don’t say anything aloud. Keep ideas quietly in your head until ready to proceed. I’m always amazed (in a good way), at how quickly and diligently he works when a project arises. But it also means you better hold onto the seat of your pants!

How to Update a Chicken Coop

Several discussions were had over what other improvements would be nice. Things like a better watering system and nesting boxes were right up there with easier cleaning. Work was set in motion soon after.

A portion of the lean-to being used to store haybales was emptied in preparation of becoming the new coop. A dividing wall was built to close off one side. The front was roughed in to hold the service door, chicken door, and garage door. Good ole Kodi bear was a great foreman!

Walls were insulated and covered with left over siding and demolished road signs. When things were far enough along, windows from the trailer were moved over.

Electrical was upgraded, the electrical panel was cleverly concealed but still allows access, and a water line was dug in.

The concrete floor was poured with the help of friends, family, and a seven year old boy anxious to get dirty “like the big boys”.

When it was ready for chickens, the last two doors were installed. They were kept inside for a couple of days to acclimate to their new space and “recalculate home.”

An Upcycled Chicken Coop

All said and done it took around 4 months. My in-laws worked together to talk about different “pain points” when caring for the chickens and created ways to make them better.

There isn’t big money in farming. Especially when raising animals organically as nature/God intended. The less time we have to spend doing chores, the more time we have to enjoy other things. The updated chicken coop has many user friendly/time saving features. It will also be much easier on everyone physically as we age. Because that may happen at some point, right?!?

gravity fed nutrients

Our chickens have free range on the farm and are fed kitchen scraps and organic feed from troughs. They also get oyster shells from PVC pipe mounted to the wall. The shells stay cleaner and last longer without being spread all over the floor. Easy access to refill from the top when needed. (Full tube pictured in the next section.)

easy water management

Lugging 5 gallon buckets of water from the far side of the barn to the trailer was perhaps the second biggest pain. Did it make us stronger? Absolutely! However, this new management system is much more efficient.

Gravity for the win again! The used, food grade barrel is held up via wall mounted brackets, (also made from left over scraps). It’s easily filled by a hose connected to the new water line. From there, water flows down a different hose into a PVC pipe with chicken nipple waterers on it (that’s an official term, I think water nozzles is easier, but I’m no expert!)

second hand garage door

It always helps to have family and friends in various fields of work. Especially when answering the question of how to update the chicken coop without spending a ton of money. When you need something, you can send out a BOLO. The garage door is dinged up here and there, but I don’t think the chickens mind. The price was right!

It’s perfect for allowing the skid loader entrance to scrape up the bedding. Many a back are thankful. The automatic chicken door (small white rectangle in-between the larger doors) and glass service door were both reused from the trailer.

feed storage

Nothing fancy here, just a large rubber tote to hold a few bags of feed and the scoops. The most technical part are the latches on either side to hold the top down. A good rain every now and then helps clean it off. (Insert cheeky grin!)

Our helpers on the other hand can rack up a pretty expensive food bill. But they dive right in and look for opportunities to “help Gram” and “build muscles!”

One Profitable Indulgence

If you would like to spend a couple hours washing eggs, every few days, please raise your hand? What, no takers??? Honestly, me neither! I don’t collect eggs very often, but even I can tell the “The Best Nest Box” has made a difference (left side of picture).

The eggs stay much cleaner, thanks to the sloping floor. The percentage of eggs breaking is lower because the hens can’t reach them. In addition, the perch bar can be rotated up after collecting eggs, which keeps the nesting area less messy. Because as you can see in the second and third picture – they don’t really care where they poop! Cleaner eggs means less time washing.

All in all, the money used to figure out how to update a chicken coop was well spent. The chickens seem happier, and the farmers are definitely happier.

I lost track of how many times I heard the phrase, “See? There’s a reason you ALWAYS hang onto scrap pieces!” Which has proved profitable for just about every project we’ve done while living on the farm. I grew up a city girl with not much extra room; so I guess I’ll just let my need to immediately declutter slide when it comes to these matters.

P.S. If you’re local and looking for a source of free-range, organic, soy-free eggs, send me a message!