Building a Chicken Coop from Trees
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Backyard chickens are a wonderful homestead addition to help one achieve self-sufficiency. To go even further in sustainability, building a chicken coop from trees can be a rewarding project for an advanced beginner to a competent carpenter.
Mike Harris uses his homestead, called Tennessee Millworx at The Ole Blueberry Farm, to do enough work to cover his lumber hobby. He uses a Wood Mizer LT40 to cut pretty much everything including his materials for his new chicken coop. With Tennessee storms, there are always an ample supply of fallen trees. Harris does not fell any new lumber. He relies on picking up debris and recycling it. As a retired fireman paramedic, his past colleagues are quick to let him know of available wood from their land that Harris is welcome to. He’ll drive up to 60 miles if hickory or walnut is available.
“It’s well worth it,” Harris explains. “I kind of have a different mentality than most of the guys that are out there. Most of the guys are focused on their bottom line. Being retired, I just want to cover my fuel and all my toys,”
His philosophy is zero waste. He’ll cut the wood into slabs for his own projects and the extra will be sold locally online for fence panels, siding, building supplies or firewood. For the first 42 years of his life he grew up in California, were you don’t let the water run too long when you’re in the shower and you turn the lights off when you’re not in the room, he says. He noticed in Tennessee if a log had a rotten spot or if it wasn’t exactly eight foot six inches, they would leave it behind. So, he would go pick it up and use it.
“I always felt those older trees have more right to be here than I do,” Harris says. “I don’t know where I got it and, and I can’t quite explain it, but, there’s some kind of a majestic attachment. If I can use something on the tree rather than burying it I’ll use it. I don’t know if it’s a respectful thing, but I have a hard time throwing stuff away.”
Building a Chicken Coop From Trees
To use as few resources as possible Harris did not implement a wood kiln for his rustic chicken coop made from trees. He milled the recycled trees and stacked them. As more trees become available, he would mill and stack. Some of the pieces were 2 x 12 white oak. He admits the coop is overbuilt. Those pieces were allowed to dry for about four months. The 1-inch planks dried much quicker, closer to seven weeks. The entire coop was made from white oak for longevity.
Design. “I farmed around on the internet looking for different plans. And then I found a set of plans that kind of suited my needs. And then I just augmented the measurements to fit into what I wanted and how many chickens I wanted.”
Recycled Materials. “All the steel was recycled. The steel on the roof was from a roofing company that they discarded, and the wire was from a cattle company that they discarded. Everything except for the concrete which was left over from somebody else’s job, and then poured for me, was recycled. So it didn’t cost me anything but labor and some fuel on my equipment. So that would probably be the best thing it didn’t cost me money.”
Coop Customization. “For my wife, the best part is the M and M on the front. That’s our initials. I think another great aspect is that the boards flip out on the bottom, so you can wash the coop out without having to go in there. It’s got an automatic gate on it that’s solar powered. And the doors probably weigh 200 pounds cause that’s where I use my my two-inch slabs of oak.
Counting the Chickens. This is the first time that Harris has raised chickens! “We’ve got 13 right now, two roosters and 11 hens, but you know, you start ending up with so many eggs. People ask, how’s your dog’s fur so shiny? It’s because he’s consuming two eggs in the morning and two at night!” The current coop size can hold 4 to 5 more adult standard chickens, Harris estimates.
Timeframe. “Pouring the concrete took a day and framing took another day. I did a lot of custom trim. That’s kind of the fun stuff. And I take my time with that. If I was to bang it out for somebody it would be six or seven days total. I had a lot of fun.”
Changes for Next Time. “I would have increased the height of the nesting boxes by maybe two inches and added one more run on their resting ladder, since they all like to be on that top rung.”
Reducing our environmental footprint by using recycled materials and literal debris is a very noteworthy endeavor. Building a chicken coop from fallen trees is one way we can reduce our need for materials. If you have a sustainable poultry project to share leave a comment below or contact our BYP editor.
Kenny Coogan lives on a permaculture landscape, with a flock of Pekin ducks and runs a carnivorous plant nursery in Tampa, Florida. Listen to him co-host the “Mother Earth News and Friends” podcast at www.motherEarthNews.com/podcast.
