Now that you Built your $30 Chicken Coop in 30 Minutes we will make a Rear Ski, Rope Handle and Corner Seats for the Feeder & Waterer that will make the Coop easy to move.
Congratulations Modern Steader on Building your $30 Chicken Coop in 30 minutes. The question is, did you beat the time? Now that the structure is built we have some DIY hacks for your $30 chicken coop that will make it easy to move and really soup up the coop! You will be dragging it around your yard in no time! Moving the chickens to fresh grass daily, you are on your way to providing the best chicken you can for you and your family! While having the added bonus of fertilizing your lawn for free! Down below are the directions for the rear ski, rope handle option that makes the coop easy to move, we will make 2 corner seats for your waterer and feeder. The corner seats also add a lot of strength to the coop.
If you missed the Post on Building the $30 Chicken Coop in 30 minutes I linked it here for you.
In another post and video, we will build an automatic feeder and waterer for the $30 chicken coop in 30 minutes.
DIY Chicken Coop Hacks Video
$30 Dollar Coop In 30 minutes Accessory Instructions Part 1
Materials needed are available at any major lumber retailer, such as Menards, Lowes, Home Depot.
Materials List:
2~ 6-foot green treated dog ear fence pickets 72”x5.5”x5/8”.
1~ 36” green treated deck spindle 36”x1.25”x1.25”
1~ 6×8 White Tarp
Hardware listed below is a suggestion & you can use hardware you may have on hand to suit your needs
36~ 1.5-inch construction screws
42~ 9/16” wafer head screws
1~ Twelve-foot piece of ½” rope
Tool List Below, you can substitute tools listed based on tools you currently own
- Miter Saw or Miter box or circular saw or hand saw
- Cordless drill or corded drill or screwdriver and hand drill
- ½” Drill bit
- Clamp
Step 1: Rear Ski for the coop to slide on when moving & Rope Handle.
Start by cutting the 36” deck spindle into 6 pieces that are each 5 ¾” long. Two of them will be used for this step, the other four pieces are for a different step. Butt one piece up against the inside of the left vertical deck spindle and flush it up against the bottom of the rear bottom picket as shown in the photo.
Install it using two 1.5” screws, screwing through the rear picket into the 5 ¾” board. Repeat this same step for the rear right side. Then lay 1 fence picket flush to the bottoms of the 2 vertical deck spindles. The excess picket should be hanging out of the rear of the coop sticking out 3 3/8” past the coop. Attach to vertical deck spindles on each side using one 1 ½” screw per side. Now it should be secure in place.
Makes the Coop Glide So Easy
Now you will also attach the fence picket to the two 5 ¾” boards you just installed to the rear picket board. Attach picket ski using three 1 ½” screws per 5 ¾” board. This way if you spaced your screws correctly, your 3 screws on the bottom will not run into the 2 screws you installed previously. After completing this step your ski should be very strongly secured to the base of the coop, able to handle the weight of the coop, feeder, and waterer when sliding across the grass in your yard.
Installing the Rope Handle
Now get your drill ready with a ½” drill bit. Measure over 1 ¾” on both sides of the 2 front vertical spindle ends Measure down half the distance of the picket which is 2 ¾”. Drill your 4 holes as shown in the photo. Send one end of your rope through the front picket around the spindle and out the rear side of the coop. Then bring it back to the front picket and tie a tight knot. This will make for a very strong grip on the rope. It will also keep direct pulling off of any one piece of wood and all 3 pieces of wood will bear the load together.
Step 2: Installing the corner seats for the two 5 gallon buckets to rest on.
You will be using the remaining four 5 ¾” pieces for this step. Measuring from the inside of the front vertical deck spindles mark a line 14 inches from the inside of the spindle across to both the front picket and the side picket. You will do this for both the left side and the right side of the front panel as shown in the photo. After marking your four 14” marks, place each of the 5 ¾” boards on the inside of each of your 4 marks and install them flush to the base of the pickets using three 1 ½” screws per 5 ¾” board. Screw through the pickets into the 5 ¾” boards.
Now take your last 72” picket and cut 2 pieces 26” long with a 45-degree angle on both ends as shown in the picture. If you cut it correctly or if you are using a hand or circular saw your back measurement should be 15 inches on the narrow side of your angle cut. Place each board into the corners and flush them to the outside edge of the 5/8” fence pickets. This will make them use both the pickets and the 5 ¾” boards for support to hold the weight of the feeder and waterer. Now install them by screwing two 1 ½” screws into each 5 ¾” board, 6 screws total per seat.
When you install your Feeder and Water
Now center a bucket on each seat. Take the handle and raise it up until it rests up against the vertical deck spindle. You will attach the handle to the deck spindle to lock the bucket into place so it does not move when your transport the coop. If your bucket has a plastic handle grip screw through the grip with a 1 ½” screw and attach it to the spindle. If it does not have a plastic grip use wire or any strapping material to attach it with a screw.
Securing the Bucket to the Seat, Don’t screw into the bucket.
Now to further secure it to the seat so it does not move when transporting coop you will install 4 1 ½” screw to the seat picket that butt up to the bucket on the front and sides. One on each side of the bucket and 2 more towards the front. Make sure they butt up flush to the bucket. If you were to put the 2 screws just in the middle of the bucket the bucket could still slide forward. Screw each screw into the seat only and only screw it halfway in. They will act as pegs sticking out to secure your bucket and keep it from moving forward and from side to side.
Step 3: 6’x8’ Tarp roof installation.
Using screws is essential as you will need to replace the tarp every 2 to 5 years. Install tarp as shown in the photo using forty-two 9/16” long pan head screws. The door and hinges will function correctly with the tarp installed. Make sure when installing the tarp to start about 2 inches behind your duplex nail door pins. There should be about 5 feet 10 inches of the 8-foot side of the tarp on the roof and 2 feet 2 inches on the rear side of the coop.
You are finished with installing the first of the add-on accessories for the $30 Chicken Coop in 30 minutes. Click here to build the Automatic Water.
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