Repurposed Desk Mini-Coop

At the same time I purchased the side table to create Rosie’s broody coop, I also bought an old desk for $9 to make a small grow-out coop for the 7 non-broody-reared chicks.  After a rather annoying week where I was catching seven chicks each morning, carrying them outside to a run for the day, and then scooping them back up at nightfall to tuck back into their indoor brooder, I finally got up the gumption to finish what I’d started.

I first deconstructed the desk, removing all but its base, casters, two sides, and the horizontal pieces which supported the desk top.  I covered the desk top in tar paper and shingles left over from the big coop project, and reattached the panel at an angle, supported by a leftover piece of wood.

Next, I cut a panel for the back, made two doors out of other leftover trim wood, and secured them with larger pieces of wood cut from the desk’s shelves.  Everything was covered with various pieces of scrap hardware cloth and mosquito netting, and then the doors were attached with purchased hardware.  I also added a latch to close the coop and a small roost inside for the little chicks.

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This coop is, of course, far too small to contain them when they get to be teenagers, but at this stage, it suits them just fine and will continue to work for maybe another month by which time the real grow-out coop, the 4×4, will hopefully be unoccupied.  It’s really just a secure place to sleep, and water and food are provided outside in their run.  With about $10 worth of hardware and a fair amount of scrap material, this coop cost me less than $20.  I hope that this and Rosie’s coop give you some ideas if you ever need a small, cheap coop for a brood of new chicks.

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