Abandoned Chicken Coop Project

After several attempts I have decided to abandon my Woodland Scenics Chicken Coop. After painting and weathering the walls and roof of the structure I cannot get the walls to assemble squarely and of course the roof meant to fit snuggly on top of a squared structure will not fit squarely either.

If I want a chicken coop on my layout I have a few different options. I could either scratch build or kit bash one if a suitable structure could be found. I am leaning more toward the scratch built idea, where as the structure need not be all that elaborate.

There two ways I am thinking about building a chicken coop, in fact why don’t I just build two. The first idea would be a rectangular structure with a sloping roof. The structure would sit on four concrete posts; include a full sized door to allow for easy egg removal, a set of paned windows on the front of the structure, and three or four small hinged ramps that would allow the chickens out to roam out in fenced pen.

The structure could be creating using a variety of materials I have on hand. I could use strip wood and do a board on board approach or use clapboard styrene sheet. Since the chicken coop would be an out-building and placed toward the back of the layout the later mentioned method will be fine, I don’t need all that much detail for a structure that is not going to be out front. Still, using styrene clapboard siding and a set of modified window casting from my junk box would provide enough detail to satisfy my needs. Of course the pen would be populated with chickens and a sneaky fox looking for a way to get to the chickens could be placed in nearby bushes.

I will have to draw-up a plan for the structure I have in mind and lay my dimensions down on styrene sheet. Once these plans are complete I will upload them.

The other idea for a chicken coop would take a little more planning. I will try to mimic the detail in the Woodland Scenic casting, by using a combination of brick, stone, metal siding, and clapboard sheets for the walls and create a set of ramshackle windows. I might just start with this model, since it seems that it might more fun to build than the other. There again, I will have to lay out some plans for this structure, not forgetting the structure would have to mimic one that was “slapped” together.