This is one of the last things to build before the coop is finished and ready for chickens, except a roosting box.

Before painting I gave the coop a layer of wood primer:

It’s thin and almost clear so you can’t tell if it has been applied:

And finally the paint:

The last part in this series about building a chicken coop will be about the roosting box.

This is the normal position of the hatch during daytime. There’s actually a string attached from the roof holding the hatch up but it’s impossible to see it in the picture:

I’ll probably replace the string with a thicker one but this shows how it’s going to work.

The chicken coop plans recommends mounting a so-called rain deflector over the egg and roosting hatch joint to prevent water from seeping in:

I’m off to build a roosting box, build a ramp for the chicken hatch in the front and enjoy the sun. Hopefully I can start painting tomorrow.

On the main door in the side wall of the coop I’ve mounted a wooden latch at the top of the door because this is just irresistible to a two year old – and out with the chickens. In this position it’s out of reach:

It’s just a simple latch made from a scrap piece of plywood and a screw, but it works perfectly:

The chicken hatch has been mounted too in the front wall of the coop. Still no latch though:

This is the latch for the egg and roosting hatches. A bit more advanced but that’s necessary to lock the two hatches in their closed positions:

The plywood spacer is necessary so that the latch will fit over the two plywood sheets:

Now the two hatches can be closed and locked:

I need to mount a latch on the chicken hatch and build a ramp for the chickens to get in and out of the coop. Then it will be time for painting the whole thing.