Creating a Water Catchment System

When I built our chicken run, a water catchment system was not a part of my original plan.  I noticed the need for a gutter system once the run was already built. Here are the steps I took to install a gutter and collect the rainwater from the roof of our chicken run.

Eight feet is a common length for lumber and other supplies. Eight feet is also about the limit of the length I can fit in the back of my minivan. For these two reasons, the lumber I used to create the chicken run was eight feet long, and therefore that was the maximum length of the run itself. The corrugated steel that I purchased for the roof of the run, was also eight feet long. It comes in twelve foot lengths as well, which would have been ideal, but that wouldn't have fit in my car. Because the run and the roof were the same length, adding any amount of overhang at the front of the run by the door made the roof too short in the back. With the first rain after the run was finished, the water poured right into the tiny gap between the coop and the roof of the nest boxes, and I quickly realized I needed to fix the situation. 

The Gutters

I purchased the shortest length I could of vinyl gutter from Home Depot, plus two vinyl end caps, a vinyl drop outlet, and an extendable plastic downspout. 

Next, I slid a 4' length of 1x4 under the back edge of the roof, and rotated it so it was sitting on its edge. This raised the steel roof to a height of 4" off the roof of the coop so there would be room for the gutter, and provided something for the gutter to attach to. 

I cut the gutter to size, added the drop outlet to one side, and added the end caps to both ends of the gutter.
I also stapled a piece of poly sheeting over the gap in the roof for added protection from the elements.

The Rain Barrel

I chose to use an inexpensive 32 gallon trash can to function as the rain barrel. The lid of this can has a good slope to it, which helps divert the rain into the barrel. I drilled three holes in the trash can with the circle drilling attachment on my drill: one in the center of the lid, one a few inches from the top on the side of the can, and one a few inches from the bottom. I covered the holes in the lid and at the top of the can with a square of screen and secured the screen around the hole with construction adhesive and gorilla tape. The screen is an important addition to ensure mosquitos will breed in the barrel in the summer months. 

The lid was flipped upside down, and I drilled holes in the side for zip ties to secure it to the bottom of the can. 

The next thing I did was to attach a 3/4" bulkhead union to the hole in the bottom of the trash can. This piece has a gasket and threading inside the hole to make attaching a spigot easy and leakproof. I added a small bit of plumbers tape to the threading when I screwed the spigot into the bulkhead union.

Finally, I built a small platform for the barrel to sit on and to elevate it to a convenient height, and attached the downspout from the gutter to the top of the trash can. 

Check it out in action!

*As with all of my projects, I am not a professional and you should not follow my posts for professional advice. Remember to always use all recommended safety equipment and make sure you understand the instructions for your tools before you operate them.*