post your chicken coop pictures here!

[PairOFWings]

Is that a win for you and a lose for him? "Sorry guys, I can't, Katrina has 3 pages of stuff for me to do this weekend!"

Couple of questions.
- How will you keep rain from getting in the feeders? I presume caps on the top but the feed at the bottom can still get wet. Maybe cover that end of the run?
- Where is the roost? I like the high side triangular ventilation but since the coop isn't tall, I'm worried that a draft will be blowing over the birds at night.

Haha! While it will for sure add to his work load, I have a feeling he'll appreciate the smaller impact on the bank account if he builds things for me himself! The Chicken coop only cost about $300 out of pocket since we used mostly reclaimed redwood and free wood from friends. That hardware cloth! That was the biggest expense. We did borrow the power tools from a friend, so I think I have gift ideas covered for the next few christmas' and birthdays. I really want a picnic table next!

Im so glad you looked at my coop and brought these things to my attention! I do have caps for the tops of the PVC but yes.. they can still get wet below so I need to figure that out. Thankfully it's not going to rain for months yet, so I have some time to get that worked out. Should be relatively easy!

As for the roosts.. I should take a pic of the inside.. But when the birds are roosting and all tucked in, the drafts go above their heads I think. There are two roosts in there, so I will do some investigating and make sure that they arent in the draft. How important is having the roosts above the nesting boxes? The nesting boxes are blocked off for now so that they dont start sleeping there, but I dont want them to develop that habit because of the roosts.

Last night I peeked in on them around 10pm and they were all cuddled up in a pile on the floor of the coop.

 

[Aban]

I love the coop!! nice use of reclaimed itmes

 

[sled483]

In regards to the 2x4 short end vs flat side a lot of different books I have read suggest to use the short side of a 2x4 for bantams. The reason they give is because they end up pooping more on the board than into the poop tray(if your using one). I started my roost on the short end since my bantams were only 7 weeks when they moved out to the coop. At 11 weeks they still aren't roosting but I moved it to the flat side since they are bigger now.

 

[LindaB220]

I was just browsing the thread and I seen that lol

Nothing wrong with that.

I like to look at the extra special ones too.

 

[LindaB220]

Here is our coop and run, almost complete. The coop is 4x4 and was built by Coops for a Cause in NH. We built the run from a neighbors old, wooden swing set. It is approximately 9x12. We have to add roofing to 1/2 of the run and attach to the coop, and then the Hennies can move in. We have 4 chicks, 5 weeks old, but may wind up with 3, as I believe one is a rooster and we are not able to keep roosters in our town.

Great coop!!!

 

[1FunkyChicken]

Almost complete... Just need sand in run and complete the patio around the outside with some rockers!

 

[vehve]

Almost complete... Just need sand in run and complete the patio around the outside with some rockers!

"What? Of course you need a chandelier inside the coop!"

Very nice.

 

[jtbass2756]

Almost complete... Just need sand in run and complete the patio around the outside with some rockers!

When do I get the key to move in ? LOL... I'm very very sure I can make it work...plenty of room/lighting/ etc....you could save the cost of the sand!

 

[bruceha2000]

Haha! While it will for sure add to his work load, I have a feeling he'll appreciate the smaller impact on the bank account if he builds things for me himself! The Chicken coop only cost about $300 out of pocket since we used mostly reclaimed redwood and free wood from friends. That hardware cloth! That was the biggest expense. We did borrow the power tools from a friend, so I think I have gift ideas covered for the next few christmas' and birthdays. I really want a picnic table next!

Im so glad you looked at my coop and brought these things to my attention! I do have caps for the tops of the PVC but yes.. they can still get wet below so I need to figure that out. Thankfully it's not going to rain for months yet, so I have some time to get that worked out. Should be relatively easy!

As for the roosts.. I should take a pic of the inside.. But when the birds are roosting and all tucked in, the drafts go above their heads I think. There are two roosts in there, so I will do some investigating and make sure that they arent in the draft. How important is having the roosts above the nesting boxes? The nesting boxes are blocked off for now so that they dont start sleeping there, but I dont want them to develop that habit because of the roosts.

Last night I peeked in on them around 10pm and they were all cuddled up in a pile on the floor of the coop.

I don't think the roosts have to be a lot higher than the nest boxes. My understanding is they will roost on the highest thing they can get to out a feeling of safety. Certainly true with mine. None roost on the 2' high pole, they all go to the 4' high ones using the 2' for a positioning launch into the fray. You would think that after living together for the last 2 years, starting from 1 day old, they would have it all figured out and just line up in order of where they will sleep, but Noooooo.

You might need to put them on the roost a time or 3. That seems to be one of the few things that they do not do instinctually.

Yeah, our legal system is a bit different. You usually don't end up with enormous lawyer bills to pay, but you don't get a million in damages for being too stupid to not slip on a wet floor or burning yourself on your coffee. (I have slight reservations against your country's legal system, and might have a bit stereotypical view of it

)

The hen that laid the egg is Veera, a Finnish Alho landrace. It is pretty pink, although their eggs can vary from almost white to pinkish, cream or light brown. Here are our Alho's, Veera is the one with most white, and her sisters are Viiru and Virpi. They should lay about 200 small to medium eggs annually. In the pictures the girls are maybe 19 weeks, now they're 22 weeks.

That breed is new to me, I really like the one that is mostly cream (maybe because she looks like my Blue red Cubalaya? ). Pretty birds, kind of like Easter Eggers with their multitude of color patterns. Not sure I need more small, MAYBE barely medium eggs though. I have 5 that lay 52g or less (mostly less) and 5 that lay 56g to a whopping 114g last week. The Anconas are pretty consistent at 56 to 60, the Easter Egger runs high 60s to 70, then Black Australorps are all over the place. 60 one day, 72 the next, the occasional 90+.

In regards to the 2x4 short end vs flat side a lot of different books I have read suggest to use the short side of a 2x4 for bantams. The reason they give is because they end up pooping more on the board than into the poop tray(if your using one). I started my roost on the short end since my bantams were only 7 weeks when they moved out to the coop. At 11 weeks they still aren't roosting but I moved it to the flat side since they are bigger now.

A very reasonable plan! The roost needs to fit the bird.

Almost complete... Just need sand in run and complete the patio around the outside with some rockers!

When can I move in???

Bruce

 

[araminta37]

This is a place we have rented for 3 yrs now, this old hen house was buried in overgrown saplings and weeds, after years of hard work it is cleared and refenced, for our new flock of chickens