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Hey everyone, built a new coop from scratch last year (which was really fun) and want to tackle a new run construction this year. Can you all give me all your "dos and don'ts" on run design? I'm asking specifically about the construction, like size, shape, materials, foundation (set posts in...

I keep my water and feed outside in the run. I do this for a number of reasons (keeping the coop clean, dry, pests, etc.). However, now that the temps are down in the single digits and will stay that way for a number of days, I'm wondering if I should bend/break my rule and bring their...

Hey all. I am thinking about adding a light inside the coop this winter to increase egg production. I assume the chickens will need access to food/water during this extra "awake" time? I have set up my coop/run in such a way that food and water are out in the run, but I do not plan to get up...

Hey all, I am planning to collect rainwater into a food grade plastic barrel. Will sunlight penetrate the plastic and grow algae?

Thinking about having a window near the chicken roost area to help with summertime cooling and could also stay open year-round for winter ventilation. I have enough room to have another roost in another area that would not be drafty during the winter. Are chickens smart enough to use the...

Building an 8x8 chicken coop/shed and plan to roof it with some extra sheets of roofing metal I have leftover from an old barn project. I already have enough 7/16" osb sheets on site, but I don't see anyone using that for metal roofs. I assume it is best to use purlins instead of osb?

How much ventilation do you guys leave open for the winter months? My coop design allows for one square foot of permanent ventilation per chicken . Assuming I Don't get any more chickens! Was wondering if I could get by with some more permanent ventilation up high or if that will be too much for...

Hey all, currently in the later stages of designing/building a new coop and trying to figure out where my windows/ventilation is going to be. I live in Central KY, so I can get cold in the winters and really hot at humid in the summers. I have my winter ventilation figured out (I will have...

Building a new chicken coop and thinking about how to power a few lights, security cameras, maybe a small (water) heater, etc.. Just started researching, and think I understand the different components needed (panel(s), charge controller, battery(ies), inverter). I also see that I could get a...

I live in central KY, so our summers can be very hot and humid and our winters can be very cold and icy. What side of my chicken coop should I place the chicken run? In the summers, it would be good to place the run on the west side, so it gets shade from the coop, but that means that there...

Hey all, I am working on plans to build a new 8x8 shed-style chicken coop and run. My ground is sloped just a little and I will need to have the back corner on a 12" block/post. This corner will be inside the run, so I need to decide whether to allow the chickens access underneath the shed or...

Has anyone used something like fiber cement sheets for exterior walls instead of painted plywood? Fiber Cement would be quite a bit more expensive but would be weatherproof.

Hi all, I am working on a new coop and run. The coop will be situated in an area with no shade. I had originally planned to place the run on the East side of the coop, so the coop itself would provide a little shade from the heat (central KY). However, this layout will not work for me, and...

Hey all, am designing a coop and thought about having a screen door as a way for extra light and ventilation. I would have a door behind it that I could close during the winter months. But it hit me...what about rain/storms? How do you keep the rain from pouring in? Other than building a big...

Designing a new chicken coop. Trying to be efficient with the layout as well as convenient for people to maintain the coop/flock from outside the coop. My rough draft has the roosts on one wall of the coop and a screen door (for people access) and nesting boxes on the other wall. And on the...

Is there any site online that has a coop designer? Like an autocad site?

Hey all. I have 11 hens and 2 identical, adjacent nesting boxes. Only one box gets used. I realize this is not unusual, but I have found that the hens so prefer the particular nesting box that they would rather lay their eggs anywhere else than that 2nd box. I guess they get tired of waiting...

Hey all, see the pics below. Is the Austrolorp a male or female? Age is 21 weeks. It is supposed to be a female, but I'm not sure it is. Haven't seen it crow, but it is pretty aggressive with the flock and chases the hens (and the roosters) sometimes.

Hey all, we just received our order from the hatchery this week and have identified all of the chicks except five. Of these five, they should be a Olive Egger, Easter Egger, Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Speckled Sussex. The fifth chicken may be a duplicate or a completely different breed (the...

Hey all, This is starting our 2nd year of chicken raising. We would like to get several more (chicken math) to add to our current flock. Due to availability, timing, and minimum order requirements, we are not able to purchase all the different breeds that we want. No single hatchery has...