post your chicken coop pictures here!

[firefighter573]

They do go in the coup just not at night. Lol. Yes they are young.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you for the feedback!! I had attached heavy galvanized construction cloth to the bottom of the runs 18" out in all directions and then covered it with new sod grass. Hopefully this will stop the predators. I'm only about 12 feet from my garage walkway and will pour an extension in spring. I was thinking about adding two small collection doors to the front and just use the top flip lid for cleaning.
Very much appreciated tips!!

Thanks
Junior.

Those will be some super modifications you're planning! You got a few compliments on your condo - I think it's that unique window!

 

[Sylvester017]

The coop is secure now. That picture was taken while we were in the process of building. We won't be doing a run or pen for them because the coop is in the middle of the horse pasture that is fenced with high gage steal wire mesh that's sunk into the ground 18". Plus we have a mule who's been known to kill coyotes and chase off mountain lions, and 2 LGD's who have gotten their fair share of Fox and raccoons, so no predators are dumb enough to come into the pasture anymore, not even snakes because they avoid being anywhere near the horses. We also have little shelters set up for cover and a good roo who looks out for hawks. we made sure nothing can get in or out of the coop at night before putting the girls in there. Only one we need to worry about at night is the roo because he won't sleep in a coop he likes to roost 30ft in the trees at night, but nothing has gotten the old guy yet so I'm sure he's pretty good at taking care of himself. Plus he's safer outside with the owls than he is inside with our dominant hen lol

That sounds like a working setup you have. Poor roos - hens can really gang up on one lone roo so don't blame him for roosting in a tree instead. I've seen a gang of hens on one cockerel before and it's not a pretty sight!

 

[Sylvester017]

Our insulated coop is 4'x4'x6' high, with a clear-roof galvanized steel run that is 4'x6'x6' high. The coop is equipped with four operable double-pane windows, vents on each wall, two roll-away nesting boxes, a skylight, an indoor solar night light, fully openable front panels, automatic feeder, removable floor/draws, removable poop trays, 2 ft wide door in the run, completely lined with 1/2" hardwire cloth including the ground. Next project is the automated coop door and a solar heated water feeder.

For more details on this coop for the 4 spoiled Leghorns, see here.

Wonderful thoughtful plan! I also like that you didn't mix the Mediterranean class Leghorns with other less assertive breeds. I adore Leghorns but made the mistake of putting mine with non-combative gentle breeds and the Leghorns got out-of-control aggressive and sadly had to rehome them to an egg-seller. Leghorns ROCK on egg-laying and together in a flock they are on an equal footing when establishing their pecking order. I hope you love your Leghorns as much as we did for as long as we had them!

 

[yellowchicks]

@Sylvester017
We adore our plain white Leghorns! They get along really well, very active and quiet, have been trained to jump up to eat treats out of my hand.

Having chickens was a complete accident. My son passed by a hatchery during the last week of June 2014, picked up four day-old chicks for fun, and brought them home in a paper bag. Week 1 was a like a petting zoo came to town, everyone was curious and excited. By week 2 the chicks had to be put in a large dog kennel to give them more room. By week 3, we were in a panic mode having chicks flying around inside the house. We moved them outdoor during the day and they flew up to the top of the trees. Being completely clueless about chickens and zero experience with pets, you can imagine the chaos from chasing the chickens around the yard. That's when Google became our best guide in coop design and learn up on what to do. Frankly, we didn't even know there were so many different species of chickens or personalities. Our previous chicken encounters have been with the Tyson and Purdue products. So far, I think we have done our homework in giving these girls a comfortable shelter, with a setup that our neighbors don't complaint (since we have a small lot), and a low maintenance routine for me. Meanwhile, my son left for college, left us with his $10 chicks which cost us $1K to build this coop.

 

[joed1223]

 

[Fix14wd]

Love that rustic look. I have a similar design but my nest box is inside.ind of wish now I had an xterior box. Nice job!

 

[ridemcowgirl]

...

That sounds like a working setup you have.  Poor roos - hens can really gang up on one lone roo so don't blame him for roosting in a tree instead.  I've seen a gang of hens on one cockerel before and it's not a pretty sight!
[/quo

Oh yeah we've got a great set up. The people we bought the house from had goats so that's what they did with the fencing to keep them in. I do feel bad for our roo though, he gets beat up by our Cochin hen, but he's a game fowl so he's able to fly a pretty good distance and moves really fast so I think he's able to get away from anything that tries to get him

 

[biddybarn]

I have to say that there are some nice coops out there. Ours pales in comparison, but it serves the purpose...and I've never built anything in my life. We, my wife and I, thought we'd save some money by using an old plastic shed that was onsite when we bought our house. However, as the construction progressed, one mod led to another until we had our final product. please see below:


We started out by placing our posts for the façade, cutting holes for ventilation, and framing them in with hardware cloth, 2" screws, and 1x4's




Next we added the T-11 for the new exterior.



A hawk came by to check out his new fast food joint.



Tried out some paint


Added the roof


Chose a color we liked better, and started adding the run.


Added the poop boards and roosts, we wanted them all on the same level.

 

[iwiw60]

You and your wife should be very very proud...excellent build! After enlarging your pics the only thing I see as a possible predator problem is the use of plain chicken wire on the run. I don't know what part of the country you live in, but predators will abound just about everywhere. Raccoons and other digging predators can and will tear through chicken wire like it was butter...As it appears you've finished your run in chicken wire you might consider at the very least "aproning" the bottom half of your run with 1/2" hardware cloth...something like this:



or you may very well end up with something like this:

Just giving you something to think about....wishing you all the very best!