• Last updated 4/26/13 by MooreChickens

Our youngest son had hatched eggs for his 5th grade Science Fair project. He decided that he wanted to keep the 7 chicks. Temporary quarters consisted of a series of cardboard Chick Condos. Permanent hen house needed to be conservative in space and size. We decided to go "Green" and re-utilize materials we had around the yard. The swing set and attached fort had become seldom used so it was the most abundant and obvious resource. We detached the swings and ladders from the fort and then cut the fort down from 9' tall to 7'. We enclosed the fort with left... read more

• Last updated 4/25/13 by Barton

We recently decided to raise Coturnix Quail and needed a place to raise them.  Our screened in porch under our deck offers protection from animals and weather.  The goal was to build pens that looked nice to visitors and were easy to maintain.     The pen floors slope toward the front allowing eggs to roll to the egg tray located outside the pens.  The PVC troughs sit on the egg tray front rail and provide feed and water for each level.   The first tenants occupy the top floor and are happy.     read more

• Last updated 4/25/13 by sandrachicken

I was thinking of making chicken dinners with our own chickens this year. I saw on www.greengardenchicken.com that they have chicken pluckers! Ya!!     read more

• Last updated 4/25/13 by bkyrdhomestdr

    After moving into a somewhat rural suburban home last summer my girlfriend and I got real interested in becoming more self sufficient. This spring we built a garden and decided what better way to add to the backyard than our own little flock. So we got 3 Americauna and 3 Barred rock chicks. We have 2 more chicks coming today from a local chicken farmer that picks up compost at our work. Unsure of the breed, but they are adoreable little yellow fluff balls. Anyways enough introduction and time to get to the point. After keeping the chicks in our shed under a... read more

• Last updated 4/25/13 by troypolla

When we decided to begin raising chickens we wanted to build with re-purposed fence materiel and pallets due to cost involved.   I started with a few old fence panels and a couple of pallets.  I broke them down the best I could and came up with this design.         Below is the completed frame for my design at the time.  I placed the fencing materials on the front sides and top.       Here a shot of the inside after installing a trap door in the bottom and ramp. Here a mostly finished product with the exception of the run. I will... read more

• Last updated 4/23/13 by ready4thegirls

  When I first started hounding my DH about a year ago about getting chickens, now that we finally moved out of town, he said "we will talk about it." Nearly a year later I have 8 fluffy sweet chicks and one fine looking chicken coop! (He confessed recently that he thought chickens would be a passing phase and he would "get out of it"...but he found out otherwise!) Of course he only looked at a few of the of pictures I found when planning, but somehow he hit the nail on the head...so to speak...for what I was looking for!   I was going for the little potting shed... read more

• Last updated 4/23/13 by vanteam18

So as I browsed through the other coops on byc there were a lot of ideas that i liked. One problem I don't have much money at all. So keep in mind when looking at my build that it cost me $50. I built a 12 by 8 run with a raised attached coop. We got 6 RSL for Easter and i thought that was a fine size for them. Well to start it off i got 17 free 2x4's from a friend of mine and was able to basically frame out the coop and the walls for the run. We just moved into the house where we live and in one of the sheds was a whole bunch of pines boards with tongue and grove.... read more

• Last updated 4/22/13 by Everstuff

Here's the two story chicken condo my husband build for us. It started life as a box a large motor from his work came in, and an old dog house he had.            We picked up a dog run on sale at the co-op.      We took off the back panel of chain link and wired up chicken wire that we could cut holes on for the entrances. The top has dowels for the roosts and the bottom has hinged lids for the two nest boxes on either side. The kids get locked up at night and through the day so I don't have to easter egg hunt for eggs, and then I let... read more

• Last updated 4/22/13 by wealdooo

The duck house and pen got finished yesterday. Still need to put letters/sign up on it, and Dad plans on giving it a walkway, but here it is. The goal was a school house look and apparently we reached it. The ducks sure love it, either way.   Front of the house and door going into their pen. (Front door to house is outside fencing).     Back of the house and their door to out to their pen (inside their fencing).     A different angle:     The front again - different angle.       read more

• Last updated 4/22/13 by dead johnny

                                                                                         Modified 4-H Rabbit Hutch     As a kid I remember different chicken accomodations but the one that worked the best was taken from a 4-H hand book on rabbitry or rabbiteering (or whatever they call it). All my dad had to do was nail a couple lug boxes at each end for egg laying, put a roost through the hutch, and a ladder. I left home, got married, and made a similar coop for our chickens (over thirty years ago).     So now my boys (8 & 9) wanted chickens and the coop I'm... read more