• Last updated 11/18/09 by be_collective

Five months ago, when I decided to get chickens for my kids, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Thanks to backyardchickens.com, I was able to figure things out.  We now have 6 new family members and loveeverything about them- well almost everything- they poop a little more than we had anticipated.  I thoughtthat we could just let the chickens roam around in our backyard and that we could put up a little dog houselike structure for them to sleep in.  I didn’t consider the raccoons that roam our neighborhood or the rain we get in the winters. (We live in Tacoma,... read more

• Last updated 1/13/10 by msrma7670

AUTOMATIC WATERING SYSTEM NO HOSE ATTACHED!This page is under construction               Hello my fellow chicken lovers I hope you find this page useful and full of the information you are seeking. I am going to start a new link on backyard chicken forum so we can discuss ideas on how to improve my sytem and help you build yours. Also I am working on a few diffrent methods of watering. A few ideas I have gotten from others and then expanded on.  The reason I got into this was simply that my wife got tired of carring water to my flock everyday, sometimes twice during the... read more

• Last updated 7/1/09 by SpunkyTheMonkey

Our Balcony CoopOverviewDesign: Tractor-ish-looking upstairs/downstairs type coop Size: 2mx2m upstairs, 2mx2.5m "run" downstairs Houses: Our 3 very spoilt pullets...2 red sex-links, 1 not-sure...maybe a light sussex, maybe just a white smutty mutt Cost:Roughly 400 euros / 560 USDPlans: Download coop.skp from this blog post (Google SketchUp plan)        The OccupantsIt started with these little things. They were an impulse buy from the side of the road. There's a guy from one of the villages nearby who stands at the traffic lights selling eggs (that's not unusual here)... read more

• Last updated 7/7/11 by kycklingar!

My old chicken tractor was heavy and too small for my expanding flock, and my hens didn't have the sense to get out of the rain....Also, my girls need a secure place to sleep now that I have to separate them from the Roos, who get dibs on the nice secure garage coop, as it muffles their crowing from reaching the neighbors at 4am.Long story short, I looked at all the ideas here on BYC, and took my favorite parts of each, and built an awesome new tractor for about $80 in total materials.  (keeping in mind that I have a habitat for humanity Re-Store near me... yay!)Sooooo,... read more

• Last updated 6/22/09 by Im4Eggcellence

A Classy A-Frame Chicken Tractor Hi! and welcome to my chicken tractor page. I hope you'll find some interesting ideas and inspiration from my design. I have a couple of innovations that I haven't seen in other designs like a  simple "raccoon proof" latch design, adjustable ridge-vent ventilation system, both ends fold down to accept removable nest boxes, and make it easy to clean.  Finally, a nice beefy front handle bar that makes moving it around easier, since there's room for three people!  This is a big tractor that requires either one big strong guy or two people to... read more

• Last updated 2/23/12 by Baymen Moe

Coop De Bill  For many years I had an interest in chickens and small scale farming in general. When I finally had a house of my own, I had room for garden and then created the space for a chicken coop, with the blessing of my better half. I'm skilled in many things but buliding is not a skill I'm vey good at. Thank god my brother is a carpenter by trade and a willing helper.  My design was really all in my head. My idea was to build a traditional New England chicken coop with a run attatched. Here's the 8x8 base to work up from. As you can see, I was anxious... read more

• Last updated 10/12/09 by ChrystalGail

Sorry about the title of this page... I couldn't help myself!  I did a search for chicken nipples online and came up with some pretty crazy things!!!!!  Beware if you try to search for these!Anyway, here is my new waterer for the chickens...I ordered some chicken water nipples from Kullas here on BYC to make some self contained waterers.  After I got them, I went to Fry's (grocery store) and picked up a 4 gallon bucket for free from the bakery (frosting bucket, yummy!).  Then I bought one 3/4" pvc pipe at home depot ($1) along with an elbow, a male and female connector... read more

• Last updated 3/19/09 by Cruiser

My Mini CoopHi, I am building this coop for my 2 little girls. We are hoping to house 6-8 Silkies in here.It is approximately 4'x8' with a run below the coop that is 2' high.  I also put two 2x2's spaced evenly across the width to help support the floor.This is my painting crew.   Here it is with second coat of paint & you can see the 10"x10" chicken door in the floor. The rod sticking out the left side works a 3/8 thick piece of plexy glass that I used for the door.  Here it is with one of the 22"x29" door/windows installed. There will be one on the other end also. On... read more

• Last updated 3/9/08 by new2chickens

Little Coop on the Prairie My husband and I live on 20 acres in a small manager's cabin (efficiency apartment), so we always joke that we live in the Little House on the Prairie, so it seemed proper to call the new chicken house the Little Coop on the Prairie. We are currently building a barn that will have a 60' x 30' covered area for riding and working horses or mainly if it is raining when the farrier is here. On each side will be a fully enclosed 20' X 30' area. One of the sides is where the horse stalls and feed room will be. The other side is for hay and... read more

• Last updated 1/9/10 by Msbear

If anyone in sw. PA, WV, MD, or VA is in the market for a cart coop just like this one, PM me.  Check out our site, http://designercoops.blogspot.com/ for more coop designs, upgrades, prices and delivery options.Below is a picture of a coop we built for someone.   The birds love the protected, outdoor space.  Even on the nastiest days, they hang there.We started with a heavy duty garden cart we found on Ebay.  These carts are rated for weight over 1,000lbs. and have been turning up for sale on newspapers and on Craigslist so keep your eyes peeled.  This one was... read more