Recent content by primaldiva

I can totally see that happening!

Good idea, but I really want a smooth surface. My next boxes really never get wet, it is the poop boards that are more of a concern I think. Even if they break an egg it ends up getting absorbed by nesting material. I also want something that resists insects, cement board probably would.

I think you and others here have offered good points. I guess I will use good 3/4 plywood for the nesting boxes coated with a moisture blocking paint, but I am in the same boat for the poop boards, which are 24" deep but are on all 4 sides, so a ton of material. I can't do the sand/scoop thing...

All stud spacing is 16" OC. The drawing was rudimentary, I just posted it to show the style. 3 sides have 2 x 4 framing, the front side which takes most of the load is 2 x 6. The entire structure is huge, I actually need a building permit for it, so we did load calculations and I will be...

It's tough to tell from those drawings. It is a 12 x 20' run attached to a raised 8 x 15' coop that will also have space underneath for the birds (coop is over 4 foot off the ground). So 240 sq ft. I did not post the greatest photo. I can post an actual pic, he will be done framing today.

It's plenty big for 80 birds. They free range on 1/2 acre during the day in an electric fence but even if they didn't the coop and run is 480 square feet. There is 80 feet of roost in the coop. I've been doing this for five years now and am licensed by the state; my chickens get plenty of...

Hi there, sorry I forgot to include the link. It is melamine, which is MDF with a coating. I read all the reviews and this stuff is water resistant and resists staining. Much better product than just plain MDF. However, it is indeed heavy. About 90-95# per panel, and I will need 2 panels...

HI all, I am in the process of a new coop build I have been designing for a few years. I have a boutique egg farm in the northern cascades of WA state with 80 hens, no roosters. It's a very elaborate coop with attached run, attached is a basic sketch before windows were framed. Due to our...

Thank you all, and bonjour! Not sure the path I chose was "carefree," but it has been quite a change and challenge! :) Thanks for the advice and warm welcome. And, the reason I have not built the run yet: our snow load here is 130psi which is crazy, so the run has to have a real roof and be...

Hi all, in 2015 I sold my house and car in Philadelphia, bought a truck and travel trailer and traveled West until I finally bought a house in Leavenworth, WA, in the Cascade mountains in 2016. The first thing I did was get a flock of chickens, but haven't gotten around to building a run for...

WHEW! That sure sounds politically correct! I have had a flock of free-range chickens for a few years now, and they are laying well and yolks are a deep orange color. I have become very allergic to wheat, even though I follow a gluten-free diet myself. It's either from the 2 eggs a day I eat...