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I’m too old and fat to crawl under to get eggs our birds that might need gathering from under there so I would keep them out, BUT, if I had to do it, I would put chicken wire or hardware cloth around the bottom of the coop and cut a hole in the dog kennel fence that allows them under the coop.

I cut a couple plastic jars into "troughs" and screwed them to the coop wall. One for grit, 1 for oyster shell. No dishes to carry in or out. Easy to see what needs filling.

I read this is an issue for many automatic doors. I put my door opening about a foot off the floor. The birds step up on a cinder block to get out of the coop. Of course, there's a ramp going down to the run. I haven't had any problems with stuff in the tracks, but it's only been in for a...

I studied them for some time before I got a Ladies First. Install was easy, but I suspect that's true for most. When I tested the closing on an obstruction it worked great. Basically, when the door met resistance it raised, then lowered again. If the chicken,or hand, is still there it repeats...

Well, I checked for eggs earlier than usual and again later in the afternoon. One hen has resumed laying. I assume the other will soon. I'm pretty sure they're not eating their eggs. But I'm still thinking about rollaway nest boxes. Homemade of course. Store-bought are too expensive.

Thanks. It does. Their run is 8'x8' with about 3"-4" of dried leaves. They've been good about laying in the box, but there're corners and niches and lots of leaves in the run that I didn't check. That'll be a tomorrow chore. In the meantime I'm YouTubing rollaway nest boxes just in case.

I have 2 layers and a pullet. For the last couple weeks I've been getting 1 or 2 eggs a day. Yesterday I got zero eggs. No big deal. Both layers took a day off. Today? Zero eggs again. Now I'm wondering do I have an egg eater? If there were some remnants of eggs somewhere, I'd be certain of it...

This must be where the saying "having egg on your face comes from".

I used rebar twist ties. These are in the concrete section of your local big box hardware store. They're used to tie rear in place. They require a special tool called a twister. About $9.00. The twister and 100 ties cost less than 100 zip ties. Using the twister is easy to figure out. The sun...

I just finished a 12'x8' hoop coop & run. The height of the cattle panels is approximately 5'10". The structure is on a slight slope. Water has never been an issue in that site before. I don't think it'll be a problem. The coop is covered by a heavy tarp which extends partially over the run...

I have a 16' cattle panel curved into a trellis. It's about a 3' wide archway. No kinks. No problems. If I laid it flat, it would probabably hold a slight bend or arch, but I would have no problem making it straight if needed.

I read an article that said to run the vacuum at night. It said the wasps would interpret the hum and vibrations as an attack on the nest, investgate, and get sucked in. I've never tried it though.

I once heard someone say if the coop is safe from night time predators then free range in the day is safe. I'm sure that poster recognizes there will still be losses, but I've been surprised at the number of people in rural areas that do this. I'm in the city and they require a run. No free...

Shooting game out of season is poaching. Certainly in season hunting can fill a freezer, but not everyone has the tools and skills to make hunting cost effective.

Yeah, I'll have tie downs on the coop. That's something the city inspector wants as well. Even without tornadoes we can get some brutal straight winds.

Oops. You are right. It was a typo. Thanks for pointing that out. What I meant to say was 25'x25' which is 625 sq. feet. That probably makes more sense.

I'll be covering it with chicken wire or something to protect from hawks. I may stretch a tarp over a corner to provide some rain protection, but I'm not planning on a solid roof. The run itself will be about 625 sq. feet just because I can. City ordinances won't allow more than 6 birds, but I...

Thanks for the feedback. I promise pictures when it's complete. I hadn't considered the aesthetics, but that's important. And being able to see it well from the house. Those factors may be more important than the wind.

How should I orient my coop to optimize ventilation with wind predominantly from the south? Blowing rain will likely come from south, west, or north. Rarely, if ever, from the east. Winters aren't severe for long periods, but can get to sub-zero F with brutal north winds. Summers can be long and...

I don't have a coop or chickens yet, but my research (mostly YT videos) has me settled on the Ladies First. It looks pretty sturdy, I like the screw drive on it, and there's one YouTuber that likes them so much he has 3 of them.