Finally finished!! (:

Hi everyone!!

Today was a very exciting day because I am finally finished with my coop!!

Luckily for me, when we moved here there was already a "shed" that was built as if it were a mini house.
The floors are concrete, the walls are all insulted, and the roof is built exactly like the one that shelters our main house!

Everything else I did myself since my Father is a truck driver.
I'm a 22 year old female college student - not that it matters, but I'm just proud because this is the first project I've ever took on.

A little background (I'll make it quick, I promise )
These are my first chickens ever!
None of them are laying yet.
They're all on fermented feed that has animal protein.
They free range through out my backyard during the day.
We're in sunny California and also in the surrounding Los Angeles suburbs so not many predators.
6 foot fencing all around!
Rarely any cats and I believe that my dog marking his territory further deters them.
My room has a sliding glass door that connects to the backyard.
We have sensor flood lights that are super bright and turn on at the slightest movement.
We have lots of shade and a huge covered patio that has cement floors (I spray down their poop everyday).

Here are some pictures of my backyard!
My parents have a wonderful green thumb and we have many fruit trees (peaches, papayas, oranges, soft persimmons, water apples, chinese apples, grapefruit, lemon, etc. !!)










The coop:

^ The whole structure is about 14 ft. high and 12 ft. by 12 ft.




^ Unfortunately, even though the "shed"/coop was beautifully built - it lacked windows.
The man that cuts our grass did a bit of construction and offered to cut two windows for me for only $60!
I asked on here and everyone said it would be best to have the windows facing opposite each other - so that's exactly what I asked for!

Inside the coop &the roost/first anything that I built single-handedly!


^ Currently, I have around 18 chicks of various ages (8 weeks - 1.5 weeks)
I used two milk crates and two $5 home depot buckets as BF nest boxes!
The box to the left is for the younger chicks to hide from my older one's! They have their own food and water in there!
I also took the advice of those on here and bought a 10 inch battery operated fan that's placed to blow outwards
so that it'll suck in air from the opposing window for ventilation!
(Little Partridge Silkie baby being brave and playing in the sand)


^ I also have three other nest boxes that are much lower! Two wine crates for my 5 Silkies, and a huge nest box just in case!
The hanging thing my mom had lying around for her hanging plants, so I recycled it to put veggies in for my girls! The rope enables me to adjust it as they grow.
* You can see my first four girls here! Three BSL's and my BPR! Unfortunately, my 14 other chicks are not as tame as these four ):


^ The highest roost is about 5 feet and the whole structure is 6 feet long. I have play sand and a Sweet PDZ (zeolite) mixture to catch the droppings so I can just
use a kitty litter scooper to put into a compost bin. The bottom will be covered with wire soon so they don't play in it!



^ Just a close up!


^ Baby chicks enjoying their new space!


^ Big girls!


^ Peeking through the window! Everyone's super happy! For photo purposes, I took pictures without the nest boxes covered above
but the middle one's will be covered, as seen here, until my four big girls are old enough to lay. When the rest are old enough to lay, I'll uncover the three
nest boxes to the left.


^ The Hello Kitty light is only there from when it gets dark to around 8 (I'd be a fool to ruin a lamp that pretty!).
The rest of the night they have a heat lamp to keep everyone cozy warm!

The bedding I'm currently using is Koop Clean! I'll see how it goes but my girls definitely love digging through it!
Today was their first day out of their large cardboard box brooders so they are a bit unsure but they seem to LOVE the space.

I'm so happy and so thankful to be a part of this community that has helped me every step of the way!
This whole experience wouldn't be as enjoyable if I didn't have you guys.
I sincerely thank you all for such a warm welcome to all newcomers, as we know many communities can be very mean/unwelcoming!
Words can't begin to explain how grateful I am for everyone that has commented on my posts, or replied to my comments.. even taking the time to read!
YOU GUYS ABSOLUTELY ROCK!

Wow
Nice coop
You could live in it lol

Very nice yard and setup!

Few things I noticed that may be an issue:

1) I would get rid of the hello kitty lamp - that looks like something they could fly up near and knock over...and with the straw down there it might be a fire hazard

2) I saw one small window in the pics (you said you had two cut) and half of one door for ventilation...you might think about adding more ventilation for them. If the guy charged $60 for two, I'd think about having him cut you a couple more.

3) The food and water looked like they were up against a wall - might want to consider moving those out in the middle where they can access it from all sides, so everybody will have equal
access to it.

Again though, very nice setup and I'm sure they're going to LOVE that yard!

That looks great! Good job

Nice job! I remember when you first posted, I'm so glad you have your chicks. You're so lucky to have the Koop Clean. I called every feed store in my area (Bakersfield, Ca) & couldn't find it Isn't it the greatest having chicks?

Cacique500 said:

Very nice yard and setup!

Few things I noticed that may be an issue:

1) I would get rid of the hello kitty lamp - that looks like something they could fly up near and knock over...and with the straw down there it might be a fire hazard

2) I saw one small window in the pics (you said you had two cut) and half of one door for ventilation...you might think about adding more ventilation for them. If the guy charged $60 for two, I'd think about having him cut you a couple more.

3) The food and water looked like they were up against a wall - might want to consider moving those out in the middle where they can access it from all sides, so everybody will have equal
access to it.

Again though, very nice setup and I'm sure they're going to LOVE that yard!

Click to expand...

What a great setup! You, young lady, should be very proud of your accomplishments! Your chickens should all grow up pretty healthy and content.

I do agree with the points that Cacique500 made, and would add this. They really don't need any light at all at all. They need to get up on the roosts, settle down, and go to sleep at night. It's far better for them to do that as the sun goes down and the coop darkens gradually than it is to have them still milling around and have the light suddenly go out on them. Natural day/night cycles are just as important to chickens as good food, clean water, and a dry place to be. IF that Hello Kitty lamp stays out there much longer you'll never, ever get all of the chicken dust out of it, either, and it sounded like you really like that light if you don't want anything to happen to it.

I really like the box for a hiding place for the LIttles if the Bigs get too bossy! Lots of people don't even think about that! Good job all the way around!!!! Yayyyy for DIY success!

Looks good!

Great job!

One thing you might also think about changing/adding is to find some fender washers and remove one screw at a time from your mesh/hardware cloth, and install a fender washer on them, your windows will be MUCH more secure then!

Really looks great! Really good work!

I would figure something else out with the lights. Some feathery thing will knock them over and there is a reasonable chance there will be a fire and you will lose your building and your chickens. Not sure how the heat lamp was tied down but it looks a bit precarious.

Also, I sure one day you will find some feathery thing inside your hanging basket, not able to get out. Maybe put some type of lid on it.

Great job, young lady!!! Hats off and bow down to you!!!! You are full of energy and doing positive things at your very young age. Keep up the good work, and make your parents proud!!

Nice job! Looks quite cozy. Lucky hens with all that fruit around. I wish I could free range mine, but currently it's not possible. They do have a huge run though.
I agree about the lamp, from what I understand (someone correct me if I am wrong)- light on your hens 24hrs can cause health issues due to stress and potential overlaying. I think most creatures just need some darkness to get decent sleep on the regular. Mine always get themselves tucked in before dark, no light, and lately the windows have been closed, so it get real dark on the coop quick.
Happy Chicken Adventures!