Ended BYC's 14th Annual New Year's Day Hatch-Along - 2023—Chilly Coop Contest!

[Peep_Show]

A heated waterer is a must! Chickens enjoy being outside EXCEPT when snow blows inside the run, then they'll just huddle on the ramp until I take a leaf blower to make a clear pathway to the food and water.

 

[Cryss]

Your run is doing a lot better than mine did when the snow did that. Mine collapsed! (It was very heavy snow which also took out a couple of trees, but still.) I like your set-up!

I struggled with this. I knew it wouldn’t hold another year. I’ve done some reinforcement since this photo but my dream is to put a slanting roof with clear panels.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I struggled with this. I knew it wouldn’t hold another year. I’ve done some reinforcement since this photo but my dream is to put a slanting roof with clear panels.

The runs can be tricky. Have you tried a hoop coop for a run? That's what I was doing for the past couple of years until my flock needed a bigger coop. Yes! The clear panels are the best! Unfortunately I've never had them, but they've been my dream too.

 

[Cryss]

The runs can be tricky. Have you tried a hoop coop for a run? That's what I was doing for the past couple of years until my flock needed a bigger coop. Yes! The clear panels are the best! Unfortunately I've never had them, but they've been my dream too.

I use hoops for my garden plant starts but I’d need a huge one for my ladies. I use chain link dog runs hooked together and totally covered in 1/2 inch hardware cloth including the top. I had 1x4 boards under the cloth but they sagged. (I didn’t know they should be standing on edge, not flat! Plus they were sooo thin!) This past spring my son in law helped me put two 2x4s screwed on top of the cloth at each 1x4 and standing on edge. It pulled it all up. These supports are about 5 feet apart. There’s a bit of sag but not so bad now. It will do until I can set up my dream cover.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I use hoops for my garden plant starts but I’d need a huge one for my ladies. I use chain link dog runs hooked together and totally covered in 1/2 inch hardware cloth including the top. I had 1x4 boards under the cloth but they sagged. (I didn’t know they should be standing on edge, not flat! Plus they were sooo thin!) This past spring my son in law helped me put two 2x4s screwed on top of the cloth at each 1x4 and standing on edge. It pulled it all up. These supports are about 5 feet apart. There’s a bit of sag but not so bad now. It will do until I can set up my dream cover.

Oh wow, I just learned something! I didn't know that they're supposed to be on edge and not flat too! My first year of a covered run (Run was over 16ft wide and maybe 8ft in length. There were two runs in one.) I had the 1x4s as the crossbars with the 2x4s as supports. Then I had an extremely large tarp covering it all with the sides all boarded up. It did rather well until it didn't. The tarp collected ice which melted to a lot of water. (It was enough that my ducks had a great time playing in it.) Several of the crossbars broke, and in my fear of the whole set-up coming down on my flock, I sliced holes in the tarp to drain the water. That saved the run from caving, but that was a pretty expensive tarp that's not easily replaced that got destroyed.

 

[K0k0shka]

Beautiful! Are they still at the door wanting…treats I assume? Because I think they’d change their minds about coming out in the snow!

It does look like there's a chicken at the door, you're right! Especially after my entry #1 of them actually being at the door But it's just a pile of snow. The run isn't covered 100% everywhere, so when we get a particularly strong storm, it still blows in. It's way too dark for the chickens to be out at that time though, they're fast asleep in this photo. They absolutely hate the snow and will not step foot in it until I clear whatever has blown in, and lay a nice carpet of dry leaves for them. They used to tolerate rain pretty well - most of the run is covered well enough for them not to get wet, but it drips in some areas. They used to stay in the dry areas and be fine, but this year I noticed that they are refusing to come out when it's raining, too! If I go out there and call them out, they will come out, see that it's not so bad, and stay out in the dry area, but they won't venture out on their own. Buncha princesses!

 

[alinas2010]

It does look like there's a chicken at the door, you're right! Especially after my entry #1 of them actually being at the door But it's just a pile of snow. The run isn't covered 100% everywhere, so when we get a particularly strong storm, it still blows in. It's way too dark for the chickens to be out at that time though, they're fast asleep in this photo. They absolutely hate the snow and will not step foot in it until I clear whatever has blown in, and lay a nice carpet of dry leaves for them. They used to tolerate rain pretty well - most of the run is covered well enough for them not to get wet, but it drips in some areas. They used to stay in the dry areas and be fine, but this year I noticed that they are refusing to come out when it's raining, too! If I go out there and call them out, they will come out, see that it's not so bad, and stay out in the dry area, but they won't venture out on their own. Buncha princesses!

They sound like mine! Such divas. I don’t stop hearing squawking until they have a path through the snow. I thought it seemed a little late for treats

 

[muddy75]

Winter Storm Elliott seems to have brought an opportunity for some current entries
I may attempt a couple photos today if my phone doesn’t flash freeze

 

[dihalal]

Chilly day here in oregon. Nesting boxes all filled with plenty insulating nesting material.

 

[NanaK]

Love you’re greenhouse! I always thought they had to be solid glass. If this works well I may be building one like this!

Thank you! It's worked really well for me. DH built it in 2014. We bought the windows and doors on the gh and coop off Craigslist. Roof is polycarb sheets. It also gives me somewhere to examine or care for a bird when the weathers bad. People use many different materials to build them. Google "homemade greenhouses", you'll find lots of ideas! I've seen some nice ones similar to the hoop coops too. They look simple to build. Thanks again!