"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[LindaB220]

I am starting a metal chicken house tomorrow for up to 80 chickens, it will take a grizzly to get in it and if a grizzly shows up here, I sure ant going to argue with him, i will post progressive photos of the chicken house. I appreciate your input and concern.

Hey topdog, nifty place you've got there. Plenty of ventilation. What are you going to do during 105 degree weather in a metal building. They will be cooked. La is bad for metal because of the humidity. Makes it even hotter. I saw a fellow on youtube that had a house with nothing but 2x4" poles and 2 x 4" welded wire on the outside with screen on the inside. He didn't do hardware cloth just screen and fencing. That's what I want to do. Actually that's what I have now just with dog kennel and welded fencing. Tin roof. I have 3' high tin along the back by the roosts but it's 6' tall and raining like crazy. I have to do something different tomorrow. Maybe put canvas the other 3 '. Worried about them, but too old to go out in this kind of weather. We'll see.

 

[topdog24]

Hey topdog, nifty place you've got there. Plenty of ventilation. What are you going to do during 105 degree weather in a metal building. They will be cooked. La is bad for metal because of the humidity. Makes it even hotter. I saw a fellow on youtube that had a house with nothing but 2x4" poles and 2 x 4" welded wire on the outside with screen on the inside. He didn't do hardware cloth just screen and fencing. That's what I want to do. Actually that's what I have now just with dog kennel and welded fencing. Tin roof. I have 3' high tin along the back by the roosts but it's 6' tall and raining like crazy. I have to do something different tomorrow. Maybe put canvas the other 3 '. Worried about them, but too old to go out in this kind of weather. We'll see.

I been hearing a little thunder down here, the bottom 4 feet will be metal, the wind just blew something over outside!!! the upper portion will be cyclone fence with shutters for the winter or bad weather, good luck with your chickens, i hope that all is well with them and you also. mine pen is made from a dog kennel also, i had some cyclone top rail on hand and bought about 15$ worth of rail couplings from ACE, i welded those on the ends of the uprights and screwed them in place, 6 people can pick the pen up and walk with it, i built it that way because i am always changing my mind, i like to be versatile

 

[RobinB84]

Oh my gosh! Too cute. Look at those feet!

They are still nice and clean this morning and a little happier to be in the clan

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Hey topdog,  nifty place you've got there.    Plenty of ventilation.   What are you going to do during 105 degree weather in a metal building.   They will be cooked.  La is bad for metal because of the humidity.  Makes it even hotter.    I saw a fellow on youtube that had a house with nothing but 2x4" poles and 2 x 4" welded wire on the outside with screen on the inside.  He didn't do hardware cloth just screen and fencing.     That's what I want to do.  Actually that's what I have now just with dog kennel and welded fencing.  Tin roof.  I have 3' high tin along the back by the roosts but it's 6' tall and raining like crazy.  I have to do something different tomorrow.  Maybe put canvas the other 3 '.  Worried about them, but too old to go out in this kind of weather.  We'll see.   

My chicken yard has been moved all over my yard to find the best place which turned out to be under a big oak tree with access to electrical (for summer time fans) and water spigot for keeping water clean and misters in summer. Chickens can and do die from Louisiana heat. You'll see them panting and holding their wings out. The fans keep them cooler and also keeps the mosquitoes off of them.

The tarp doesn't prevent ventilation, it's to protect from sideways rain. Learned this the hard way, too.
They will be under the new shelter this summer when I finally get out there to move the coops but will definately have the fan. I also have a fan and frozen bottles on the chickens and bunnies in the worst of the summer. Just be prepared to adapt.
New shelter. Coops will be put under this.

Bunnies have fan and rain tarp too. I put ceramic tiles for the bunnies to lie on in the summer.

 

[Angelicisi]

Chicken heaven

My chicken yard has been moved all over my yard to find the best place which turned out to be under a big oak tree with access to electrical (for summer time fans) and water spigot for keeping water clean and misters in summer. Chickens can and do die from Louisiana heat. You'll see them panting and holding their wings out. The fans keep them cooler and also keeps the mosquitoes off of them.

The tarp doesn't prevent ventilation, it's to protect from sideways rain. Learned this the hard way, too.
They will be under the new shelter this summer when I finally get out there to move the coops but will definately have the fan. I also have a fan and frozen bottles on the chickens and bunnies in the worst of the summer. Just be prepared to adapt.
New shelter. Coops will be put under this.

Bunnies have fan and rain tarp too. I put ceramic tiles for the bunnies to lie on in the summer.

 

[LindaB220]

I been hearing a little thunder down here, the bottom 4 feet will be metal, the wind just blew something over outside!!! the upper portion will be cyclone fence with shutters for the winter or bad weather, good luck with your chickens, i hope that all is well with them and you also. mine pen is made from a dog kennel also, i had some cyclone top rail on hand and bought about 15$ worth of rail couplings from ACE, i welded those on the ends of the uprights and screwed them in place, 6 people can pick the pen up and walk with it, i built it that way because i am always changing my mind, i like to be versatile

I'm pretty happy with mine also. I do need a little more protection for the birds in storms. Also, it's sitting on a slight slope and when it rains hard the water will just wash right through the coop. It's wet today. I'm not sure how to avoid that, maybe add dirt on one side to do a mini swale. No such thing as digging a trench. It took a sledge hammer to put in some rebar to anchor it down. I'll have to rent an auger just to make holes for my fencing. Mostly rock. But it is in shade most of the day so it won't get too hot.

 

[topdog24]

My chicken yard has been moved all over my yard to find the best place which turned out to be under a big oak tree with access to electrical (for summer time fans) and water spigot for keeping water clean and misters in summer. Chickens can and do die from Louisiana heat. You'll see them panting and holding their wings out. The fans keep them cooler and also keeps the mosquitoes off of them.


The tarp doesn't prevent ventilation, it's to protect from sideways rain. Learned this the hard way, too.
They will be under the new shelter this summer when I finally get out there to move the coops but will definately have the fan. I also have a fan and frozen bottles on the chickens and bunnies in the worst of the summer. Just be prepared to adapt.
New shelter. Coops will be put under this.

Bunnies have fan and rain tarp too. I put ceramic tiles for the bunnies to lie on in the summer.

Hey primrose, I went and picked up my material from Ace to build my house, if it would quit this blasted raining, i am trying to decide if i want to turn the pen 90 degrees, so the trees will shade it from about 3 pm in the summer, but i want to keep it so it is easier for my wife to take care of them while i am at work. On a different note, I had at least 5 BR roosters crow this morning when i let them out, I can see 4 pots of dumplings in my future, unless i can find somebody that wants Barred Rock roosters, they been fighting all morning, they are only 7 weeks old, in another few days the neighbors will be complaining. They were at the coop door before daylight waiting to get out.

 

[topdog24]

I'm pretty happy with mine also. I do need a little more protection for the birds in storms. Also, it's sitting on a slight slope and when it rains hard the water will just wash right through the coop. It's wet today. I'm not sure how to avoid that, maybe add dirt on one side to do a mini swale. No such thing as digging a trench. It took a sledge hammer to put in some rebar to anchor it down. I'll have to rent an auger just to make holes for my fencing. Mostly rock. But it is in shade most of the day so it won't get too hot.

Take a landscape timber and lay it against the coop and put dirt against the uphill side, that should divert most of the runoff, or you can find some old bricks and line them up and put dirt against, and you could also get a roll of that plastic flower bed edger and run it around the bottom and put dirt against that. I hope these ideas help you with the water. I am on a slope also, that is another situation i have to deal with when i build the house, once those corner post get cemented in, I would have to cut them with the old chains saw to move it,lol

 

[LindaB220]

Take a landscape timber and lay it against the coop and put dirt against the uphill side, that should divert most of the runoff, or you can find some old bricks and line them up and put dirt against, and you could also get a roll of that plastic flower bed edger and run it around the bottom and put dirt against that. I hope these ideas help you with the water.

Fabulous ideas. Thanks so much. Now to get the dirt.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

I'm pretty happy with mine also.  I do need a little more protection for the birds in storms.  Also,   it's sitting on a slight slope and when it rains hard the water will just wash right through the coop.  It's wet today.  I'm not sure how to avoid that, maybe add dirt on one side to do a mini swale.  No such thing as digging a trench.  It took a sledge hammer to put in some rebar to anchor it down.  I'll have to rent an auger just to make holes for my fencing.   Mostly rock.  But it is in shade most of the day so it won't get too hot.   

I had to have drainage put into my backyard that drains to the street. I was so proud of myself when I located the line and my granddaughter and I installed a catch basin that tied in the chicken yard. Before that the chicken yard would get 6" or so in a really hard rain and my girls would get soaked. Now it just gets wet. I personally hauled in countless ( really) bags of River rock for a huge area of the chicken yard. I used to slip and slide all over in the rain, but now not a problem. And if it rains often enough, the rain washes all the poop underneath the rocks so the yard stays pretty clean and doesn't smell. All stuff you learn moving those coops around trying to find just the right spot. Lol.
Angel, I take a lot of precaution against the setting western sun. It's so brutal.