post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Rozzychick]

I have a couple questions 1st is I plan to use wood chips in the floor of the hen house 4-6 inches deep. The floor is constructed of rough cut 2" thick fir from an old barn do I need to seal that wood with something or will it be ok like it is? The planks have about an 1/8" gap between them. I have a chipper and make lots of chips so they are not store bought.

2nd question is how far off the floor should the nest boxes be? I have not framed the wall they are going on so adding structure is not a problem.

Thanks Mike

Some types of wood are bad for chickens, I would suggest google it. I switched to Koop Clean- more $$ but lasts so much longer and no smell. Very easy to scoop poop.

 

[Rozzychick]

Here is my chicken coop. I am located on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. I have 5 chickens and 3 ducks that all live in this coop and run. I build this back in the early part of 2015. If I had a chance to build this again I would make the coop. inside area for the chickens bigger. Especially since I live in NH where we get a good amount of snow, I feel guilty when they are all cooped up in the winter. I would also give them more outside space that is covered. I do plan to make these changes some time in the near future. Good luck with your chicken journey!

Lovely job! I'm in MA so I know you must be buried right now. You can put some posts up and cover with clear corrugated platic so sun gets in but stays dry. That's what I did - important to provide a place to dust bath in the winter too. You can add wood ash to help with mites etc too. We have a backyard fire every month all winter to make some ash!

 

[Traditional]

4x5 coop
10x15 run
All 1/2"X1/2" hardware cloth, including 18" outward on the ground.

 

[WldFlwrs]

[COLOR=0000CD]Can't tell on my 'puter if the windows are wire screen or glass?  If open screen, how do you manage closing off the windy side of the wall?  We always get wind-driven rain from the same side and have to tarp that side.  Cool job on the coop -- I think it's the same size as our home![/COLOR]

its

Its hardware cloth. The building 16's 24'. We have have temp covers over the openings now due to cold weather we have had. We will be making covers of wood that will go up and down easily. However, we have had driving rains and wind an without the covers the nest boxes and chickens all stayed dry. The overhangs help a lot with that.

 

[noble]

Thanks for the compliment. The white bucket to the left-rear of the coop has poultry nipples. The feed hopper on the left side opens inside, which keeps other 'critters' from eating their feed.

very cool.

 

[noble]

Hi guys,
I feel a future problem happening, my turkey's found the last of my fall garden which is no big deal but I'm going to plant today and I'm scared they will eat it up. I really don't want to put a fence around it. I have 5 acres so anyone know of something else I can plant to let temperature eat a way from my garden.

 

[Pstock44]

I tore down our 30 yr. old redwood and cedar deck and used the 2x6s to build this coop for my 8 hens.

I love the way it looks with the white caulking, rustic with the look of an old log cabin. Really neat idea. What is the box on the side above the can used for?

 

[the poppster]

Wolf homestead....I didn't know they had wolves in New Hampshire? Unless it's a play on your name? If you would like some wolves, I have a nice big pack living across from my driveway that I would gladly be rid of....since they have eaten just about every deer within a 30 mile radius....except for the half a dozen or so that stay close to the houses here on he west side of the lake...those aren't completely safe either, I've had deer killed in my side yard, in my front yard and about 20 ft from my garage in the driveway. Pretty bloody. They make a "Deer Rug" out of them in a matter of 30-60 minutes...oh and the guts...are all that's left to clean up...I suppose that's what you can expect from a 70-100+ pound animal...sorry about the rant!!! If you don't have them in the mountains there, I wouldn't wish for them. Oh well, I know some people love the romantic image of the "Wolf in the Wilderness"....it's not so romantic when its for real...and close up. Anyway I try to keep content between my chickens and wild birds to a minimum....especially the ones that migrate...they can carry Bird Flu.... I guess wild ducks are the worst. So I don't don't put out any bird feeders...I will hang a bag of suet or deer tallow for the chickadees and the woodpeckers...oh and the flying squirrels that visit at night. So far no flu, lice leg scale, or worms...cross my fingers and keep up the natural preventive measures.

 

[Molpet]

Hi guys,
I feel a future problem happening, my turkey's found the last of my fall garden which is no big deal but I'm going to plant today and I'm scared they will eat it up. I really don't want to put a fence around it. I have 5 acres so anyone know of something else I can plant to let temperature eat a way from my garden.

yeah they will eat it up ... you can ask on this thread... but fencing has to be tall too.. they can fly over https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/966414/a-century-of-turkey-talk-2000-2100/11700#post_18057736

 

[the poppster]

Are they wild or light weight turkeys? If so that's right, they can and will fly...wild turkeys perch in trees at night. I'm afraid Molpet is right! You will have to fence the garden if you want to keep the turkeys out...they are very persistent when food is involved...when I had a flock of wild turkeys, they would wait for me to return from work...as I approached the house, they would suddenly "Flow" out of the long grass along the driveway and run ahead of the truck, all the way to the house...that was about an 1/8 of a mile! I'd have to wade through them to the house....and if I took to long to feed them their favorite treat! Grapes! The boss Turkey would come up on the porch and thump on the door....the longer I took...the more insistent the thumping!!! It was hilarious! I'd look out the window in the door and the thumping Turkey would give me the old "Side Eye"....seemed to be saying "Well! What's the hold up?"....yes! A good tall stout fence may be necessary to keep the turkeys out! They smashed my tomato plants flat one year....walked all over them...I had to peel them off the ground, in order to pick the tomatoes they missed. So fence the garden, or confine the turkeys.