post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

When you have a family of 40lb raccoons in your yard...they can cause problems that any dogs would be proud of. There must me a set of 2 latches that have 2 mechanisms on them in order to open. could be as simple as a latch with a caribiner (D ring) passing thru a hole. etc.

Our cans are the property of the trash company so we can't modify them - you'd think in rural areas the trash company would get locking lids of some kind for their rural customers!!!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

NO. When your veggies go in one end, something has to come out the other to make room!

NOT FUNNY!

The d**n rodents walk about 5 inches, crap 3 or 4 times in a spot then walk another 5 inches and leave another pile of crap, walk another 5 inches etc etc etc !!!!!! Everything has to crap but they like to spread it around all over the place. I don't know any other animal that naturally poops and keeps walking to poop again and walks again to poop again and again and again ..... Most animals stay in one spot naturally to deposit their load -

 

[Rani]

Try The Garden Coop - here are some pics of ours. The plans were around $35. Very well planned and easy directions. We built it from scrap in 4 weekends with NO EXPERIENCE in building. The design is large (but not too large - we have 4 hens but it holds 8), economically reasonable to build, very predators secure, pretty to look at, easy to adapt to your own needs.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi all. I have been working on this coop for a couple weekends. This is my first coop and mostly my own design, thanks to the great ideas on this forum. The total area of the is about 6.5'x10' with the coop Bering 6.5x10' with the additional room of the best boxes off the back. Some of the wood is treated but most is not. I wanted any wood that touches the ground to be treated and the entire thing will be painted when finished. Inside the coop are 2 PVC feeders and one bucket waterer. 3 nest boxes and two 4' roost poles. I still have a lot to do but was to excited and had to post pictures of the progress.

Things that still need done:
Metal roof
Finish hardware mesh
Human door
Chicken ramp
Small chicken door
Feeder and waterer in the run
Finish up nest boxes
Paint
Please let me know what you think. I'm super excited and my girls will be old enough in a few weeks, hopefully. I have 2 barred Plymouth rocks, 2 EE, 1 RIR, and 1 Welsummer

I

I'm not a fan of putting lihterweight gentle natured EEs with heavy dual purpose breeds but at least you have the EEs as a set and not one alone in the mixed group. Personally I think EEs and APA Ameraucanas are better natured and just as excellent layers as Leghorns.

For your coop - beautiful build. The only advice is to use 1/2 inch hardwire, secure locks (not easy wooden sliders) and a couple feet wide paver stones or heavy boulders or cinder blocks around the base of the pen. It looks like you have a heavily wooded tree area and the predators will seek out chickens - hence the need for secure locking mechanisms that will be too complicated for manipulative Raccoons to open. You never knew you had predators until you get chickens.

 

[Sylvester017]

Try The Garden Coop - here are some pics of ours. The plans were around $35. Very well planned and easy directions. We built it from scrap in 4 weekends with NO EXPERIENCE in building. The design is large (but not too large - we have 4 hens but it holds 8), economically reasonable to build, very predators secure, pretty to look at, easy to adapt to your own needs.

Nice roof overhang. Do you get snow? I assume that tarps will be used to keep out inclement weather?

The chickens are cute. Whatever are they sitting on?

 

[Rani]

They're on a stick we pulled from the woods, but I was laughing to see that you can buy a roost for $15 at PetSmart. I will probably buy clear shower curtains from the dollar store and cover most of the run for the winter. I'm not sure about snow load on the roof. We had several feet of heavy snow this past winter. We have a snow rake, so I will probably be pulling the snow off the roof just to be safe. I'm new to wintering chickens so it will be a learn-as-you-go time for us.

 

[Rani]

I agree on using the hardware - not chicken wire - and dig it down into the ground or bend it out so if a dog or something comes to dig, they won't get through. Really cool looking coop. Can't wait to see it finished!!

 

[bigmrg74]

Our cans are the property of the trash company so we can't modify them - you'd think in rural areas the trash company would get locking lids of some kind for their rural customers!!!!!

Couldn't you just get some long bungie cords to loop around the can to keep the raccoons from taking the lid off? That would be simple enough for the garbage men to take off quick, but if you get the right length and tension, the raccoons shouldn't be able to mess with it short of chewing thru the bungie, and heck, you could probably cover the bungie in extra hot Hot Sauce and that would keep em from doing that.

You might have to bribe your garbage man to go along with that idea, especially if they have some sort of set up where they normally don't have to get out of the truck to do anything. I'm sure you can thing of something.

 

[iwiw60]

They're on a stick we pulled from the woods, but I was laughing to see that you can buy a roost for $15 at PetSmart. I will probably buy clear shower curtains from the dollar store and cover most of the run for the winter. I'm not sure about snow load on the roof. We had several feet of heavy snow this past winter. We have a snow rake, so I will probably be pulling the snow off the roof just to be safe. I'm new to wintering chickens so it will be a learn-as-you-go time for us.

For the winter months here in Oregon (Loads of snow) I use 5-mil clear plastic. It comes in rolls. Cut to fit, use slatting to anchor to the run..voila! Then just tear it down in the spring...works for me!

 

[clevelandeggs]

thanks. Im using 1/4 inch hardwire because i found it on amazon and it was cheaper than the 1/2", i wanted to use 1/2" but couldn't pass up the price. the girls will be locked in the coop at night and i agree some good strong raccoon proof lock is in order. the wood latch on there now was just to keep the door from blowing open over night.

i didn't think about the possible negative side affects of mixing the EEs with the larger breeds. they are 2 weeks old today and the RIR appears to be at the top of the order but they all get along very well. i hope it stays this way. oh i am actually just outside of downtown Cleveland, OH but there are definitely lots of coons and opossums that need to stay out.