post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

we have the 2 coops but 30 chickens go into camper coop, they all roost on one roos we put up, we do have 2 other roos but they like his one, went out today and its on the floor, dh said he will have to work on that one wall as it must have a water leak in the wall, he is going to have to fix that at the same time he adds the run to that end of coop it is an old camper. he did fix it for now.

I love seeing Seniors getting all that chicken construction exercise! I use my garden for extra exercise or my bones get arthritic! You have a nice setup going there.

 

[littlebirdgirl]

Me and my husband went into this whole chicken coop design with no clue really how it would turn out. I love the result. He added a door on the side on a whim and it's fabulous. My only concern is around the bottom. It would be easy for a predator with determination to dig under and grab one of my girls. I was thinking about digging a perimeter tomorrow and insetting it or perhaps making a plywood floor. I don't want a plywood floor.....
i kinda wish he had made their little roosting area higher but now that I am looking at it, we could add another shelf and make a ladder. We got our girls just yesterday and they seem to be loving their new home. I really like one in particular, Millie, a Rhode Island Red. She is gentle and comes right on out to greet me every time. My daughter just loves them. She is so interested in everything they do. and of course my mini schnauzer has to be all up in their business. I am just ready for some eggs!!!

 

[mj79]

Just moved our chicks in this weekend! Very proud of the hubby's hard work!

 

[iwiw60]

Me and my husband went into this whole chicken coop design with no clue really how it would turn out. I love the result. He added a door on the side on a whim and it's fabulous. My only concern is around the bottom. It would be easy for a predator with determination to dig under and grab one of my girls. I was thinking about digging a perimeter tomorrow and insetting it or perhaps making a plywood floor. I don't want a plywood floor.....
i kinda wish he had made their little roosting area higher but now that I am looking at it, we could add another shelf and make a ladder. We got our girls just yesterday and they seem to be loving their new home. I really like one in particular, Millie, a Rhode Island Red. She is gentle and comes right on out to greet me every time. My daughter just loves them. She is so interested in everything they do. and of course my mini schnauzer has to be all up in their business. I am just ready for some eggs!!!

First let me welcome you to the forum!

Your little coop and run is cute, but while I don't know just what part of the country you live in, there are some major things I think you should address as soon as possible:

1) You have used that green plastic chicken wire 'wannabe' stuff. That will not keep any predator out of your setup whatsoever. All predators can tear through that stuff like it was butter, not worth the money you paid for it. And yes, you are correct in being concerned with the bottom of your setup. May I suggest that you re-do your wiring with 1/2" hardware cloth only, screwed in with 1-1/2" deck screws and fender washers. This material goes on vertically as you proceed around your setup, kind of like wallpaper hanging. Leave at least 12-14" at the bottom which you should 'apron' like these example pics, down and out:



Please take my post in the manner in which it is meant...to help you protect your new little flock so they will live to see another day. We all have been there, learning, changing, re-doing, etc. Trust me, I've been there, too!

 

[littlebirdgirl]

Ok. I will make some changes. I honestly don't care for the green wire but chose to g with it over regular chicken wire because for the same amount there was about a $45 dollar difference and we don't have much of a chicken budget ATM. Also I was always poked and stuck with the wire as a child and I had my daughter in mind. When we bought it I was under the assumption that it was wire but coated with plastic. I was sadley mistaken but we needed to throw a coop together asap and the nearest hardware store is 30 miles away. I would love to do what you have pictured how much do you think that would cost roughly? Thanks for the advice!

 

[JDobrich]

I made this little one out of pallets!

 

[littlebirdgirl]

Just moved our chicks in this weekend! Very proud of the hubby's hard work!

that is one beautiful coop!

 

[iwiw60]

Ok. I will make some changes. I honestly don't care for the green wire but chose to g with it over regular chicken wire because for the same amount there was about a $45 dollar difference and we don't have much of a chicken budget ATM. Also I was always poked and stuck with the wire as a child and I had my daughter in mind. When we bought it I was under the assumption that it was wire but coated with plastic. I was sadley mistaken but we needed to throw a coop together asap and the nearest hardware store is 30 miles away. I would love to do what you have pictured how much do you think that would cost roughly? Thanks for the advice!

I bought my 1/2" hardware cloth online at Walmart.com My setup is much larger than yours...I got a 100 foot roll, 3' wide, for around $85.00...FREE shipping! I checked out every source online there is, and no one can beat their price! And it got to me in 4 days! Please check them out...if I remember right they also have it in 50 foot rolls, too. Best of luck and keep us updated!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Welcome to the BYC coop thread!
My only concern is around the bottom. It would be easy for a predator with determination to dig under and grab one of my girls.
You don't have to worry about a predator digging under your coop. They much more easily can mangle and tear that poultry wire to make a hole to get in. Poultry wire keeps chickens in but doesn't keep predators out as we found out. It's expensive but only 1/2 inch hardwire will work to keep out snakes, rats, wildlife, etc. Read through the last 50 or more posts on this thread to get valuable input about what is good or not good for a coop/pen. Nothing has to be beautiful but certainly needs to be secure.
I was thinking about digging a perimeter tomorrow and insetting it or perhaps making a plywood floor. I don't want a plywood floor.....
For starters your little coop and pen has plenty of room for chicks but not for your full-sized hens. If you are worried about predators as all us chickeneers should be is it possible to construct yourself a coop off the ground on legs/skids with at least 4x4 dimension to give your bigger girls more room for a couple nests and a decent roosting bar that won't make them hit their tails or heads against the ceiling or walls?
i kinda wish he had made their little roosting area higher but now that I am looking at it, we could add another shelf and make a ladder.
This coop will be cute to house chicks but your girls need more room and more security. Our coop has an open dirt floor but we mounted the 4x6 coop on paver stones and made a patio walkway out of paver stones to deter digging predators. And once a couple stray dogs broke down our yard gate and tore up the poultry wire we decided 1/2 inch hardwire was much more sturdy. Either bury the hardwire into the ground when covering your pen walls or make a paver stone walkway around if you don't want to bury the wire.
We got our girls just yesterday and they seem to be loving their new home. I really like one in particular, Millie, a Rhode Island Red. She is gentle and comes right on out to greet me every time. My daughter just loves them. She is so interested in everything they do. and of course my mini schnauzer has to be all up in their business. I am just ready for some eggs!!!
Suggestions are offered in love to help you keep those girls you are getting attached to

 

[Sylvester017]

I made this little one out of pallets!

The coop is cute but we all will gang up on you for the flimsy pen. Read my post #5041. Raccons will love visiting your yard for chicken dinner.

Nice looking use of pallets. Pallets in our area are so broken that they are nearly useless. Glad to see you were able to get decent pallet boards!