post your chicken coop pictures here!

[junebuggena]

Hi all, I finished my chicken tractor a while ago, wanted to add the pics here. Dimensions are 3x5 for the main coop area, it is 2 stories with the roosts and an external nest box upstairs. Food, water and a dust box downstairs. I just expanded the run fromt he original 5x5 on the pictures, I added a 4x5 with 4 doors, so I can rotate the 5x5 paddock style.

I have an ADOR door that automatically opens and closes that I love, and a D cell battery electric fence that helps with keeping the girls safe from predators.

I move the tractor once a week so the girls have new grass.

I do like how it turned out for the most part, but it is heavier than what I wanted, so not as easy to move as I hoped.

I only have 2 SLW so far and I am hoping to be able to add 2 more, for a total of 4 large fowl. Do I have enough space? After observing the girls for the last couple of months, I don't know how they can be kept on the very small A frame type of chicken tractors, they got really aggravated with each other for the one week I kept them in the 3x5 only and they were only 3 months old.

More pictures in my signature

 

[bruceha2000]

Still working on it but I'm pretty proud of it . My awesome mom is building this for me ) with a little help from me & my kids ) & so far everything but the siding is recycled so my 200 sq ft coop will cost us under a $100 . It's 2 coops up top & will have a 3rd one on the ground for my larger breeds

Everyone should have a mom with such building skills!

Hi all, I finished my chicken tractor a while ago, wanted to add the pics here. Dimensions are 3x5 for the main coop area, it is 2 stories with the roosts and an external nest box upstairs. Food, water and a dust box downstairs. I just expanded the run from the original 5x5 on the pictures, I added a 4x5 with 4 doors, so I can rotate the 5x5 paddock style.

I have an ADOR door that automatically opens and closes that I love, and a D cell battery electric fence that helps with keeping the girls safe from predators.

I move the tractor once a week so the girls have new grass.

I do like how it turned out for the most part, but it is heavier than what I wanted, so not as easy to move as I hoped.

I only have 2 SLW so far and I am hoping to be able to add 2 more, for a total of 4 large fowl. Do I have enough space? After observing the girls for the last couple of months, I don't know how they can be kept on the very small A frame type of chicken tractors, they got really aggravated with each other for the one week I kept them in the 3x5 only and they were only 3 months old.


More pictures in my signature

I think you can sneak 4 LF in there, especially if they aren't confined to the coop other than at night and they generally have access to a larger area enclosed with the electric fence. The ramp looks REALLY steep, do they fly/jump up it? Maybe you could stick a cinder block under the bottom of it.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi all, I finished my chicken tractor a while ago, wanted to add the pics here. Dimensions are 3x5 for the main coop area, it is 2 stories with the roosts and an external nest box upstairs. Food, water and a dust box downstairs. I just expanded the run fromt he original 5x5 on the pictures, I added a 4x5 with 4 doors, so I can rotate the 5x5 paddock style.

I have an ADOR door that automatically opens and closes that I love, and a D cell battery electric fence that helps with keeping the girls safe from predators.

I move the tractor once a week so the girls have new grass.

I do like how it turned out for the most part, but it is heavier than what I wanted, so not as easy to move as I hoped.

I only have 2 SLW so far and I am hoping to be able to add 2 more, for a total of 4 large fowl. Do I have enough space? After observing the girls for the last couple of months, I don't know how they can be kept on the very small A frame type of chicken tractors, they got really aggravated with each other for the one week I kept them in the 3x5 only and they were only 3 months old.

More pictures in my signature

That is great to move the chickens around fresh foraging areas and the electric fence! We started out with a small 4x6 coop for our Silkies but found they really needed more space and we didn't have a tractor so we started slowly free-ranging them. We added a few more breeds over the 4 years and found them predator-savvy enough to free-range unsupervised. We didn't suddenly release our hens to free-range as we were nervous and watched them. The first time we saw a Hawk on the patio chair watching the girls we were surprised and relieved to see the girls all hiding under the old stickery rosebush. Our girls also used the Adirondack rocking chair to snooze under. That's when we realized these girls could take care of hiding themselves and we started providing shelters and doghouses all around the yard so they always had a close place to dive into. Because in the city we don't have daytime ground predators like coyotes, foxes, bobcats, etc and only aerial predators we felt safe to use the backyard free-range method. The city Raccoons and Opossums are night critters and can't bother the cooped up roosting hens because they're securely locked up after dark.

You mentioned your SLWs get cranky. I have researched about SLW in coop environments and these girls I don't think fare well in confined spaces. According to MyPetChicken they classify them as a tendency toward dominance. Tilly's Nest website had a SLW that was so mean she was causing the other hens to go mean so they re-homed her after 6 months (a confined coop pen environment). Two years later Tilly's Nest added 6 new chicks with one being a GLW and she as a pullet began exhibiting snippy behavior (I guess they didn't learn their lesson with the first confined SLW). Wyans are reported to be sweet by many owners but from what feedback I get is that they do better with flockmates if not confined.

We never had Wyans but from the feedback we never added any - Gorgeous birds but in my gentles flock I didn't want to take a chance the large-bodied Wyans would be too assertive on my smaller timid breeds. You'll probably find your SLWs a lot happier in a completely free-range open area if you set up a lot of shelters, canopies, doghouses, plants, for them to hide/snooze in during the day when aerial predators are around. We have a Cooper's Hawk that can land 5 feet away from our hiding hens (including little bantam Silkies) and the Hawk doesn't go after the hiding hens - darnedest thing. I've seen videos where a Hawk will fly over a flock of hens huddled in the open but under a tree and the Hawk won't go after them. The aerial predators seem to prefer open areas without obstructions to swoop on prey - and chickens are too smart at ducking under/into things and deter being caught if there's adequately accessible shelter/cover. During Spring our resident Cooper's Hawk visits us whenever the Crow flocks are not around (they chase Cooper's away) and in 4 years we've never lost a chicken to a Hawk. In our small backyard we have a popup canopy for shade, we spaced 4 recycled large doghouses around, have a couple plywood sheets set on cinderblocks, and some plants for the hens to hide in. As for neighborhood cats that dare enter our yard, the flock will attack them enmasse and the cats are too scared to return.

These are all little things we experienced over the 4 years of backyard chickens in our little city cottage backyard. We once owned 25 acres of farmland but in retirement today are content to be zoned for at least 5 hens when some surrounding communities aren't zoned for poultry of any kind!

 

[Sylvester017]

My coop finished with the chickens now in! : )

Since your chickens are now "in" you can name this beautiful coop the "Chick Inn"

 

[Elginchickens]

Before...

...

This is the inside, but without the roosting bars...nesting boxes..and tile flooring

 

[Elginchickens]

And this after..

 

[RoswellOrganic]

I think you can sneak 4 LF in there, especially if they aren't confined to the coop other than at night and they generally have access to a larger area enclosed with the electric fence. The ramp looks REALLY steep, do they fly/jump up it? Maybe you could stick a cinder block under the bottom of it.

Thank you, bruceha2000. I thought the ramp was steep but they walk up and down without any problems. that is a good idea on the cinder block, had not thought of that.

I am thinking I will need a temporary run for the new chicks while they grow out, and then I can add the run to the current set up, so that would add another 4x5 to it too, hopefully that will give them plenty of space. I do have cover over the runs now, and so far the girls stay out even when it is raining. We don't have super cold winters so hopefully they will not get cabin fever too bad.

 

[RoswellOrganic]

And this after..

Looks great!, how many chickens will you have in it? looks very spacious.

 

[RoswellOrganic]

You mentioned your SLWs get cranky. I have researched about SLW in coop environments and these girls I don't think fare well in confined spaces. According to MyPetChicken they classify them as a tendency toward dominance. Tilly's Nest website had a SLW that was so mean she was causing the other hens to go mean so they re-homed her after 6 months (a confined coop pen environment). Two years later Tilly's Nest added 6 new chicks with one being a GLW and she as a pullet began exhibiting snippy behavior (I guess they didn't learn their lesson with the first confined SLW). Wyans are reported to be sweet by many owners but from what feedback I get is that they do better with flockmates if not confined.

Sylvester, thank you so much for the information, advice and words of encouragement. I did not know that about the SLW. My friend that has them has a very large area they free range and they are sweet. She has livestock guard dogs, so she does not have too many losses during the day and the chickens are locked in at night. However I have 2 little lap dogs that are still thinking the chickens are great toys to chase. We are working on it. If I can convince them to co-exist, the chickens can be out while I am out with the dogs. Don't think they would last long at all if they were out all day, too many 4 legged creatures out even during the day.

How nice that you get to free range your chickens all day, I am sure that they love it!

 

[StamfordBirdsTX]

I think Red Shaver is more of a U.K. name as Isa Browns seem to be European, but there is so much international breeding that many sexlink names have been created depending on the hatchery or breeders that created their own particular crosses. The basic thing about the red sexlinks is that the Rhode Island Red (or in some cases NHR) are used for breeding with a white hen breed and that's where the mostly red feathers come from on the red sexlink hens with a smattering of white patches mainly in the tail feathers. Rather than agonizing to discover exactly what your hybrids are you know at least one of the parents was a red breed (RIR or NHR) and that the sexlinks are known to be high productivity. Just expect them to be spent after the 2nd year as high productivity exhausts the hens. These breeds were coined the phrase "battery cage hens" in the U.K. Chickens that don't brood and crank out high egg production are tossed by egg ranchers and there are many rescuers of these sexlinks after the egg production drops. The only breed I know from research and from having them myself are the White Leghorns that crank out up to 300 eggs as pullets and keep laying well into their 5th to 8th year at only 20% reduction in production each successive year. I would classify RIRs and BRs up there but I've never known a more reliable producer than White Legs. Of course production breeds do have higher incidences of reproductive issues - tumors, cancer, prolapse, etc because of their high production. White Legs are used for cancer research because 45% develop ovarian issues by age 4. If they can live past that critical 4th year without health issues they will continue laying well into their later years. We re-homed a White Leg that is in her 4th year of XL egg production now and we're hoping to see her healthy through this year in her new home.

I'm curious about your ducks, if they put themselves away to roost on their own or if they have to be herded into their shelter. My folks herded their ducks but the chickens went to their coop to roost on their own.