post your chicken coop pictures here!

[CrazyChickLady7]

Love it!!!!

 

[Natalierose]

Coop finally done now it just needs a coat of paint!

@Firefighter315

How did you connect the legs of your coop to the floor?

I built a 6x4 coop and was planning to lift it into 4x4 posts cut into 2' lengths but even my impact wasn't working to get screws into that pressure treated wood

 

[bruceha2000]

@Firefighter315

How did you connect the legs of your coop to the floor?

I built a 6x4 coop and was planning to lift it into 4x4 posts cut into 2' lengths but even my impact wasn't working to get screws into that pressure treated wood

Pre-drill, especially in PT, it is wet and hard to get screws into. And pre-drill if you EVER want to get them out again. Screws cranked straight in are notoriously hard to get out without stripping the screw head. Also cuts WAY down on cracking and splitting.

 

[Sylvester017]

Our ladies are all named after former First Ladies... hence the White House!

They love their renovated coop and run. Kept it low based on cost of hardware cloth. It is still very easy to clean all aspects of the run.

Very good economical aspects. Hope you plan some free-range time for your hens as the run will only accommodate a 2-3 hens if full-time enclosed.

 

[mberinger]

Absolutely, they get 6+ hours a day in free range time. the run is almost 10x10 though. I only have 5 birds.

 

[Sylvester017]

Absolutely, they get 6+ hours a day in free range time. the run is almost 10x10 though. I only have 5 birds.

That's cool!
We free range ours all day too except there are occasions that we might need to pen ours for a day in which case they have 4x8 below and 4x4 overhead for 4 girls - it drives free-range chickens nuts to be temporarily penned but eventually they settle down.

 

[nickdlny]

We had read that they are docile and friendly as well as cold hardy, which is why we chose them. I didn't realize that they were dominant in personality. I guess it's a good thing that we decided not to mix the flock then! Lol.

It's been my experience that there are hugely mixed reviews of Wyandottes. I decided to add 4 of them to my mixed flock. My Wyandottes are definitely the least social of my birds (also have Orps, BR's, and ISA's) but they are not mean to people or other chickens. They all seem to be in the middle of the pecking order right now. I do see the Wyandottes running from other birds as often as I see other birds running from Wyandottes. Based on my birds, they are perfect for the chicken owner who wants pleasant birds that don't require a lot of attention.

 

[Sylvester017]

It's been my experience that there are hugely mixed reviews of Wyandottes. I decided to add 4 of them to my mixed flock. My Wyandottes are definitely the least social of my birds (also have Orps, BR's, and ISA's) but they are not mean to people or other chickens. They all seem to be in the middle of the pecking order right now. I do see the Wyandottes running from other birds as often as I see other birds running from Wyandottes. Based on my birds, they are perfect for the chicken owner who wants pleasant birds that don't require a lot of attention.

What's nice about your Wyans flock mix is that they are matched with similar-sized and similar-temperament dual purpose breeds like the Orps, BRs, and ISA hybrids. Where Wyans would tend to be dominant or troublesome is if they were mixed with especially docile breeds like Silkies, Faverolles, Ameraucanas, Polish, Sultans, etc etc.

MyPetChicken.com lists the Wyans personality as tends to be dominant but in an evenly matched dual purpose breeds flock they would probably be no more bossy then the other dual purpose breeds. While I have Silkies there is no way I will chance a heavier Wyans in the flock. We've already had to re-home 3 bossy aggressive dual purpose LF and now do more research before adding a new breed with our Silkies. We really don't need dual purpose breeds or heavy layers so decided to go with gentler less productive pet-type breeds to have less drama queens in the backyard.

For the first time in 3 years one of our Silkies has become the alpha hen and that little 2-pounder keeps everyone respectful, even the 4 and 5-lb breeds, but with no harm done towards any flockmate. Everyone has a different objective with their flocks and the gentles flock is what we opted for. Years ago I was told not to mix gentle bantams with LF dual purpose breeds and wouild've saved myself a lot of grief if only I had researched more before I started throwing breeds together in a mixed flock.

 

[Mims]

What's nice about your Wyans flock mix is that they are matched with similar-sized and similar-temperament dual purpose breeds like the Orps, BRs, and ISA hybrids. Where Wyans would tend to be dominant or troublesome is if they were mixed with especially docile breeds like Silkies, Faverolles, Ameraucanas, Polish, Sultans, etc etc.

MyPetChicken.com lists the Wyans personality as tends to be dominant but in an evenly matched dual purpose breeds flock they would probably be no more bossy then the other dual purpose breeds. While I have Silkies there is no way I will chance a heavier Wyans in the flock. We've already had to re-home 3 bossy aggressive dual purpose LF and now do more research before adding a new breed with our Silkies. We really don't need dual purpose breeds or heavy layers so decided to go with gentler less productive pet-type breeds to have less drama queens in the backyard.

For the first time in 3 years one of our Silkies has become the alpha hen and that little 2-pounder keeps everyone respectful, even the 4 and 5-lb breeds, but with no harm done towards any flockmate. Everyone has a different objective with their flocks and the gentles flock is what we opted for. Years ago I was told not to mix gentle bantams with LF dual purpose breeds and wouild've saved myself a lot of grief if only I had researched more before I started throwing breeds together in a mixed flock.

Well crap. I'm doing it all wrong, then. I have Orps, RIR, RIW, Leghorns, EE, Australorps, BCM, Silkies and 1 Wyandotte. I'll see how they do as they get bigger, and thin them out where needed. I wish there was a compatibility chart out there that would help you pick a good flock. I did research on each breed, for the most part, but I picked them for what I have in mind later down the road.

 

[bruceha2000]

Well crap. I'm doing it all wrong, then. I have Orps, RIR, RIW, Leghorns, EE, Australorps, BCM, Silkies and 1 Wyandotte. I'll see how they do as they get bigger, and thin them out where needed. I wish there was a compatibility chart out there that would help you pick a good flock. I did research on each breed, for the most part, but I picked them for what I have in mind later down the road.

Sounds like you need the biggest coop and run you can manage. The purported MINIMUM is 2 sq feet of floor space in the coop per bird. You will need WAY more than that if the aggressive birds decide to take on the more docile ones which will have nowhere to go when they are locked up. For 16 birds (*), that minimum is 2 sheets of plywood. At night they roost, floor space is unused. If you have an auto chicken door that lets them out of the coop at daybreak, the minimum is OK. If they have to spend time locked in the coop during the day, the minimum is too small.

Purported minimum run space is 4 sq ft/bird. Again, that really is not much space ESPECIALLY if the birds are not one big happy family. Per the minimum, you can put 16 chickens in a run that is 16' x 16'. Mark it out with string on the lawn or put down 8 sheets of plywood and think "how comfortable will this be with 16 chickens in it, especially if some beat up on the others just for existing". Then make your run a lot bigger if you can.

Also. make sure there is plenty of roost space for all of the chickens ALL at the highest level. Minimum is 1 linear foot per bird. They won't use that much in the winter if they live where it is cold since they will pack together. But when it is hot, they need space. A roosting LF takes up a foot by herself. You can have some lower roosts for access or choice but chickens will typically roost as high as they can get because they feel safer there. If there is not space for all, the dominant ones will force others down which is stressful for the chickens lower in the pecking order.

Good luck, hopefully your chickens will be on the more harmonious side! All chickens, even within a breed, are different. No generalization of behavior will apply to every bird.

* I have no idea how many you have but 16 makes for easy math here