post your chicken coop pictures here!

[TJordan]

Here's our recently completed coop and covered run--a larger attached run is still in progress. We have a flock of 6 pullets: speckled sussex, buff orpington and easter egger. We live in a chicken friendly neighborhood in Austin, Texas. Exterior with doors closed (a lock has since been added for extra security against critters) Exterior side view, showcasing the covered run underneath the coop. And our flock guardian: Petunia. She likes to lie down next to the covered run and let the girls peck at her ears. And lastly a view of the coop from our "chicken tv" viewing area. The next boxes are accessible by a sliding door and the rest of the upper portion is covered by a hardware cloth screen. There is a pop door in the floor of the coop that operates by cord and pulley and leads down to the covered run. The coop is in a shady spot in the yard to keep the central texas brutal summer temps as low as possible. Loads of venitlation in the coop and sand flooring helps too. As does frozen watermelon treats for the girls. .

I love the dog

 

[Anujin]

@TJordan : thanks! Sweet Petunia is a rescue pup who is my number one helper when we foster bottle baby kittens. She loves to clean their tiny ears and let them run all over her. When I brought back the chicks from the feed store she was mighty confused about the poor ugly "kittens". But now that the chicks are teenagers she loves them!

 

[TJordan]

@TJordan
: thanks! Sweet Petunia is a rescue pup who is my number one helper when we foster bottle baby kittens. She loves to clean their tiny ears and let them run all over her. When I brought back the chicks from the feed store she was mighty confused about the poor ugly "kittens". But now that the chicks are teenagers she loves them!

Awww sounds great.

 

[Sassysouth]

Took us 3 weeks, but it is finally done! Who knew building a coop and run would be so hard? Oh yeah, my husband probably did. Which is why he avoided it for a month and tried to find one to buy.

 

[bruceha2000]

Here's our recently completed coop and covered run--a larger attached run is still in progress. We have a flock of 6 pullets: speckled sussex, buff orpington and easter egger. We live in a chicken friendly neighborhood in Austin, Texas.


Exterior with doors closed (a lock has since been added for extra security against critters)




Exterior side view, showcasing the covered run underneath the coop. And our flock guardian: Petunia. She likes to lie down next to the covered run and let the girls peck at her ears.



And lastly a view of the coop from our "chicken tv" viewing area. The next boxes are accessible by a sliding door and the rest of the upper portion is covered by a hardware cloth screen. There is a pop door in the floor of the coop that operates by cord and pulley and leads down to the covered run. The coop is in a shady spot in the yard to keep the central texas brutal summer temps as low as possible. Loads of venitlation in the coop and sand flooring helps too. As does frozen watermelon treats for the girls.





.

Very nice armoire repurposing

Took us 3 weeks, but it is finally done! Who knew building a coop and run would be so hard? Oh yeah, my husband probably did. Which is why he avoided it for a month and tried to find one to buy.

Yes but I will bet lunch that what you have is way better than what you would have purchased.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
X 2 on it all. Yay.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Took us 3 weeks, but it is finally done! Who knew building a coop and run would be so hard? Oh yeah, my husband probably did. Which is why he avoided it for a month and tried to find one to buy.

love the nice Big Peeple door...

deb

 

[ShrekDawg]

NO more enclosures because I wont be having any more cats. thats me thats my choice. I would do Coyote rollers to help protect my goats and chickens. And Yes I have investigated all fence forms and strategies. But bottom line I am tired of living in a fortress and having to guard everytime I open the door. If I want to fling the door open wide have the screens open too I dont want to have to contend with anything more than an errant chicken occasional lizard and flies. I used have a Cat Nazi room mate between the two of us there were eleven cats LOCKED IN the house... so no more. deb

I can understand! 11 cats inside. Wow that's a lot. I never thought about the door thing but that's true, my cat's always at the door waiting, can't imagine 11 cats at the door waiting. Can see how that'd be stressful. Although with mine fencing the garden or the deck would mean we wouldn't have to worry about having the door open. And we do open the door with the screen door shut and she can't push it open. Though i see what you mean. Although if you did get cats since they're yours and assuming you no longer have that roommate you wouldn't have to live in a fortress and could let the cats out whenever you wanted to I understand though, cats aren't for everybody.

[COLOR=333333]Originally Posted by KDOGG331 [/COLOR][COLOR=005CB1] [/COLOR][COLOR=333333] ..... Some people also just fence in their yard and/or add coyote rollers at the top. While we do have coyotes where I live those rollers will not stop the hawks, owls and eagles we have here. I prefer to cover the top of my run with a kennel panel.[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]The biggest problem here so far has been the small wild birds that can slip through the panel openings. For what it would cost me in chicken wire or bird netting I can purchase a pedestal feeder for $120 and still save money especially now that I'm planning on doubling their run space. I know it doesn't show in this pic however I have 1/2 inch hardware cloth extending 2 ft up and 2 ft out, for predator protection. [/COLOR]

From what I've heard the rollers are mostly to prevent houdini cats from scaling the fence and escaping. For the chickens I do have netting over my run and the new run will probably be partially covered. Oddly enough, I haven't had any wild bird problems

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: If I didnt have PTSD over the whole thing I might consider it. Roomate moved in with four cats and I had a momma with six kittens.... cute cute cuteness and momma was adorbs.... she was a black tortie and she had one of each of a spectrum of colors... Took em all at once to have them spayed and neutered.... Sixty miles into town Sixty miles back... Momma didnt live more than a month after that as she got picked off by coyotes.... room mate was furious with me over it.

And so it went. I tried to keep them on a good quality dried food she told me I was starving them. then she complained that they were always under foot... thats why they were starving... NO she was feeding them crap from a can thats why they were alwasy under foot.

Then she decided she wanted to be a surrogate taking in feral cat kittens... feeding them every half our and wiping kittie butts so they would poo. My cats started dropping like flies after that.... the wild kitties were bringing in a disease..... she would do supqutaneus injections of water on the sick. to keep them hydrated. By the time it was all done I was down to two and she was down to one.

NO more.... cant do it Love to visit dont want to spend hours searching to find no one.... Dont want to have one with kidney failure and watch it pass... Dont want Vetrinary hospital staff to chide me for wanting to have one put down.... dont want to be locked in a room with a suffering cat "To say goodby" ever again.

sorry its been a hard week. Grandma had a stroke yesterday and I am waiting for the doctor to deign to give me an update. Stupid hospital was over filled they sent her to another city.... one way drive is about an hour.

deb

 

[Latestarter]

Took us 3 weeks, but it is finally done! Who knew building a coop and run would be so hard? Oh yeah, my husband probably did. Which is why he avoided it for a month and tried to find one to buy.

Hubby should be happy (as you are) and proud... he did a good job! One small suggestion... the far left corner of the run, it looks like the entire framing is above ground level... in fact, propped up on boards to make the run level. A dog, coyote, raccoon, possum, skunk, fox, ermine, mink or many other of the it seems indeterminate number of chicken (dinner) lovers, could get under that and into the run in virtually no time at all. You might consider attaching some small opening fencing or hardware cloth to the bottom of the run and aproning it out at least 18-24" from the bottom to prevent diggers from getting in. You can then sod over the wire, or cover with mulch or sand/dirt/rocks, whatever. BTW, love those sliding vents in the front wall!