Things You Wish You Would Have Known?

[Spartan22]

That's awesome! Maybe I'll watch some YouTube videos. Can definitely see how empowering itd be. We didn't own a nail gun before but just got a cheap one off amazon i think lol or maybe harbor freight. But ya. Its not super expensive or anything but it works pretty well. I'd like to use it though, been too scared to. And haven't touched the saw. Hopefully you can find some time!

I did my entire shed/coop I designed by watching YouTube, window frame openings, door way openings, roofing framing and so on, the rest I just kind of wing it depends on my left over materials since I don't have lots of money.

 

[sebloc]

Things I wish I would have known before the idea of chickens came to my mind:

-Building the coop earlier
-Researching about places to get chickens more
-Researching a better design
-Researching how to take better care of them at the young age they were when we got them
-Building a better run

I feel like our coop is unorganized. Seeing some of these well built coops makes me frown to myself.

 

[lpyrbby]

Coop design is huge, seriously. And building WAY larger than you think you need is highly advisable. When we got our first 4 and had them in a small pen, once we started letting them out in our backyard, it was SUCH a huge joy to watch them wander around the space available to them. After we got the big coop finished and moved them in, I honestly felt kinda horrible for not being able to let them out for more space (predators...). Then, I built a temporary introduction pen for 6 new birds. We wound up getting 8. After getting them, I realized that it was going to be a PAIN to try to move the 8 into the coop of 4. So in comes the idea of getting dog kennel panels to create a run area around both of their coops. I'm happy with it for now, but I'd love to be able to let them have MORE space. It makes them so ridiculously happy to have the room. Don't underestimate that.

I never realized how happy it would make ME to make sure my chickens are also happy.

 

[sebloc]

Well, it's predator proofed beyond any other coop I can imagine. It holds the 6 chickens we have. They have more then enough room. It's more the design of the run/outside of the coop. It doesn't feel very inviting. Don't really now how to explain it :/ The chickens are extremely happy. They only get sad because I force them to go inside the coop to get food instead of putting the food in the run. (Spoiled chickens :/)

 

[lazy gardener]

No matter how finished my coop is, there's always tweaking to be done. Still needs finishing touches both outside and inside. Batten strips, finishing the insulation in the roof. Today, I've been working on building a broody pen. It's turning out quite nice, I think. It will be about 28 x 48, and will have a nice roomy nest box. I have to finish the netting for the front that faces into the coop, and the back that faces into the run. Using 1" plastic chicken "wire" that can be rolled from either side to make it more useful. Took me all day to get it this far. I'm super slow at doing wood projects, but enjoy doing it. Now, to see if the broody hen likes my work, and if she'll stay the nest. The broody pen will have one entire side of the back open to give her some good breezes. On a super hot day, I can open the whole back.

 

[User395221]

I did my entire shed/coop I designed by watching YouTube,

Wow, just wow, beautiful job.

I wish I'd known that you could have "worry dreams" about your chickens. I woke up having had a dream that all my chickens were loose.

 

[csneill]

Wow, just wow, beautiful job.  

I wish I'd known that you could have "worry dreams" about your chickens.  I woke up having had a dream that all my chickens were loose.  

I've done that so many times myself! Or dream that some predator has gotten in the coop...

 

[Spartan22]

Wow, just wow, beautiful job.  

I wish I'd known that you could have "worry dreams" about your chickens.  I woke up having had a dream that all my chickens were loose.  

Thanks! proud of it, the very first try. Your right, I had dream of a predator got in one night. I went out @2am and checked on them lol. But this is what I found inside the run a week later, luckily no one got hurt.

 

[Spartan22]

No matter how finished my coop is, there's always tweaking

Yep, this is my 2nd year with chickens and I tweaked it 4x already, adding new walls, chicken wires & temporary doors and taking it down for integrations of couple of generations of chickens and adding more new nests for new layers.

 

[BradnerGirl]

No matter how finished my coop is, there's always tweaking to be done. Still needs finishing touches both outside and inside. Batten strips, finishing the insulation in the roof. Today, I've been working on building a broody pen. It's turning out quite nice, I think. It will be about 28 x 48, and will have a nice roomy nest box. I have to finish the netting for the front that faces into the coop, and the back that faces into the run. Using 1" plastic chicken "wire" that can be rolled from either side to make it more useful. Took me all day to get it this far. I'm super slow at doing wood projects, but enjoy doing it. Now, to see if the broody hen likes my work, and if she'll stay the nest. The broody pen will have one entire side of the back open to give her some good breezes. On a super hot day, I can open the whole back.

I like your idea of a broody pen. I would love to see a picture of how you did it