Hi, my name is Crystal...my husband and I have just decided we would love to raise a few chickens for eggs and fun. We live in western Washington State. We are hoping to get lots of helpful advice from seasoned as well as new chicken growers. Let the fun begin
Our Coop
Well, I thought I would share with you all our adventure so far....DH and I, (well mostly just me) have decided that we would love to raise some chickens for eggs and fun. After some hesitation DH agreed to help me build the coop. Now keep in mind neither one of us has built much in the way of a building, so it's not perfect, but I think it is gonna be just fine for the chickens. We have decided that 8 chickens should provide us with enough eggs for the 2 of us plus some to give to family and friends.
Picture #1 is the first wall erected...then we finished the building, placed the nesting boxes so that there would be easy access from outside for egg collection. The run was peviously a garden space, but since the amount of sunlight was not enough to grow much in our short growing season here in Washington we decided this would make a perfect chicken run. We had fenced the garden with the 4" cattle fencing, so DH and I added the chicken wire and attached it with hog rings and overlapped the wire to make it more difficult for predators to gain access into the run (hope it works). Outside in the run we built a 4'X4' cover to place the outside feeder...but after more thought, we have decided to cover half the run with a tarp for a dry space during the wet months and protection from the sun during the summer. The run is covered on all sides and the wire is under ground about a foot on all sides.
The tube feeders that we have inside the coop was an idea we got from BYC, I think they will work well, and we will be hanging a waterer with the nipples for inside the coop. Outside in the run we will also have a 5 gal. bucket with several nipples in it for them outside.
One thing I especially like is the french door for easy access to clean and care for the chickens....we got it free and it will allow a lot of light without the hot sun...plus a bonus of being able to check in on the ladies without having to go inside.
We have chicks arriving in 3 weeks (Jan.30th) and I couldn't be more excited.....it's all I can think about when I am trying to sleep at night. I will post pics once we get them....ordered (2) Plymouth Rocks (2) Light Brahmas, (1) Red Star, (1) Black Star, (1) Buff Orpington and (1) Speckled Sussex
I am planning to Brood them in the coop...I guess I forgot to mention that the coop is insulated and the heatlamp is providing plenty of warmth for them.
Picture #1 is the first wall erected...then we finished the building, placed the nesting boxes so that there would be easy access from outside for egg collection. The run was peviously a garden space, but since the amount of sunlight was not enough to grow much in our short growing season here in Washington we decided this would make a perfect chicken run. We had fenced the garden with the 4" cattle fencing, so DH and I added the chicken wire and attached it with hog rings and overlapped the wire to make it more difficult for predators to gain access into the run (hope it works). Outside in the run we built a 4'X4' cover to place the outside feeder...but after more thought, we have decided to cover half the run with a tarp for a dry space during the wet months and protection from the sun during the summer. The run is covered on all sides and the wire is under ground about a foot on all sides.
The tube feeders that we have inside the coop was an idea we got from BYC, I think they will work well, and we will be hanging a waterer with the nipples for inside the coop. Outside in the run we will also have a 5 gal. bucket with several nipples in it for them outside.
One thing I especially like is the french door for easy access to clean and care for the chickens....we got it free and it will allow a lot of light without the hot sun...plus a bonus of being able to check in on the ladies without having to go inside.
We have chicks arriving in 3 weeks (Jan.30th) and I couldn't be more excited.....it's all I can think about when I am trying to sleep at night. I will post pics once we get them....ordered (2) Plymouth Rocks (2) Light Brahmas, (1) Red Star, (1) Black Star, (1) Buff Orpington and (1) Speckled Sussex
I am planning to Brood them in the coop...I guess I forgot to mention that the coop is insulated and the heatlamp is providing plenty of warmth for them.
