July 2009 visited my aunt's home in NW Kansas, and of course, I was interested in her chicken set up. Her main coop is old, and it does not have an attached run. (A smaller coop does have a run for when she is raising chicks.) My aunt has lived here over 40 years, but her in-laws farmed the place before her, so I'm sure this coop has been used for over 50 years.
Here is the building, which is starting to show termite damage.
Here is the old feeder. Right now they are feeding 100% whole wheat kernels that they harvested themselves. The chickens are also getting a lot of grasshoppers, which are all over the place right now. The birds are able to roam all over the farm, but she sometimes will lose one to coyotes. They are locked in the coop at night. The nearest house is one mile.
Here is the roost that will pull up on a chain so it can be cleaned underneath. They cover the floor with hay and only fully clean the coop every couple of years. She said it was about due, but there was really no smell. The coop housed around 15 chickens, but could handle many more.
The nesting area is a shelf thing made of wood -- 4 nests across and 3 high.
I asked my aunt if she had a chicken we could butcher and was surprised when she said YES! We butchered a 3-4 year old Buff Orpington hen. It was my first experience, and I was surprised how little mess it made of the yard and us.
I'll treasure this visit.
Here is the building, which is starting to show termite damage.
Here is the old feeder. Right now they are feeding 100% whole wheat kernels that they harvested themselves. The chickens are also getting a lot of grasshoppers, which are all over the place right now. The birds are able to roam all over the farm, but she sometimes will lose one to coyotes. They are locked in the coop at night. The nearest house is one mile.
Here is the roost that will pull up on a chain so it can be cleaned underneath. They cover the floor with hay and only fully clean the coop every couple of years. She said it was about due, but there was really no smell. The coop housed around 15 chickens, but could handle many more.
The nesting area is a shelf thing made of wood -- 4 nests across and 3 high.
I asked my aunt if she had a chicken we could butcher and was surprised when she said YES! We butchered a 3-4 year old Buff Orpington hen. It was my first experience, and I was surprised how little mess it made of the yard and us.
I'll treasure this visit.
