Recent content by DesigningLife

  1. DesigningLife

    Coop name help wanted!

    LOL @ "Boss=Wife". I was one so I know what you are referring to! I sure hope you get more suggestions than just the ones I put up. Have fun!
  2. DesigningLife

    Building new coop! Please help!

    I agree with not using insulation. I live in Michigan and the winters get VERY cold...last winter we had many days in the low negatives with awful wind chill. My coop is not insulated at all. The hens each put out about 10 watts (if I recall correctly) of heat and huddle together on the roost...
  3. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'Summer Digs ~ Tractor-Coop Using 100% Reclaimed Materials'

    YAY!! Good for you! I know you'll do just fine...and if not? So what? It isn't like you "bought the supplies". At least that's the way I looked at it when I was doing mine. ;) The thing that really caught my eye in your reply was "2x6 treated lumber". Yikes! Do you intend to be able to move it...
  4. DesigningLife

    new coop

    The droppings can be quite large and gooey...they do tend to get stuck in wire. I'm not sure where you're wanting to put wire that they would poop on. Do you mean the bottom of the nest boxes? If so, I would recommend pine shavings or straw for the nest instead. Typically, they don't make much...
  5. DesigningLife

    Coop name help wanted!

    Hi Rob, Thanks for the fun on a rainy, stormy afternoon! Maybe these will spark some ideas... "Cluck's Crossroads" (that's a tongue-twister, lol) "The Other Side" "Roadie's Crossing" "Cross-wise Chicks" "Crossed Road Roosts" "C Y I Crossed" "Just Road Inn" Okay, now I'm...
  6. DesigningLife

    new coop

    Hi Frodo and welcome! You have a basic start there. Hens will lay eggs in nearly anything (a milk crate, bucket turned on it's side, etc). This is referred to as a "nest box". They prefer to have it "dark", and a bit "private". For the nest boxes, typically between 2-4 hens will use the...
  7. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'Summer Digs ~ Tractor-Coop Using 100% Reclaimed Materials'

    Cindy, I'll bet you CAN build stuff! I don't know what I'm doing either, but with some practice and fore-thought as to how things will fit together, plus lots of sketches, those skills improve a bit. :) Good for you for using reclaimed wood! I know it's really expensive to buy it. My biggest...
  8. Summer Digs ~ Tractor-Coop Using 100% Reclaimed Materials

    Summer Digs ~ Tractor-Coop Using 100% Reclaimed Materials

    My first try at building a portable chicken coop and run turned out NOT to be "portable" without a trailer, winch and lots of help, lol. (see "One Woman, One Saw, One Week")...and I cannot let my hens out to free-range as I would like to because my (very near) neighbor works for a local chicken...
  9. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'One Woman, One Saw, One Week'

    Newtoallthis, thank you so much for the compliments! I'll look at your profile and see if you've posted pics of yours - I'd love to see it. I just finished a "tractor" that ACTUALLY is portable, LOL using entirely reclaimed materials (including the screws I took out of old lumber!) - so yeah...
  10. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'One Woman, One Saw, One Week'

    ChaoSS you're lucky to have such mild winters :) Maybe one of the "tractor style" coops that you can easily move around would work well for your goals.
  11. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'One Woman, One Saw, One Week'

    I don't know if I can insert a photo here, but the coop I liked the most was this one - the third one down on this page that looks like cedar. If I could do it again, I'd have built it more like this so that I could have a roof over the whole thing and a door large enough for me to fit...
  12. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article 'One Woman, One Saw, One Week'

    Hi ChaoSS, If you build one, I'd love to see the photos! I haven't had any trouble at all with 4 hens in this space and one is quite large (a Buff Orpington). They huddle together inside tightly to keep warm and still come out for brief periods during winter when it's really cold. It isn't...
  13. DesigningLife

    Ended Coop Page Contest #4 - Win a $20 BYC Store Gift Certificate!

    Congratulations to the winners! Great job!!
  14. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article '"The Coop" est. 2013'

    Adorable AND functional! Great job :D
  15. DesigningLife

    Comment by 'DesigningLife' in article '"You can take the girl off the farm but you can't take the farm out of the girl." (My mini-barn)'

    OMG this is absolutely beautiful!! It looks like you've thought of everything :D Brilliant
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