Recent content by grohfrog

  1. grohfrog

    Can Chooks and Rabbits House together happily?

    We had Californians and Marans together a few years ago. They got along just fine, but the rabbits need to have a nook away from the chickens to raise their kits in. The chickens will kill the babies if the does don’t have a secure place to nest them.
  2. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Update: mixing in rocks didn’t really help the porosity of the soil, but mixing in pine shavings and stirring it up once a week has worked like a charm. Throw down scratch grains, and the hens kerp things fairly well turned. It was also pretty easy to raise the roost bars well above the...
  3. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Coop: 32.8” x 55.1” x 29.3” (lowest) – 51.9” (peak)
  4. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Finnie, The entire coop floor is a tray that slides out for cleaning. Once out, cleaning everything else doesn’t appear too bad. $300 for this coop right now if you buy from TSC online and pick up in the store.
  5. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Yeah... we won't be keeping all of them. We got a mail-order batch that came with several spares. We have a neighbor down the street that will be taking our extras once they're old enough to integrate with his adult flock.
  6. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    After the 4x4 post frame was leveled, I left a layer of stone in the run area, and then covered that stone with few inches of a mix of dirt and pebbles. My hope was to keep the soil in the run porous enough to allow incidental water to drain away easily. This photo was taken of the chicks on a...
  7. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Alright, here's a photo of the roost bars (taken through one of the next boxes): And a shot of the front of the coop from inside the run, showing the ramp door and the second, larger door: The roost bars do sit up off of the floor pan. Also, I can't imagine it would be too difficult to cut...
  8. grohfrog

    New setup.

    Man, I really like how it's squared off with the garden box and you graveled around both. That looks great! Might have to borrow that idea.
  9. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    It has two screened, sliding windows, one on each side. There are also two doors on the front of the coop, inside the run area, one sliding door to the ramp, and the other a larger swing-open door. Perhaps add some adjustable ventilation at the peak on the front and back walls?
  10. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    Rather than assemble the frame directly on the ground, I built and leveled a treated 4x4 post frame. To deter digging predators, I scraped away loose stone around the base of the coop and stapled chicken wire around the base of the coop: Once installed, I covered the mesh with stone (mostly...
  11. grohfrog

    Big Green Hen House: Modification Recommendations?

    I recently purchased the Innovation Pet "Big Green Walk-In Hen House" from Tractor Supply Co. as a starter coop for my son's "Backyard Chickens" 4-H project. Assembly was very straight-forward, and while I'm very happy with the purchase, I would imagine that there are modifications that could...
  12. grohfrog

    Comment by 'grohfrog' in article 'Shipping Dunnage Coop'

    I've got 2 of these 45 x 48 crates at the moment. I currently have 2 Marans that are laying age, with another 10 pullets in the brooder. So I expect to have 2 crate-coops for 12 chickens, but have access to a third crate if needed. I'm realizing that I need to install a frame around the door...
  13. Shipping Dunnage Coop

    Shipping Dunnage Coop

    I was recently given a couple of 45" x 48" shipping totes. My son and I set about looking for a way to create a durable, but ultimately cheap, way to turn these totes into coops. Above is the first tote before any modification. Two strips of 2x2 wood were screwed in through the sides of the...
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