We got some new chicks back in April. They did great in the house when they first arrived, then later in a large horse trough in the coop (still with a heat lamp) and then they were moved into a smaller coop in the yard. Since then, maybe a month, three have died. Today I noticed another one...
We used a regular light bulb inside a plastic hanging cover that looks like something for a construction site. My husband probably bought it at a Lowe's or Home Depot. We ran an exterior, weatherproof, extension cord from an outlet in the garage, under the garage door, to an exterior wall of...
We used to live in north Texas and our coop had a light for increased egg production but it was not a heat lamp. In the winter we covered the cracks between the coop boards with empty feed bags to prevent drafts from getting on them while they roosted at night, but no heat. Your sweet Lucy and...
You could use hardware cloth to cover the windows. It's tough against predators, lets in light and air, and isn't too difficult to use. If you have big predator problems, you could attach rebar rods to the studs inside the window, but that seems like overkill. I like your idea of shutters...
Thanks for your great idea! We just constructed a chicken coop in one corner of an old milk shed and needed some sort of flap to cover the small door to the run.
What a coop! Your chickens are fortunate to live in such a comfortable and entertaining home. I love how they climb onto you when you visit their coop.
Here is Little Naked Butt on June 28th. As you can see, her ghastly wound from February is barely visible. She and her friend, our Buff Orpington, get along as well as they always have; fortunately, pecking hasn't been a problem. Thank you to everyone on this thread who coached me with caring...
This is such a helpful thread. Thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences and photos! We just started construction of Coop 2, a larger and (we hope) better-planned home for 3 young Bielefelder pullets, 1 young Bielefelder cockerel, 1 adult Buff Orpington hen, and 1 adult New...
Congratulations on being Coop Picture of the Week! They chose wisely. Sorry to read about Pudge and your loss. He sure was a beautiful fellow. We just started coop construction, and hope to incorporate some of your ideas. Thank you for posting photos and information about your lovely coop.
Thank you for your wonderful descriptions and photos. We just started coop 2, a larger more owner-friendly coop for some new babies, and your information will come in handy since your coop design and ours (we think) are very similar. Thank you so much!
There are two cantons (similar to states) in Switzerland with the word Appenzell in their names: Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden. They are located in the large eastern region of Switzerland that speaks Swiss-German rather than the smaller regions that speak French, Italian, or...
Thanks, Gopher Boy! Love your beautiful coop and your funny photos. Thank you so much for posting them and the detailed information about the construction process and sources of free materials you used.
I love how you used materials you found at Habitat in such an interesting way. I'm trying to convince hubby to let me convert a shed to a coop, and yours is an inspiration. Thank you for posting your pictures and information about the wonderful transformation!
What an inspiration! Like you, we live in the South where temps routinely exceed 105, and your cooling ideas will be helpful for our next coop. Thank you SO much for such detailed photos and descriptions of your beautiful work. Your chickens are very lucky to live in such a wonderful...