I really like jthornton's Ideas, the other method would be a shed roof (flat and raised on one end) both are great for snow, ice and rain shedding and both are pretty easy to do solo.
For birds of prey We like to give our chooks several areas they can run for cover, we have two closely planted cedar trees (red junipers) several low roofed hideouts and their coop. We have two families of Redtailed Hawks, Owls and the occasional Eagle. So far the rooster has done a great job at...
I have lots of hawks and owls around and I've found that Red 60 lb. test fishing line strung over the half acre chicken area has done a fine job of keeping the winged ones from trying to get an easy meal. I have it strung at about 8 feet from the ground and it makes around 1 foot squares, the...
chicken poop is pretty acidic and acids eat paints so it might be far better to use something along an epoxy paint for better resistance to erosion of the paint bond.
I just leave roost bars bare and I use either an epoxy for the floor or leave them bare as well. A heavy scrub brush and oil soap...
I think this depends on both, where you are located and where the coop sits. For example, Our coop is in an area that is always in the shade so we put in smallish windows on two sides of the coop and the area just below the roof is open and wired inside and outside with predator proof 1/2 inch...
I like the layout!
Chicken wire, however is not predator proof (my opinion of that stuff is that it makes great forms for papermache and not much good for anything else), raccoons can easily rip it apart so I only use 1/2 inch hardware cloth fastened with screws and washers every 6 inches (in my...
It sounds like you might not have the sky covered to prevent raptors from swooping in for a meal. I like 80 lb. test red colored fishing line strung back and forth so the whole run area is a wing trap for any raptors, this means no opening between the lines is over 12 inches across. The red...
Quite a lot depends on which breed(s) you have. We have BCM's (black copper marans) and the rooster is very protective (has chased off hawks and owls). We have a neighbor that lets his chickens live and forage with his Guineas and the chickens are always catching up to the guineas as they move...
It is usual to use a larger hen with a smaller rooster, for this sort of cross you might want to free range the broiler hen so she grows slower than her genes allow when on feed. We just went with large birds (black copper marans) so we don't have problems or need to do any crosses to get the...
We keep minerals and oyster shell in free choice containers for all our animals not just the chickens. That way if they want something they have access to it. We do give back the washed shells from the eggs by just tossing them into the enclosure and they usually rush in to eat the kitchen...
Round worms come from eggs in feces, most likely if the dogs go places the chickens go, that's how the chickens got the worms, so check your dogs stool too.
as long as you don't go barefoot or put dirty fingers in your mouth, you most probably will not contract round worms. There are several...
I've got to look into a way to heat water from a solar charged battery.
Don't have electric run to the chicken/ hog area and I'm not running a 300 foot extension cord since it would need to be at least #2 wire for such a long run. Love the ideas here, but I'll need a 12 volt heat unit.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/232547522143?msclkid=b4008d3a37a313ed3265d6d0c3503d77 there's one.
https://chickendoors.com/product/chicken-coop-light-kit/ and the one I think is the best for the price. you do have to get your own 12 volt motorcycle type battery for this one though.
chicken poop is great for composting, and it will work very well if you add in wood chips to your compost materials list. If you have a compost tumbler it will help break down the super high Nitrogen to make black gold (compost) in 14 days to 20 days. Chicken manure will allow you to use far...
I've found that the red eyes motion detectors work very well but I also like really hot (6+ joule) energizer and triple hot wires on the perimeter to keep peskies from coming close.
In my current situation I opted for a raised wood floor because of high coon activity, I didn't want to have to dig proof the coop. The second consideration was that the coop is within the boundaries of our hog enclosure and the coop is raised high enough that the hogs can't damage it. If my...
As long as the plastic doesn't get to hot that should work just fine.
If the plastic waterer seems to be in danger of softening or melting just add a second terra cotta saucer with a thin layer of sand between the two.
That coop is just too cool! I love the details and that you modeled it after real buildings in the Netherlands. My wife would love it since she is a DeGroot, I'll have to show her this awe inspiring build.