Some more pics inside is pretty much complete. Have Cedar Shake Shingles for outside, going to wait unitl it cools down for that part
One of the older girls taking the young chicks to school
Nesting boxes from inside
nesting boxes from outside acess with view of storage area in upper left
I just finished intergrating a flock of 26 13 week olds in with my 4 year old hens 7 of them. I divided my existing run and put the chicks in about 2 months ago right beside the older girls. They would watch each other and peck through the wire at each other occasionally but nothing serious. 1...
My Coop is half clear and half smoked. What really helps with the temp is to us UV filtering panels, helps keep the heat way down in summer.
This is a pic of the new coop I am building. The old one is similar and worked so good I decided to do it again. Soffits eliminate any and all chance of...
Here is how the nesting boxes are setup still need to finish entrance and dividers
Notice the vanilla air freshner on feeder chain ----- Keeps flies down
The vanilla does work great. I went to my local dollar store and picked up one of the vanilla scented oil deals where you stick the sticks in the jar. Just make sure you got it where the birds cant get to it. I tried the car air freshner, worked for a few days but they lose there smell fast...
Thanks for the idea on rounding of the 2x4 edges.
The nest boxes will have plastic tubs in them for ease of cleaning.
I also have a dowel roost to add and the rails to access the nesting boxes have not been completed. Still thinking through the idea.
Anymore ideas are appreciated.
THanks
Yes do the windows it will pay off in the long run. The more ventilation you have the better off your birds will be. Ideally you want good cross ventilation at top as heat rises and exhaust through soffit vents. The windows will provide a good means to circulate air from the bottom to the top.
I had 2 hens that would actually fly up into the tree and start eating the apples out of the tree. Never had a problem with them
GOD Bless the Buckeyes and Woody Hayes
The stair stringer roost actually works pretty well and it is easy to build. I had my doubts about it as well. I built a make shift one in my existing coop and the girls actually for the most part keep their business ends to the back or side. Very rarely did I see one get plooped on from above...
Been working Hard it is HOT!!!! Anyway got a lot done last few days. Coop is walled in and secure, Birds first day in it. Nesting boxes are not quite done yet but this batch wont lay for another 2 months.
Amenities.
OVer 100 Sg. Ft. of ventilation 4 sided roof soffits, 2 Operational windows...
One thing I have seen them do when the scratch is mixed in with the feed is throw the pellets or crumbles out of the feeder to get to the scratch also if they are not getting enough calcium becuase they are digging for scratch only you could end up with soft shells. For my girls scratch is a...
I watched a small black snake (8") slide into my run one day, bad move, the girls put the mojo on it. He put up a valiant effort but with 17 girls trying to get a piece of him it was over quick. Ate everything but the head. Hated to see a good snake like a black become brunch but they were...
Not uncommon at all at least for my birds. I have one hen who struts around and greets me every morning acting like a roo. From my understanding it is very common for one of the hens to play the role, especially if they have been around roos previously.
Yea I bounced back and forth on wood versus dirt floor. One of my existing coops is wood. With dirt I don't have to worry about water damage and I see better results with deep litter using dirt, it is almost like the dirt absorbs odors and aids in composting as I recycle all my coop waste.
I...
New coop under construction
10 x 8 x 8
12 nesting boxes with outside access Boxes are plastic tubs easy cleaning
vented soffits all way around for insulation
windows which work
smoked panel roof for natural light (UV filtering)
Auto door
Dirt floor for deep litter method
Electric
Water
What am...