We've worked really hard on making a good and safe place for our girls. It took most of our summer weekends and a lot of trial and error. Our girls love it, though.
Here is the 5 cent tour:
This is the front of the coop. As you can see, we still have a bit of work to do. I have to paint the window frame, and hubby has to trim the shingles. I was so excited that we're almost finished, I couldn't wait to take pics! It's 2x4 and OSB construction. We put the hardware cloth on with screws and washers. Where the hardware cloth meets OSB, it is sandwiched in and screwed down. The run has a cinder block foundation, and we buried welded wire 4' out from the foundation. The welded wire goes under the block and is cemented in. We covered it with pea gravel in the front and river rock in the back.
The coop is on the back of our acre lot. Behind it is a beautiful pink honeysuckle bush, and it's surrounded by sour grape vines and wild raspberry bushes. The run has a sand bottom. The foundation is on a hill, so there is good drainage.
This is a shelf that I installed today. I decided to hang the feeder on it because it was the perfect height for the girls, and it's under the ramp to the coop so it saves some space. The bucket to the far right is my Sweet PDZ. I had to put it in there after I accidentally ripped a hole in the bottom of the bag. That bucket was *supposed* to be for the girls' water. Oops!
Right across from the feeder is the water pail with 3 nipples on the bottom. The girls like the nipple waterer. I like it because it stays clean. As you can see, in the previous pic, I still have a bowl of water for them. They like to alternate between the two. The pan near the water pail is their dirt bath. It has dirt, wood ash, and DE. There is a roost (2x4) near the back of the run.
This is the people door to the coop, and also the pop door for the girls. I put a gold picture frame around the pop door. I thought it was cute, and it looks like the girls are coming out of a picture when they come out in the morning! I especially love it when they stand there for a few seconds. It's like a personal portrait.
Looking up, into the pop door. I don't have the door finished yet. I have the motor for the automatic door, but I haven't installed it yet. I'm saving that for after the kids are back in school. I have a piece of OSB to keep the shavings in the coop, it needs to be cut a bit smaller. I'm not really satisfied with the inside of the coop yet. I'm still figuring where the nest is going to go and where I'll put the food and water this winter. More planning and deep thought must be done.
I did place the inside roost bar so the girls could look outside while they roost. In the evening, they all line up on the roost bar and my daughter and I go to the window to tell them goodnight and to be good. The window is covered in hardware cloth on the outside. The hardware cloth is screwed in under the window frame on the outside.
Yes, that is a feed bag valance on the window, complete with a gingham ribbon border. My husband totally rolled his eyes at this, but my daughter and I thought that the coop needed some "girlification".
.
Our girls love their new digs. They're still getting used to it, this is only their 4rd night in the coop. They spend most of their day in the chicken tractor picking clover and eating bugs. They've adjusted quite well to the new routine. They still run to the garage in the evening, that's where we kept the brooder. But we're hoping that in a couple of weeks, they will think of the coop as home.
Thanks for looking at our little tweeter house. We are pretty happy with the results. I'll be happy to answer any questions, if you have them!
Here is the 5 cent tour:
This is the front of the coop. As you can see, we still have a bit of work to do. I have to paint the window frame, and hubby has to trim the shingles. I was so excited that we're almost finished, I couldn't wait to take pics! It's 2x4 and OSB construction. We put the hardware cloth on with screws and washers. Where the hardware cloth meets OSB, it is sandwiched in and screwed down. The run has a cinder block foundation, and we buried welded wire 4' out from the foundation. The welded wire goes under the block and is cemented in. We covered it with pea gravel in the front and river rock in the back.
The coop is on the back of our acre lot. Behind it is a beautiful pink honeysuckle bush, and it's surrounded by sour grape vines and wild raspberry bushes. The run has a sand bottom. The foundation is on a hill, so there is good drainage.
This is a shelf that I installed today. I decided to hang the feeder on it because it was the perfect height for the girls, and it's under the ramp to the coop so it saves some space. The bucket to the far right is my Sweet PDZ. I had to put it in there after I accidentally ripped a hole in the bottom of the bag. That bucket was *supposed* to be for the girls' water. Oops!
Right across from the feeder is the water pail with 3 nipples on the bottom. The girls like the nipple waterer. I like it because it stays clean. As you can see, in the previous pic, I still have a bowl of water for them. They like to alternate between the two. The pan near the water pail is their dirt bath. It has dirt, wood ash, and DE. There is a roost (2x4) near the back of the run.
This is the people door to the coop, and also the pop door for the girls. I put a gold picture frame around the pop door. I thought it was cute, and it looks like the girls are coming out of a picture when they come out in the morning! I especially love it when they stand there for a few seconds. It's like a personal portrait.
Looking up, into the pop door. I don't have the door finished yet. I have the motor for the automatic door, but I haven't installed it yet. I'm saving that for after the kids are back in school. I have a piece of OSB to keep the shavings in the coop, it needs to be cut a bit smaller. I'm not really satisfied with the inside of the coop yet. I'm still figuring where the nest is going to go and where I'll put the food and water this winter. More planning and deep thought must be done.
I did place the inside roost bar so the girls could look outside while they roost. In the evening, they all line up on the roost bar and my daughter and I go to the window to tell them goodnight and to be good. The window is covered in hardware cloth on the outside. The hardware cloth is screwed in under the window frame on the outside.
Yes, that is a feed bag valance on the window, complete with a gingham ribbon border. My husband totally rolled his eyes at this, but my daughter and I thought that the coop needed some "girlification".
Our girls love their new digs. They're still getting used to it, this is only their 4rd night in the coop. They spend most of their day in the chicken tractor picking clover and eating bugs. They've adjusted quite well to the new routine. They still run to the garage in the evening, that's where we kept the brooder. But we're hoping that in a couple of weeks, they will think of the coop as home.
Thanks for looking at our little tweeter house. We are pretty happy with the results. I'll be happy to answer any questions, if you have them!
