A coop grows in a NYC suburb

[tralfaz]

Can you sketch out what you're thinking with that? Not sure if you mean a smaller isolation coop, or... ?

Here's a rude sketch. Thinking to have the roofs pitch together to collect water for the watering pail with nipples. Connector allows the suite coop to be used when isolation is not needed. I just need to manually remove a separator.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I don't see why you couldn't do that... more work than I'd put in, but it'd probably work nicely for isolation or integration.

 

[tralfaz]

Thanks, when integrating new birds are the older birds more likely to be aggressive in the coops or out in the runs?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks, when integrating new birds are the older birds more likely to be aggressive in the coops or out in the runs?

Probably a bit of both - most conflicts will center around some resource, whether a feeder, the waterer, the dust bath. Or sometimes birds just take offense at another bird being too close to their personal space (chickens do social distancing too!) Roost rumbles would be the most common issue inside the coop.

 

[tralfaz]

Getting close, here are a few pictures of the progress. The hens have a run and coop and we hope to be 95% done by this weekend. This project would have been easier if 80% of the wood was not from my spare stash. Lots of time spent to minimize waste.

Adding redwood planks from the playset to the sides. Framing studs were from a winter basement which never materialized.

The original footprint of the coop was 5x12, but I didn't like the use of space and probably didn't have enough materials. Redesigned and now its only 5x6, but plenty for 6 hens.

Sliding chicken door.

Inside from front and back. Side boxes, will be used for storage not nesting boxes. There are two in this coop.

I didn't want to use underlayment for the roof, but was all I had. I've done roof repair before so overbuilt the roof to compensate.

Ready for birds

 

[aart]

Just wondered if your thread title:
"A coop grows in a NYC suburb"
is a play on the book title:
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"?

 

[tralfaz]

Yep, I go into Brooklyn to visit grandma once a month. Unfortunately with the current situation haven't seen her since January. She's 101 and sad that visitors have stopped coming by. Hope to video chat with her next weekend with the chickens, but her hearing isn't great so physical contact has been her favorite part of our visits.

 

[tralfaz]

also thoughts on what to put under the coop. I readily have sand, wood chips and hay. The run will be mostly wood chips and I plan to use a mix of hay and pine shavings in the coop.

Currently the roosts are on the same side as the nesting boxes, should I move them to the other side? I can't put them much higher due to the limited space, but what about a tad lower? Do chickens care how high they are off the floor?

 

[aart]

It's a great book.

 

[tralfaz]

Looks like some water getting in the nesting boxes which will shortly be remediated. But they are pooping in there as well. What can be done here so chickens aren't sleeping in the boxes?