Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[satay]

And don't forget - make it big enough to hold all the chooks you may or may not get.

Spoken like an experienced bycer

 

[Chook Newby]

WOW

Thats a great looking coop! Cant wait to see the rest of your pictures!

 

[Teila]

Good morning friends

As I have today off to mow the lawns and hopefully put a huge dent in the final touches to the coop and run, I have a little time this morning to catch up a bit.

When I was staining yesterday our neighbour came out to ask "what is that noise?" That noise was/is Porter [the Koel (cuckoo)] asking to be fed. He sat in the tree all day yesterday .. peep, peep, peep, peep, peep and as I type this morning, I can hear him peep, peep, peep, peep. Hubby was working outside yesterday and every so often I hear "Porter, shut up already" lol.

We can get quite close to him and he does not seem afraid .. I am hoping that he gets used to us being close as I definitely would not mind him staying around .. not only is he beautiful to look at, he is a cutie also and I am getting quite attached to the little fella.

Chook Newby I love the picture of your non-human babies all together and eating lettuce.

Fancy aaaw, your poor little chick, I hope it is OK .. bad cockerel!

mooandmcgee yep, I think a lot of people are surprised at how much chickens grow on them … their chickenalities are both adorable and entertaining.

As MyHaven mentioned, I have a slatted coop floor and have had for the three years or so I have had chickens. My “cleaning regime” is that I sweep up the poops every morning and wipe the floor over with a safe, vanilla scented spray. Once a week the floor comes out and gets a wash in warm soapy water, rinsed, sun dried and popped back in. Every so often, if there has been a bit of a ‘stain’ build up, I give it a light sand.

I totally agree it comes down to what will work for your location, lifestyle and chooks but wanted to add the number of chooks and coops also. Doing what I do every morning is not going to work for someone who leaves home before the chickens are up or someone who has multiple coops and many many chickens.

We are now in the process of building a larger coop. We started out with 2 bantams in a kit coop .. over time, 2 has turned into 6 and the kit coop has turned into 2 kit coops joined together with bits and pieces tacked on here and there to accommodate their needs.


If I can, some points I would like to share:

1. I found the kit coops are probably suitable for about half the number of chickens they say you can put in them.

2. Both of the kit coops have done pretty well for their three years of age but they are starting to ‘disintegrate’ in places and they have been protected from the weather as much as possible.

3. One of our kit coops has a nest box hanging off the side .. hanging is right; with time, it has gotten lower and lower and is threatening to fall off.

4. The kit coops are usually only slightly raised off the ground so while the chickens can get into them easily, chicken carers can not .. my knees can vouch for that statement

Also, the fact that they are only slightly raised can lead to a waste of space; if they are high enough for the chickens to easily get under, that makes for a good shady, dry spot.

5. Some kit coops have lots of ‘bells & whistles’ that are not needed and just make adjusting them to suit more tricky.

5. Ventilation is definitely lacking in some.

And more ………… having said all that though, as a starting point for us, they have been great. They have taught us what we do and do not need and helped us with the design and build of the new digs

If they are big enough, they are great as a starter and ideal as broody accommodation and/or hospital separation etc but long term, not so good.

sjturner79 loved all the pics! The one of the chickens on the lawn with Blackbeard’s paw in the bottom left corner is priceless! Lol

lol Anniebee and MyHaven

 

[Chook Newby]

Blackbeard - Who catches magpies and crows, or any other bird that flies but runs away from baby chicks.

haha what a big 'Scardie Cat'

Poor little kitty...

 

[Chook Newby]

Chickens everywhere as you can see - Some might be in more than picture.

I just love pictures! And what lovely looking chookies! They look so happy! Thanks for posting

 

[Chook Newby]

Good morning friends

If I can, some points I would like to share:

1. I found the kit coops are probably suitable for about half the number of chickens they say you can put in them.

2. Both of the kit coops have done pretty well for their three years of age but they are starting to ‘disintegrate’ in places and they have been protected from the weather as much as possible.

3. One of our kit coops has a nest box hanging off the side .. hanging is right; with time, it has gotten lower and lower and is threatening to fall off.

4. The kit coops are usually only slightly raised off the ground so while the chickens can get into them easily, chicken carers can not .. my knees can vouch for that statement

Also, the fact that they are only slightly raised can lead to a waste of space; if they are high enough for the chickens to easily get under, that makes for a good shady, dry spot.

5. Some kit coops have lots of ‘bells & whistles’ that are not needed and just make adjusting them to suit more tricky.

5. Ventilation is definitely lacking in some.

And more ………… having said all that though, as a starting point for us, they have been great. They have taught us what we do and do not need and helped us with the design and build of the new digs

If they are big enough, they are great as a starter and ideal as broody accommodation and/or hospital separation etc but long term, not so good.

Morning Teila

Thanks for this info!! I have a kit coop because I live in the suburbs and these are my first chooks. I think it is fine for my first coop and run but I wouldnt buy one again. I have had mine for only about 3 months and the 'cracks' are already showing. The nesting box floor was warped when I got it and doesnt even attach proberly and the dividers keep falling. The perches are also low to the floor which means I've had to modify it and place more perches high up so they can roost. The wood is very soft and the ramp from the run to the coop has already come of the hinges. If my girls knock it down they are still fine to jump up into their coop but Im worried it will fall on one of them when Im not at home. It does have a poo tray but as other have said I find it a little impractical. I have to admit though the coop does leak when it rains and hopefully wont for a while.

I think its the right buy for my first coop. My next one will be awesome! And the company I bought this one from said it could house up to 12 chooks.... no way! I have four girls and would not put more than that it there

Some pics!

Yay they have learnt to roost! You can see I had to add the top roost as the ones it came with are on the floor.



The day we finished it! My very proud Nephew (who didnt help much at all LOL)



Who doesn't love a fluffy butt! (Rowena

)

 

[chicken-clucky]

Morning everyone!!!

@Chook Newby
Loving the fluffy butts!! I have a think on tumblr and Instagram that every Friday is fluff butt Friday

@sjturner79 some dam cute silkies you have there! I love the buff

On other note I put a home made crow collar on my roo last night and it had a slight affect. Does anyone know how tight they should be??

Hope everyone and their fluffy friends are doing great!!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Morning Teila Thanks for this info!! I have a kit coop because I live in the suburbs and these are my first chooks. I think it is fine for my first coop and run but I wouldnt buy one again. I have had mine for only about 3 months and the 'cracks' are already showing. The nesting box floor was warped when I got it and doesnt even attach proberly and the dividers keep falling. The perches are also low to the floor which means I've had to modify it and place more perches high up so they can roost. The wood is very soft and the ramp from the run to the coop has already come of the hinges. If my girls knock it down they are still fine to jump up into their coop but Im worried it will fall on one of them when Im not at home. It does have a poo tray but as other have said I find it a little impractical. I have to admit though the coop does leak when it rains and hopefully wont for a while. I think its the right buy for my first coop. My next one will be awesome! And the company I bought this one from said it could house up to 12 chooks.... no way! I have four girls and would not put more than that it there :/ Some pics! Yay they have learnt to roost! You can see I had to add the top roost as the ones it came with are on the floor. The day we finished it! My very proud Nephew (who didnt help much at all LOL) Who doesn't love a fluffy butt! (Rowena :cd )

Your girls look very happy. We just threw the first little kit coop on the fire. It lasted about 3 years,But they are only made from balsa or fir , the one that I painted is still going strong.

I've attached a tunnel to it for the silkie girls when they are on ' retreat ' from the boys,

 

[Ashburnham]

Don't know why it's posting inside the quote maybe because I'm editing. Hit send too soon.

Research coop threads in BYC, look at different styles and importantly management differences. I understand that the drawer works for Tiela because of her cleaning regime. It certainly wouldn't work for me. Deep litter inside a coop works for some people but may not work for others. Have a look at it all and work out what will work for your location, site, lifestyle, the chooks and the time it's gonna take to manage.

I use a large aviary and a qiqfix fowl house both with deep litter. I also have a couple of coldroom panel boxes. I prefer metal because of maintenance and deep cleaning and foxes. I have to ensure they are located in the shade to manage the heat.

Some people prefer wood for its qualities.

I have a friend who has a coop with absolutely no floor. It consists of a cover and a perch on a stand. The girls enter by jumping up from the ground. Basically you can just put your arms up and grab a chook off a perch. Freaks me because I can see a fox or dog doing the same if it just got into the run.

I'm not sure where you are, I think you said you were in Queensland. Me too. There are some people on gumtree that custom-build good strong ones in steel and wood. You could give them a try when you've worked out what you want.

I hope that helps give you some things to consider. Design is fun.

And don't forget - make it big enough to hold all the chooks you may or may not get.

In my 50 years of chicken keeping, I have found that the simpler the coop design the better.
Most of mine are wood framed tin sheds with a slightly sloping roof, with partly wire fronts and a large door for people and smaller hatch type doors for chook access.
Always built tall enough to stand upright in.
Concrete floors and deep litter.

xxxxx M

 

[sjturner79]

Morning everyone!!!

@Chook Newby
Loving the fluffy butts!! I have a think on tumblr and Instagram that every Friday is fluff butt Friday

@sjturner79 some dam cute silkies you have there! I love the buff

On other note I put a home made crow collar on my roo last night and it had a slight affect. Does anyone know how tight they should be??

Hope everyone and their fluffy friends are doing great!!

The crow collars need to be tight tight. If you can get a gap of any sort between it and the skin it's far to lose. If it compresses the skin it's to tight. Basically I tighten them as much as I can and then some more. If the roo is complaining and running backwards that's fine. If he can't breathe it's to tight. If he can't drink it's too tight. If he can't eat it's the wrong width or location.