Thanks for the info on what you used for the tops.
I do have some of the heavy duty tarps and they came with the zip tie sort of closers, but I think along with those I'm going to try the wood frame with hardware cloth underneath the tarps because of all the coyotes, oppossums, snakes and hawks we have around our property. Hopefully that setup will help keep the tarps from sagging or caving in if it rains, etc.
LOVE the new pics you posted and the way the inside of your coop looks. Your hens are very lucky and look happy in their run.
Nesting boxes look good too. I like the longer ones at the end for the hens that don't mind buddying up in the boxes. I've got 2 that do that! The others want the box all to themselves. Go figure.
Our cats sit outside too and "watch". The rooster walks the fence if they get too close and sends out a warning but they've never tried to get into the coop. Course, with the cats out there, the snakes and field mice don't stand a chance!
Thanks for sharing all your pics and I know you'll enjoy getting to sit and watch all the fruits of your labor.
~Thank you for your nice compliments. It did take a lot of work but it was a good learning experience. It's nice watching the chickens and also funny to see the cats watching the chickens too. I'm anxious to start getting eggs, but i think it will be a few more weeks. The hens are now at 5 months old.
Your idea to use a hardware cloth under the tarps sounds like a really good idea. I bet it will do very well. Good luck with your project!
We used some 2X4 lumber boards to put underneath the tarps using the 4 X 4 posts for support. (I got reduced them at lowe's because they were bowed and uneven.) That has helped out a lot because the right side was collecting quite a bit of rain water before i put the boards under the tarp. It has made the sagging overall less as well. I guess we keep on learning as we go! It's great to learn new suff!