closing the chickens in at night

[theoldchick]

What a neat looking chicken coop. Simply blends right in. Yeah, I'd close them in at night and definitely improve the ventilation-do the windows open. Fancy is as fancy does. Nice job!

 

[samsr]

The window is fixed. I was looking for one that opens but could not find one in a timely manner. I do have a rather large vent on the back side of the coop. And with the dry climate here in colorado I should have plenty of ventilation. I will add more if I need to. I still need to do some trim work on it also. I just keep on thinking up things to do to it to improve it. Does it ever stop? Thanks for the thumbs up. I got six chickens today. 2 road Island reds, 2 light brahmas (I think that is what they are called) and two speckled ones. I cant remember the name. As I stated in my original post I am VERY new to this. They are cute little girls and seem to like the coop. A bit skittish at the moment though. I'll get some pics when they decide to come out of the coop.

 

[yo burrill]

You probably have something for weasels out there. They can fit through the regular chicken wire here. And they can wipe out a whole coop in a night. My dogs seem to keep most of the small predators away from the house. I have been lucky other than the willy fox!!! My chickens free range...

 

[ducclegirl]

There is a version of the automatic door closer on this site http://www.chickenlinks.com. The ad has a great demo video, looks like it works well. Definitely on my wish list!

 

[JNB]

Just wanted to say what a great looking coop.. and you design using the shed interior for egg collecting and feed.. Very Nice.. I will be showing my husband your pics. since we will be building a new coop come fall... I love it.

As far as closing them in..Id probably go with the better safe than sorry method. W e added a electric fence top and bottom around our coop, plus we have several large dogs. That patrol the barnyard. So we haven't had any issues yet (Knock on wood) For winter time I always lock them in the coop at night for warmth and protection. I hope you enjoy tour chickens as much as I have mine

 

[coolcanoechic]

I would definately lock them in. I see you are using chicken wire on their run. It will keep the chickens in, but will do nothing to keep predators out. For them, it is just a minor obstacle, and they will get through it easily. Half inch hardware cloth is the way to go. It can be costly, but will give you peace of mind!
I didn't think anything was lurking around my coop until I set up a game cam to see what was devouring my garden next to the coop. It revealed a woodchuck, a raccoon and a fox. It is so close to the house too! It is better to be safe than sorry! Secure everything you can! This site is amazing and any questions you have to make it better will be answered with enthusiasm! So far, your coop and run look wonderful and I really like the idea of putting it up against the shed the way you did. What a great idea! Keep up the good work and

to BYC!

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

d'Uccle girl,

I like you d'uccle, but I'm kind of a sucker for them anyways.

 

[samsr]

I installed a motion activated light yesterday. That should help scare off predators and if not it will give me some light so I can dispatch them with prejudice. today I installed some stronger wire over the chicken wire And started to trim things out. The trim goes directly over the wire that I installed today. I am going to try and keep my girls safe. I gave them a half rotted log that is full of bugs in it this evening. They definately like that. Nothing like watching them scamper all over the run chasing bugs to eat.

 

[samsr]

Just a couple of pics of the nesting box and the feeder. I put up hardware cloth yesterday. I slept better last night. Here are a list of the predators that are are around here that I have seen and am trying to keep out. Bobcat, racoon,coyote,mountain lion and last but not least Bear. I told the wife if a bear want in it is going to get in. A bear was killed on my next door neighbors property the week we moved in here. We live along a creek so we have most every predator known to man around here. I have a trail camera set up in the woods and have seen every one of these animals on it. I will see if I can post up a pic or two. I need a zoo cage to keep these animals out. Im not too worried about the bera and mountain lion. I think my biggest predator will be the racoons. They are stealthy critters. I hope my motion light does the job. I am goint to remove the sensor off the light and reposition it in the corner of the run to get a better effect of motion. Then with the light on I should be able to get a good shot at what is trying to get them. I have run electric to the shed so that in the winter we can just open the door and turn on a light to see what we are doing. There is also a plug in the run area so I can plug in the waterer heater. It get mighty cold around here in the winter and their water will freeze solid if I dont have the heater for the water.


This is a picture of the Bobcat. It is from across the creek. She actually stays about 200 yards from the coop in the woods. I hope I can keep her out of the coop. Time will tell.

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

I used to keep a red light in the chicken house at all times, and that helped keep the racoons away. We actually lived on a creek named "Coon Creek" because there we had so many out there. Kept em away pretty well for a few years. The chickens can sleep through it pretty easy too.