Do you have a favorite feature or part of your coop/run?

[OhZark Biddies]

Can I hire him to build us a coop to?! Lol. That looks beautiful. Tell him he did an amazing job

x2

 

[Wise Woman]

Thank you, but we won't be having them back here to do work anytime soon. Good thing I got my coop when I did. I do wish we could have afforded something larger, but it works for us. Come next summer, we will be putting in a potager next to the coop and I am hoping to build a small brooder house and a door to let them come out into the garden at times for a little free ranging and compost pile turning!

 

[Wise Woman]

When I redo my coop and run im going to have a covered run. I can't wait

You will love it!!! I put up shade cloth on the south side of the run this year and I cannot believe the difference having the covered run and the shade cloth makes. No one is panting or overheating and their water stays nice and cool as well. The coop is usually about 4 to 6 degrees cooler than what it is in the run, so I haven't had to run a fan in the coop all night either. In fact, it is so nice in the run that about half of the girls have taken to sleeping in it at night instead of going into the coop. LOL!!!

It has been in the high 80's and low 90's here which is hot for us, so I think covering the run was a very good investment. Come winter, there will be no shoveling the run out either. Do it, you will love it.

 

[nessa.morg]

I don't really like that much about my setup now and thats why im redoing it but one thing I love is how big my door is to the run. Its like big but not too big. Its big enough to get my coop out which I like

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Love, love, love my people door...built in ventilation panel

Love my in coop brooding panel...when not in use the panel stores in the rafters of the garage and space is just part of coop

 

[Hokum Coco]

I have gone with a wire 2" grid (wire the size of a pencil) over my coop floor. Similar to what is pictured below with 4"x4"x4" cubed blocks stationed under neath the grid on top of a tarp to form a drop pit it worked excellent all summer and I will clean the coop before winter sets in and things freeze solid. The grid even keeps you chickens feet cleaner which in turn keeps your eggs and nest boxes less soiled. I live in Canada and am subject to -40º temperatures.

Clean up is simple replace the tarp with a second one. Spread the first tarp out in the sun to bake and dry. Then flex the first tarp over the compost bin and hose off any stubborn chicken poop. "NO BEDDING" poop dries to a hard pellet in no time. In a Canadian winter it will freeze harder than a rock even faster.
Chicken manure is the all time best there is nothing better for a vegetable garden.

Easy Peasy Japaneasy.

 

[milogirly]

My girls are spoiled rotten, but with the new pullets started to lay, their curiosity was making my older girls a little upset when they were in the nesting boxes. I made them some curtains for a little more privacy. Their coop is nothing fancy. It is made out of pallets and old barn wood, but the new curtains help dress it up a little.

 

[nessa.morg]

My girls are spoiled rotten, but with the new pullets started to lay, their curiosity was making my older girls a little upset when they were in the nesting boxes. I made them some curtains for a little more privacy. Their coop is nothing fancy. It is made out of pallets and old barn wood, but the new curtains help dress it up a little.
View attachment 1493499

I like the curtains! Its so cute! That was a good idea for your situation

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

I took a whole side of the coop and covered it with hardware cloth, then made the wall removable so I can leave it off in the summer, or put it on in the winter. The wall has 2"x3" along the top and bottom used as spacers so it still vents in the winter.

I also used pegboard with screen behind it as soffit material to work in combination with my wall vent.

 

[nessa.morg]

I took a whole side of the coop and covered it with hardware cloth, then made the wall removable so I can leave it off in the summer, or put it on in the winter. The wall has 2"x3" along the top and bottom used as spacers so it still vents in the winter.

I also used pegboard with screen behind it as soffit material to work in combination with my wall vent.

Thats really clever