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- #11
- Jul 1, 2013
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Thanks for all the replies. I may put a small window right in the front, left and center of that solid space. I have a 2x4 stud (on side facing camera) right in the middle and I don't want to offset to far, unless I put 2 very small windows but I don't know if I could find that. Anyway i think I'll put 1 of my vents on the other side. I have some extra hardware cloth and plywood... the vents I bought are cheap and there's no way to close them off for winter in a simple way. Might just cut out a square hole, cut out a square piece, 1 hinge and a hook and eye, hardware cloth the opening. Open in summer, close in winter. Although, it seems to air out fairly well. I checked it yesterday and it didn't seem hotter than outside. I think it'll be really hot today so I will check again. The pop door is pretty big and the two gaps on the ends under the roof aren't too far from it, but either way we'll see.
It's been really interesting so far. My wife and I bought 3 chicks in March I think it was. Anyway we were in hopes that if not all, at least one would be a hen. They all grew up to be roosters. We bought a small cheap coop from tractor supply and they were outgrowing it so I started building this bigger one just as they were learning to crow. All the struggling and endless evenings working on this coop while watching those roosters (knowing I'd get no eggs from them) was pretty frustrating. Luckily we got hooked up with a guy who has 3 coops about 10'x10' with probably 10 hens all the time in each, who was willing to take 2 of the roosters from us... while selling us 2 hens who were already laying. The other people were not willing to sell their hens but they gave this guy a call for us. He's a great guy. We did not want to wait to raise chicks again and be months waiting for eggs after putting all that work into the bigger coop. Needless to say, he told me "call me when you finish your coop, I'll sell you some more hens." So we finished, called him... and ended up coming home with 2 pullets and 2 more older hens.
Funny thing is, we didn't notice til we got home but one of the older hens has a crooked beak and the bottom part is longer than the top. At first I thought "we made a mistake"... after a few weeks now, she is my FAVORITE hen. She's so friendly and will eat out of my hand. She is always calmer than the rest too. Nothing bothers her. Now I pretty much love her the most haha. I come to the fence, here she comes running, calmly, out of the coop, always first. Walks right up to my spoon or hand and eats, all happily. The others always hesitate for about 2 minutes or so then come closer to eat off the ground, but they won't eat from my hand. She gets a full belly and it's fun to watch her eat like a pig. I also noticed, the rooster gives her the same respect as his favorite hen, and never picks on her, neither do the rest! It's almost like they know what she "has been through" lol. She never gets spooked when I walk in... they all hurry away from me, unsure, and she stays a few feet from me and kind of looks up at me and just hangs around real close. She seems like the sweet grandmother of the flock lol!
Anyway, I also have another idea I'm throwing around. Yesterday I pulled 3, 5 gal. buckets full of weeds from my garden (packed down in the bucket) and for temporary shade I threw a bunch on the top of the run (welded 2x4 wire) in the corner where the ramp is. Then I'd take the remainder and dump it out in the run and the chickens would scratch through it and eat what they wanted. I want to make a solid section in the corner for a roof (rain and shade). So anyway, my idea: After throwing that up there and seeing it, the natural look of the weeds on top looks kind of nice. I later thought "What if I take scrap wood, make a box with screen on the bottom (to prevent the soil falling through), fill it with soil and plant grass in it. Like a natural roof." That'd be a cool experiment and I'm thinking since they already go into the coop when it rains or they want out of the sun, I may have time to give it a try. What do you guys think?
It's been really interesting so far. My wife and I bought 3 chicks in March I think it was. Anyway we were in hopes that if not all, at least one would be a hen. They all grew up to be roosters. We bought a small cheap coop from tractor supply and they were outgrowing it so I started building this bigger one just as they were learning to crow. All the struggling and endless evenings working on this coop while watching those roosters (knowing I'd get no eggs from them) was pretty frustrating. Luckily we got hooked up with a guy who has 3 coops about 10'x10' with probably 10 hens all the time in each, who was willing to take 2 of the roosters from us... while selling us 2 hens who were already laying. The other people were not willing to sell their hens but they gave this guy a call for us. He's a great guy. We did not want to wait to raise chicks again and be months waiting for eggs after putting all that work into the bigger coop. Needless to say, he told me "call me when you finish your coop, I'll sell you some more hens." So we finished, called him... and ended up coming home with 2 pullets and 2 more older hens.
Funny thing is, we didn't notice til we got home but one of the older hens has a crooked beak and the bottom part is longer than the top. At first I thought "we made a mistake"... after a few weeks now, she is my FAVORITE hen. She's so friendly and will eat out of my hand. She is always calmer than the rest too. Nothing bothers her. Now I pretty much love her the most haha. I come to the fence, here she comes running, calmly, out of the coop, always first. Walks right up to my spoon or hand and eats, all happily. The others always hesitate for about 2 minutes or so then come closer to eat off the ground, but they won't eat from my hand. She gets a full belly and it's fun to watch her eat like a pig. I also noticed, the rooster gives her the same respect as his favorite hen, and never picks on her, neither do the rest! It's almost like they know what she "has been through" lol. She never gets spooked when I walk in... they all hurry away from me, unsure, and she stays a few feet from me and kind of looks up at me and just hangs around real close. She seems like the sweet grandmother of the flock lol!
Anyway, I also have another idea I'm throwing around. Yesterday I pulled 3, 5 gal. buckets full of weeds from my garden (packed down in the bucket) and for temporary shade I threw a bunch on the top of the run (welded 2x4 wire) in the corner where the ramp is. Then I'd take the remainder and dump it out in the run and the chickens would scratch through it and eat what they wanted. I want to make a solid section in the corner for a roof (rain and shade). So anyway, my idea: After throwing that up there and seeing it, the natural look of the weeds on top looks kind of nice. I later thought "What if I take scrap wood, make a box with screen on the bottom (to prevent the soil falling through), fill it with soil and plant grass in it. Like a natural roof." That'd be a cool experiment and I'm thinking since they already go into the coop when it rains or they want out of the sun, I may have time to give it a try. What do you guys think?
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