First coop build in Michigan - I should have done this years ago. Pics..

[John Smallberries]

6) Ring Video Doorbells. I want to be able to check on the coop and run anytime. In particular, I like to look inside the coop at night to confirm that all 10 of my birds are safely cooped-up. I love these Ring 2 Video Doorbells. The give a great image and their batteries go several weeks on one charge. Here are my pics:

 

[DouglasB]

So many good ideas, it looks great. Over time, you will make some changes as issues come to light. That's the natural progression of things, trial and error, change, tweek, correct things you decide need it. No one builds a first facility " perfect" the first attempt. In order to be able to point out issues, you first have had to go thru that process yourself, made the mistakes, corrected them and learned. It may all work flawlessly, it may not, the process and time will tell. Good job!

 

[John Smallberries]

7) Rooster. As I mentioned - this is my first experience with chickens that were not on a plate. The guy at Tractor Supply told me that all 10 of my chicks were hens. It seems he was 90% correct. We started hearing this a few days ago:

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Next up: automation. What I don't like about the metal feeders is the inability to see the feed level easily. So - I'm throwing some electronics at the problem. I bought two cheap capacitive proximity sensors (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C35ZDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) that can detect the presence of chicken feed. I wired them up to an indicator LED that I can see from the house. It took a bit of tweaking - but it worked for the first time over the weekend and came on just as the food level uncovered the sensor.
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Holy moly! What do you do in real life????

 

[Onyxflock]

Do you want a vacation in California - come advise me on upgrades???? 1 small thing you might add in the run is a "gym" area to give another level inside for them to roost and fly up to. Things like a corner roost bar or like the one lady, who used an old wooden chair.
We've got 2 old metal patio chairs with the webbing gone. Attached a bar across to roost on and wired to the wall. Plus it's strong enough for me to sit on in the run when I'm messing with the girls

 

[John Smallberries]

Holy moly! What do you do in real life????

I'm an engineer and tinkerer. My son is pushing me to go another step design a Rasberry Pi control system from scratch. I see there is a thread on this forum already for that. I'll learn from that guy.

 

[John Smallberries]

Do you want a vacation in California - come advise me on upgrades???? 1 small thing you might add in the run is a "gym" area to give another level inside for them to roost and fly up to. Things like a corner roost bar or like the one lady, who used an old wooden chair.
We've got 2 old metal patio chairs with the webbing gone. Attached a bar across to roost on and wired to the wall. Plus it's strong enough for me to sit on in the run when I'm messing with the girls

Great idea. I had a shelf inside the coop to store food and bedding. Bad idea. The girls started flying up an roosting on that in the summer. I could easliy repurpose that space with some more fly-up roost bars.

PS - I'll be in CA in April with my motorcycle pals. We are riding the "CABDR" - southern California Backcountry Discovery Route. 7 days of riding in/around Death Valley in the dirt.

 

[Onyxflock]

Great idea. I had a shelf inside the coop to store food and bedding. Bad idea. The girls started flying up an roosting on that in the summer. I could easliy repurpose that space with some more fly-up roost bars.

By the way, your girls ( children ) are so adorable! That's a #1 reason to see your efforts come to fruition.

 

[John Smallberries]

By the way, your girls ( children ) are so adorable! That's a #1 reason to see your efforts come to fruition.

I fully agree. My biological daughters, foster daughters, neighbors daughters, friends wives and daughters: they all love these chickens and ducks. It has been a joy so far.

 

[aart]

I'm an engineer and tinkerer.

I think all engineers are tinkerers.
What kind of engineer are you?
I'm an engineer by nature but not degree, drafter/designer in Pharm mfg for 20 years. Now mostly a chickeneer

And where in MI are you.....
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!