FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[Red Banks]

cmom,

Can you elaborate on the low structure? What is it? Is that a roost running across? Trying to decide what kind of structure I want in my runs. I am thinking of doing the same as GFF shown below.

 

[cmom]

Quote: Those are shade tables and also they can get under them when it's hot out and stay dry when it rains. This was after the owl killed some of my birds and I moved them into another coop until I could cover the pens. Here the back sides of the coops are open. I also have wire over them which you really can't see but it's there. I also added another roost in the coop on the left. I'm going to add another one to the coop on the right too. There is a lower roost too that you really can't see in the picture. It is at the same lever as the white board that goes across the bottom of the coop. Here are a few pictures. Good luck and have fun...
\
Here you can see the bottom roost next to the nest boxes.

I put tarps over the open side so when it rains the feed in the hanging feeders stays dry. The netting is also now over all of the pens,

I have the back shut but it opens and I have wire in the openings. I have 1 x 2 inch welded wire around the bottom. A friend put new panels on her sun room where she grows plants (I wouldn't call it a greenhouse but the same principle) and gave me the old panels so we put them on the coop but we are going to change it over to metal like we put on the shade tables.

 

[Red Banks]

Those are shade tables and also they can get under them when it's hot out and stay dry when it rains. This was after the owl killed some of my birds and I moved them into another coop until I could cover the pens. Here the back sides of the coops are open. I also have wire over them which you really can't see but it's there. I also added another roost in the coop on the left. I'm going to add another one to the coop on the right too. There is a lower roost too that you really can't see in the picture. It is at the same lever as the white board that goes across the bottom of the coop. Here are a few pictures. Good luck and have fun...
\
Here you can see the bottom roost next to the nest boxes.

I put tarps over the open side so when it rains the feed in the hanging feeders stays dry. The netting is also now over all of the pens,

I have the back shut but it opens and I have wire in the openings. I have 1 x 2 inch welded wire around the bottom. A friend put new panels on her sun room where she grows plants (I wouldn't call it a greenhouse but the same principle) and gave me the old panels so we put them on the coop but we are going to change it over to metal like we put on the shade tables.

Thank you, excellent ideas and very helpful.

 

[Red Banks]

Those are shade tables and also they can get under them when it's hot out and stay dry when it rains. This was after the owl killed some of my birds and I moved them into another coop until I could cover the pens. Here the back sides of the coops are open. I also have wire over them which you really can't see but it's there. I also added another roost in the coop on the left. I'm going to add another one to the coop on the right too. There is a lower roost too that you really can't see in the picture. It is at the same lever as the white board that goes across the bottom of the coop. Here are a few pictures. Good luck and have fun...
\
Here you can see the bottom roost next to the nest boxes.

I put tarps over the open side so when it rains the feed in the hanging feeders stays dry. The netting is also now over all of the pens,

I have the back shut but it opens and I have wire in the openings. I have 1 x 2 inch welded wire around the bottom. A friend put new panels on her sun room where she grows plants (I wouldn't call it a greenhouse but the same principle) and gave me the old panels so we put them on the coop but we are going to change it over to metal like we put on the shade tables.

I have little light weight pens from TSC that I use for chicks. The shade tables will be an excellent solution for rain/shade. Normally I monitor the day and cover them with a plastic roof panel (just like tin roof panel) if they need shade or shelter from the rain.

The last picture in the post shows the greenhouse like panels on the back of a coop. What are the posts for? I think you said you can open the panels.... do you prop them up like tent poles?

I really like the nesting boxes and I can see that you also use the same kind of coop design as GFF. Here in Florida, this works so well. We are a blue tarp kind of chicken country..... no snow and ice to deal with. I have blue tarps that I put up and take down. I use cup hooks and simple shower curtain pins to hold them on. I use 6X8' so that I can decide how much of the pen will be covered. My current coop is 6X10 and of course, I have really outgrown the space (chicken math).

 

[cmom]

I have little light weight pens from TSC that I use for chicks. The shade tables will be an excellent solution for rain/shade. Normally I monitor the day and cover them with a plastic roof panel (just like tin roof panel) if they need shade or shelter from the rain.

The last picture in the post shows the greenhouse like panels on the back of a coop. What are the posts for? I think you said you can open the panels.... do you prop them up like tent poles?

I really like the nesting boxes and I can see that you also use the same kind of coop design as GFF. Here in Florida, this works so well. We are a blue tarp kind of chicken country..... no snow and ice to deal with. I have blue tarps that I put up and take down. I use cup hooks and simple shower curtain pins to hold them on. I use 6X8' so that I can decide how much of the pen will be covered. My current coop is 6X10 and of course, I have really outgrown the space (chicken math).

I have the shade/rain tables in all of the pens. In the pictures I posted I do have the legs to the vent covers out but usually have them going towards the coop and the piece of wood in the middle that is hanging down is used to hold the vents open. It's on a hinge. I'll take a picture of how I usually stow the legs for the vents. I needed a couple of more coops so my husband and a friend tried to surprise me by building the two open coops. All of the materials we had or were given to us except the 4 corner posts for each coop which are pressure treated 4 x 4 inch posts we bought. Every year I replace the tarps and I get whatever is on sale. This year it was blue ones but I have had green and brown ones too. The summer sun destroys them. I did attach the tarps with large oversize washers and screws. I have cup hooks over the top of the tarps to hook the netting to so there are no voids for any owls. I had a gap and one morning I went out and found an owl in one of the coops. It had found a gap and got in but luckily I didn't have any birds in it at the time but once in the owl couldn't find it's way out.

 

[Red Banks]

I have the shade/rain tables in all of the pens. In the pictures I posted I do have the legs to the vent covers out but usually have them going towards the coop and the piece of wood in the middle that is hanging down is used to hold the vents open. It's on a hinge. I'll take a picture of how I usually stow the legs for the vents.

Thank you for taking the time to help me with this. Your experience and practical knowledge is invaluable. I am so worried about wasting time and money doing the wrong thing that I can't go forward. This information will help me so much.

 

[cmom]

Each coop also has auto waterers. The birds do get sand in them from pecking at the sand then when they get a drink they get sand in the bowls so every few days I squirt the sand out. Originally I had them mounted in the coops until I had a failure and a flooded coop so now they are all mounted on the outside. I left the supply line pipes inside the coops but drilled a hole to run the pipes outside to hook up the waterers and put in a shut off valve in each coop. I probably didn't need to do that because I do have a main shut off for all of the coops. The waterers are gravity fed and use schrader valves like a tire has to put the air in it. I don't have a filter on the supply line for the coops but do plan of putting in one. Every once in a great while the valves will fail and usually it is because they get plugged up with the sand from the well water. I just take them off and clean them and put them back together and they work fine. This is an older picture with the older wood shade tables.

 

[cmom]

This is usually how I stow the legs. I recently put night lights in these coops so I put an extension cord out but will be wiring them in with the other coops. I have night lights in all of my coops and when I moved some birds into these coops they didn't want to go in at night and I would find them on top of the shade tables. I put the night lights up and now they go right in at night. I use 7 watt bulbs. Not very bright but bright enough.

In the middle is the feeder

 

[Red Banks]

This is usually how I stow the legs. I recently put night lights in these coops so I put an extension cord out but will be wiring them in with the other coops. I have night lights in all of my coops and when I moved some birds into these coops they didn't want to go in at night and I would find them on top of the shade tables. I put the night lights up and now they go right in at night. I use 7 watt bulbs. Not very bright but bright enough.

In the middle is the feeder

On your perimeter fencing how far apart are the posts? Do you use 4X4? What size wire? My friend has the water cups that come off and are easy cleaned. Also saw an interesting set up at GFF, they use the workings of a toilet to lessen the pressure on their nipple waters. This is great stuff..... thank goodness for the internet and people willing to share their time and knowledge.

 

[chickrunfun]

".... thank goodness for the internet and people willing to share their time and knowledge."

Right? I went from zero to chicken hero thanks to folks on here! My chickens are happy. healthy and safe because of this community.