fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[3KillerBs]

I know it's messy right now but try to imagine a fenced in run between the shed and the chain link fence (left side). The tree that came down is just past the end of the 16' long shed, so not in the way. I'm hoping to get the tree removed soon, workers are just so expensive!

The pallets are stacked under the blue tarp. Everything else will be tossed or relocated.

The woods to the left are mostly hardwoods, deciduous.
View attachment 3367910

A shady, leafy, weedy place like that is a chicken paradise.

 

[fuzzi]

A shady, leafy, weedy place like that is a chicken paradise.

Lots of bugs!

 

[fuzzi]

More ideas for a coop build:

Would you use fence, chicken wire, or hardware cloth in your run design?

 

[fuzzi]

Well, bummer. The two coops I was interested in are already sold.

This weekend I was pricing hardware cloth (HWC) and am wondering what would be the best height to buy? I want to minimize cutting, so was considering 36" as opposed to 48". I have some Amazon gift cards from Christmas I could use to minimize the cost.

Would an 18" apron be sufficient? I could bend 36" HWC in half so there's a seamless bottom to the chicken run.

 

[fuzzi]

Updated plans...

I read a lot here, last night, and decided that the setup I had 30 years ago was a good one. The coop is OUTSIDE the run, HWC attached to the front outside as well as around the run itself, up to 6'. Not sure about roof, will think about it more. We used bird netting last time from 3' to the top of the shed/carport, but it had a tin roof. I've attached an example of an old shed slightly similar to the one we had at the time, but ours had a flat tin roof.

The opening for collecting eggs and cleaning will be on the outside of the run. I may make one of the doors (top?) screened with HWC for more ventilation.

VERY rough sketches attached (I'm no draftsman!)

 

[fuzzi]

Anyone use stock panels as a base/fence? I could add the HWC to it.

Might be easier than trying to build using wood.

I can get one like this that's 16 ft by 50" tall for less than $40.

 

[fuzzi]

1. The breed

I like bantams, based upon experience. I don't mind little eggs, or broodiness, and I can have more of them in my little third acre. The rosecombs were nice little birds, but I'm considering other breeds as well. I want friendliness, good egg production, and the ability to handle insufferable hot and humid summers. I'm considering Delaware, Plymouth Rock, and that other black feathered breed whose name escapes me at this time. I could look it up, I suppose...

I probably won't add the chickens until the Spring, so I have a bit of time to consider.

Next...the coop.

I'm also considering bantam versions of Easter Eggers, Welsummers, and Barred Plymouth Rocks.

 

[gtaus]

Why do I want to raise chickens again? Mainly for fresh eggs,

I have chickens to make compost for my gardens. I get eggs as a bonus!

Do I have the time and energy to do poultry husbandry? I believe so.

I spend less than 5 minutes per day taking care of my chickens, on average, with twice a year cleaning of deep bedding in the coop that takes me less than 2 hours. Chickens don't have to be labor intensive.

my only concern is when we go on vacation once a year.

I have a 5-gallon hanging PVC bucket feeder that I fill halfway and it lasts my 10 chickens for about 10 days. I also have a 3-gallon water fount which also lasts about 10 days between refills (depending on the weather). I would imagine that you could find someone to check up on your chickens and refill the feed or water, if needed, while you were away for a week or two.

Okay...to buy a coop...what's available?

I am not a big fan of most pre-fabs I have seen. They cost a lot of money and are not made very well. IF you can find someone selling or giving away their old pre-fab coop, then that might be a good option to consider.

Lately, I have been liking the shed conversions to chicken coops. If you decide to no longer have chickens, you still have a nice shed for use.

Also, I've seen Cooper's hawks fly after songbirds at my feeders, don't want to take a chance.

I live on a lake with hawks and Bald Eagles overhead all the time. I put inexpensive bird netting across the top of my 2X4 6-foot-tall fencing. No attacks in 3+ years!

I don't allow my chickens to free range. Where I live, it is just a free chicken dinner if you let them run unprotected out in the yard.

Back in the 1990s we put grass clippings in our run, chickens scratching covered up the droppings. You should have seen the nightcrawlers we dug out of the yard!

I dump all my grass clippings, leaves, chipped up wood, and just about anything else organic into my chicken run. In fact, I turned the chicken run into a chicken run composting system. I get more value out of my chicken run compost than I do in eggs. Well, compost at the big box stores is very expensive where I live but a dozen eggs (until recently) were less than a dollar a dozen. I literally can harvest hundreds of dollars of chicken run compost every summer instead of buying bags at the big box stores. Additionally, I now have a bigger garden and grow more people food.

Anyone use stock panels as a base/fence?

I have had great success with using T-Posts and 2X4 wire fencing that is 6 feet tall. I can easily go into the chicken run, with bird netting attached to the top, and not have to bend over. At my age, bending over to do chores is not a thing I would like to do.

Dog kennels are another option that would be really easy to put up yourself. It only takes me a few minutes for me to fasten the dog kennel panels together. Even easier if you have a helper.

My chicken run is only predator resistant, but I have a Fort Knox coop that protects my chickens from nighttime varmints. The coop is about as predator proof as I can build.

3+ years without a successful attack. The 2X4 fencing was good enough to stop a number of neighborhood dogs from getting to the chickens. Locking them up in a Fort Knox coop at night lets me sleep well.

 

[fuzzi]

I have chickens to make compost for my gardens. I get eggs as a bonus!



I spend less than 5 minutes per day taking care of my chickens, on average, with twice a year cleaning of deep bedding in the coop that takes me less than 2 hours. Chickens don't have to be labor intensive.



I have a 5-gallon hanging PVC bucket feeder that I fill halfway and it lasts my 10 chickens for about 10 days. I also have a 3-gallon water fount which also lasts about 10 days between refills (depending on the weather). I would imagine that you could find someone to check up on your chickens and refill the feed or water, if needed, while you were away for a week or two.



I am not a big fan of most pre-fabs I have seen. They cost a lot of money and are not made very well. IF you can find someone selling or giving away their old pre-fab coop, then that might be a good option to consider.

Lately, I have been liking the shed conversions to chicken coops. If you decide to no longer have chickens, you still have a nice shed for use.



I live on a lake with hawks and Bald Eagles overhead all the time. I put inexpensive bird netting across the top of my 2X4 6-foot-tall fencing. No attacks in 3+ years!

I don't allow my chickens to free range. Where I live, it is just a free chicken dinner if you let them run unprotected out in the yard.



I dump all my grass clippings, leaves, chipped up wood, and just about anything else organic into my chicken run. In fact, I turned the chicken run into a chicken run composting system. I get more value out of my chicken run compost than I do in eggs. Well, compost at the big box stores is very expensive where I live but a dozen eggs (until recently) were less than a dollar a dozen. I literally can harvest hundreds of dollars of chicken run compost every summer instead of buying bags at the big box stores. Additionally, I now have a bigger garden and grow more people food.



I have had great success with using T-Posts and 2X4 wire fencing that is 6 feet tall. I can easily go into the chicken run, with bird netting attached to the top, and not have to bend over. At my age, bending over to do chores is not a thing I would like to do.

Dog kennels are another option that would be really easy to put up yourself. It only takes me a few minutes for me to fasten the dog kennel panels together. Even easier if you have a helper.

My chicken run is only predator resistant, but I have a Fort Knox coop that protects my chickens from nighttime varmints. The coop is about as predator proof as I can build.

3+ years without a successful attack. The 2X4 fencing was good enough to stop a number of neighborhood dogs from getting to the chickens. Locking them up in a Fort Knox coop at night lets me sleep well.

Thanks for the comments!

My old chicken coop/run was a "dump all the veggie scraps/grass clippings/leaves" place, we had wonderful compost and huuuuuge nightcrawlers (earth worms).

We have a shed in terrible disrepair at the back of the property, but the floor is rotten, unsafe to step on, and the overhang is coming down across the doorway, so we can't even get inside. It's not safe to use, it would be more work to fix up than making a new coop. I was thinking of sawing the two posts holding up the overhang. Once it's down I might be able to use the overhang (appears to be tin) as part of either a coop or run roof.

 

[fuzzi]

I found a place with used pallets for free! The owner said a lot of them are broken, and I told him what I was planning to use them for. He said "I think these will be perfect for you!"

He promised to text me if the person who said they were coming to pick up the pallets doesn't show. Either way I'm first in line for the next bunch of pallets, probably in a week or so.