Have the chickens, now I need a coop. Please help!!!

[FunClucks]

Here are the pictures of my run to-date. I'm trying to build a Ft Knox chicken run with connected coop. The coop and run will be open to each other all the time. After I get the run done, I'll cover it with a tarp that stops about 2-3 feet above the ground (so plenty of ventilation across and end to end). Then I'll build the metal 8'x10' shed next to the black walnut tree directly beside the run and connect the two. But for a month or so I expect they'll be living in the run. They're 8 or so weeks and it's 80-90F here. I'll put a door in the end facing the fire pit and woodpile, and cover that end and the other completely with hardware cloth. Apron will be added to the (currently) open ends as well.

Do you guys see any safety issues for the chickens or opportunities for predators? We have foxes, 50-70 lb dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons, snakes, rats, mice, coyotes, opossums, and the stream is 20 feet away from the run down in a 4' gully past the chain link fence.

The hardware cloth was draped over top of the greenhouse frame and tucked under the wood frame at the ground and secured with washers and screws inside the run. Added metal zip ties to the greenhouse frame to tighten things up and prevent movement. Then added washers and screws to the outside of the greenhouse frame to take the slack out of the fabric and make the hardware cloth be flush with the wood frame so chickens wouldn't get their feet caught between the wood frame and the hardware cloth outer shell.

 

[3KillerBs]

That's looking really good.

 

[FunClucks]

Here are the pictures of my run to-date. I'm trying to build a Ft Knox chicken run with connected coop. The coop and run will be open to each other all the time. After I get the run done, I'll cover it with a tarp that stops about 2-3 feet above the ground (so plenty of ventilation across and end to end). Then I'll build the metal 8'x10' shed next to the black walnut tree directly beside the run and connect the two. But for a month or so I expect they'll be living in the run. They're 8 or so weeks and it's 80-90F here. I'll put a door in the end facing the fire pit and woodpile, and cover that end and the other completely with hardware cloth. Apron will be added to the (currently) open ends as well.

Do you guys see any safety issues for the chickens or opportunities for predators? We have foxes, 50-70 lb dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons, snakes, rats, mice, coyotes, opossums, and the stream is 20 feet away from the run down in a 4' gully past the chain link fence.

The hardware cloth was draped over top of the greenhouse frame and tucked under the wood frame at the ground and secured with washers and screws inside the run. Added metal zip ties to the greenhouse frame to tighten things up and prevent movement. Then added washers and screws to the outside of the greenhouse frame to take the slack out of the fabric and make the hardware cloth be flush with the wood frame so chickens wouldn't get their feet caught between the wood frame and the hardware cloth outer shell.

@aart could you take a look and tell me what you think?

 

[aart]

@aart could you take a look and tell me what you think?

Looks good so far.

 

[McChooky]

The run looks fabulous!

 

[FunClucks]

The run looks fabulous!

Thank you! I've changed the designation of this activity from "livestock" to "hobby". I did the "livestock" investment/return and cost/benefit analysis and decided that "hobby" would have a larger and more forgiving budget. I really wish one of those pre-fab coops would have met my needs cause this is a lot of work!

 

[aart]

I did the "livestock" investment/return and cost/benefit analysis and decided that "hobby" would have a larger and more forgiving budget.

Livestock is the egg/meat to feed cost ratio.
Building costs for the housing and enclosures is the hobby part.

 

[FunClucks]

Livestock is the egg/meat to feed cost ratio.
Building costs for the housing and enclosures is the hobby part.

I can totally get behind that!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Yes, you need to move water away from the coop and run area and build up the level of the ground the chickens will be on.

I would also suggest that once the chickens have enjoyed destroying the vegetation that you use coarse wood chips -- the sort you get from a tree-trimming service -- as litter in the run. Coarse wood chips are often considered the gold standard for managing muddy conditions.

Also, do you have access to pine straw? I personally find that a mix of materials works better in my run than just one material alone. I also find that pine straw dries out on top rapidly after even the heaviest rains.

If i get heavy heavy rain i get water under the hen house. Well, i used to. To fix this temporary problem, i can put some hay down on top of the water, mixed with leaves and whatever can absorb. On top of that, i will use large pieces of wood/logs or pallet; anything to keep them off the mud until it goes away. Then i will rake out hay and remove the temporary floor once the water is gone. This had worked well and only needed to be done twice. Outside of the coop, where the water originated, i raked a big pile of leaves and hay and made a sort of wall about 10ft from the coop. Its worked really well and i have had no water coming in. My advice, get a home for those chickens! Once you have a structure, you will continue to modify and adjust things to your environments shortcomings. Good luck, you'll make it work!

 

[FunClucks]

We have chickens in the run/temporary coop!!! It's the second night of run occupancy. It will take a bit longer to put the metal shed up (permanent coop) and do all the modification (mainly adding ventilation), and the chickens are ~9+ weeks now and too big for the watermelon box. We were starting to have a few peck injuries.

If you guys could take a look and tell me if you think I missed anything? I'll take some more pictures in the daylight tomorrow. The ventilation is nice. I spread the tarp away from the coop to direct the airflow into the coop, and then it can go out either end. Also we get some nice cross-breezes. It's not much more muggy or hot inside the coop with the tarp on than without the tarp on, since it gets some good mottled shade all day. We'll see how it does when temperatures are in the upper 90s, but I have hope. The main point of the tarp in my mind is to allow sunlight while preventing exposure to bird poop from the wild birds in order to avoid avian influenza. I'll probably water the run periodically to keep the dust down and maybe we can grow some grass in a grazing frame or something once the chickens have pecked it bare, depending on how much sun we can get under the tarp.

I've mounted a "Rat Proof Feeder" by The Carpenter Shop on top of a pallet, and zip-tied a kids sand bucket to the back and filled it full of chick and regular sized grit. Had to zip tie another piece of wood closer to the feed trough for an intermediate treadle step, and also zip-tied two metal crescent wrenches to the bottom of the treadle step because my chickens don't weigh a lot yet. Also, I didn't mount the concrete counterweight. The door closes but not quite all the way, so it's not really rat proof at the moment, but once the chickens are bigger it will be. They're the sizes of a large pigeon or a raven right now, depending on the chicken.

Why do my chickens sleep all piled together on top of the cinder block? The first night they slept on the perch mostly, with one on the ground under the rest of the flock, and the other two slept one on top of the treadle step of the feeder, and one UNDER the treadle step of the feeder (see the next to the last picture). I was really confused by that, and tonight they've confused me again. All but two chickens are sleeping on top of each other on top of one cinderblock. Yes, ONE cinderblock. It has an L shape side profile with the end of the perch sticking though, but still, seven chickens on one cinderblock?

One chicken, the lowest in the pecking order, is sleeping by herself at the other end of the perch, about 6 feet away, and the other chicken is sleeping under the pallet shelter, lying in the pine straw. I'm kinda worried about the lowest-on-the-totem-pole chicken getting cold. Low of 67F tonight, high of 87F tomorrow, but I kinda worry for her being by herself. She's not super docile with the other chickens, and fights back, but was slowest to feather and is still the smallest, so I guess there's not much she can do.

I had one question. They've been fighting over pecking order all day today and part of yesterday. Is it normal for hens to challenge a rooster as part of the pecking order? My number two or number 3 hen was challenging the rooster today, and received a bleeding pecking injury on top of her beak. They seem to have calmed down by now, but I hope the Rooster Booster pecking cover-up lotion works. Also, most signs point to her being a hen, but when she challenges the rooster, I begin to wonder...

The first and last picture is the cinderblock they've all piled onto tonight. The next to last picture is how they slept last night.

Yes, I do have a 3+ ft wide apron, because after securing 6-8 inches to the wooden run frame, about 3 feet was left. It's secured with 12" long galvanized steel staples and is absolutely flat to the ground. I put mulch over one end, where there was bare dirt, to try and disguise the edge a bit. The rest, I'm just going to let grass grow through.