Here's a simple coop with run design for those of you who are looking for ideas.

[ocap]

Very glad to see your idea. I have something very similar in my imagination. I lined them up side by side for breeding pens and imagine one big fenced free range area that all open into so they can each have a day out, I am getting tired of moving chicken tractors

 

[chad-o]

There are always going to be those that have nothing to contribute but negatives. chicknhurder has offered a simple CONCEPT not a done deal. The idea is that you have a base and build it to conform to your needs. I am sure that any comments that might be suggested to ADD to the improvement of the design are welcome by all. If you have nothing to add but all YOUR reasons why it can't work they might be better kept to yourself. If my comments offend you you more than likely in that group that never have a positive but always seem to find a negative. The theory of reincarnation is that you come back as the opposite of what you were in your former life. I feel certain that these naysayers will come back as a horses head.
Respectfully chad-o

 

[chiknhurder]

My composter is a DIY out of a black heavy duty rubbermaid trash can with a lid of course - drilled holes all around and use a few bungy cords to help hold the lid on better. Haven't had compost out of it yet. I'm new to BYC have only had my girls since September. The run has been in use since the end of October and the composter since November. I don't get to turning it all the time and I think I have more brown in it than green now so it threw things off - I just put in a 5 gallon bucket of manure in it so we'll see what happens. I'm looking at one of those double barrel types of composters will be easier to turn than the trash can.

Good luck on your composting and again thanks for more ideas on coop and run designs --- and if people want to criticize about them - then that's their issue - evidently they can afford to buy a premade extra fancy one

There will always be people who will pick apart someone else's ideas. That's just part of life. From researching the subject of composting, what I've found is that it doesn't matter how much green to brown you put into it. Eventually it will all compost down. A pile of grass clippings or a brush pile will eventually break down as will a pile of table scraps so I wouldn't worry too much about the combination.

What I've found to be the quickest, most effective way, is a mix of table scraps, grass clippings, and yard or garden waste all put into a large hoop about 4 foot in diameter and about the same height. Make a depression in the middle so that water drains down through the middle and not off the sides. Give it a good soaking (not saturated) and then let it set for about a week. Then I go out and pull the hoop off and restack everything back inside the hoop just like when I started. If it's dry, add more water. If its moist and the weather is hot, add just a bit more water.

After of few months of this you'll begin seeing the compost at the bottom of the pile. The longer the compost goes, the more nutrients it contains. Compost made too quickly is devoid of a lot of nutrients. Getting the pile to 'heat up' is great for killing weed seeds and pests but again, some of the nutrients will be affected. Compost that goes about it's process naturally and slowly makes the absolute best.

I'm sure someone will come along and disagree with all of this.

 

[Tacswa3]

What have you contributed?

I just contributed my opinion on the design of the chicken run to let people know the possible negatives of the design. My post was not intended to be a knock on your design or to be rude to your post.

 

[chiknhurder]

I just contributed my opinion on the design of the chicken run to let people know the possible negatives of the design. My post was not intended to be a knock on your design or to be rude to your post.

My apologies then. That's how I interpreted the all caps when you said it was NOT practical. I think a better approach when criticizing someone's design or idea could have been like this, "I found that having the top open up works better for me" because we can't really anticipate the intended use for every individual. It's all good!

 

[Tacswa3]

My apologies then. That's how I interpreted the all caps when you said it was NOT practical. I think a better approach when criticizing someone's design or idea could have been like this, "I found that having the top open up works better for me" because we can't really anticipate the intended use for every individual. It's all good!

Fair enough