[COLOR=900000] I was hoping you'd post pics of your coop! That's the one I was thinking of when I replied to hoosiercheetah's post! I knew I loved that coop, just couldn't quite remember who to tag in reference to it! 
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Some cats... yes they will go after chickens. A barking dog should be enough to stop them.
Did I see Brad @bradselig lurking? I thought he'd like to see this!Ga Ho chickens are apparently going to be imported to the U.S. by next spring:
https://www.facebook.com/oldorchard...3037039422185/789359737789913/?type=1&theater
Edited to add the @ mention thingy.
Your setup is amazing! And i have appreciated all the educational info!@hoosiercheetah I wanted to show you how we did our shed and nest boxes and it might give you some ideas. I have an area that is the "people" part that the chickens can't get into. That way I can go in the door and not have chickens under foot. I also use that as a little storage area. My nest boxes are accessible from the people side so I can gather them in there, out of the weather, without having to go on the chicken side. The chicken part is divided into 2 areas so I can either close one off or keep it open depending on if I have a need. I used one side for the mamma broody or for brooding chicks if I brood w/out a broody. I could also do like you're doing and raise a batch of meat birds or whatever on that side. There is now a 2nd pop door on that side that leads out to the kennel run. I just divide the run with temporary fencing and then when I don't need the divided area I can open it up so everyone can have the larger run. Here is what it looks like: Looking in from outside. You can see the nest box to the right.On the people side: The box has a turning latch so that no critters can get in it and go through. (I leave the front doors clipped open all spring, summer and fall so the interior has to be predator proof.)
On the chicken side:
Standing in the people entry looking in. The divider gate is open so that they are accessing the whole area in this photo. You can see it just to the left of the chicken. That door is raised up with a short wall underneith so that it can swing without hitting the bedding. All interior wall and door framing is framed so that there is not a large expanse of wire that an animal could push into easily. The smaller frames make it more predator proof. (Nest box over there to the left.)
Here is mamma broody using the right side with that interior gate shut behind her. (This was in January with temps in the teens and 20s. Mamma did a great job.) [oops...a huge broody poop in the corner...better ignore that
Outside with the temporary divider. Using plastic netting you can just clip it up or use temporary stakes from the farm store and then remove when no longer needed. I found that I had to go all the way up to the top, however, as the "man" would get right out of the 4 ft. high fence so I had to hang a second one above. Used eye hooks screwed into the shed on the one end and clips on the kennel side. This side now has a 2nd pop door so that they can enter it from the "broody side". It wasn't installed in this photo.
Rolled back.
Here it is with the pop door showing and the temp fence down.
You can see both pop doors here. (Both of them are on a timer to open and shut.)
The newest "chicken children" using the new pop door entrance earlier this summer.
I've been lurking off and on. Been busy trying to get things ready for winter and trying to get some things done with the house.
