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Chirping
As we approach winter, I cannot help but wonder if my coop will be adequate for my chickens in a southeast Kansas winter. We don’t get the blizzards of the north, but it sure gets cold and we get a couple of hard snows. So, without further ado, here is my coop!
It is 6 feet by 8 feet, which makes 48 sq feet inside. The windows are 1 foot by one foot, and there are ventilation vents in the back. The run is made of decking boards and an old fish trap. The whole thing is on runners, so it is not on the ground.
This is the nesting box. The roof is not just tin, there is some wood underneath. I had a small problem with water getting through the small crack between the lid and the walls, so I took some rubber trim for bathrooms and nailed it above. It works very well! There is 5 boxes inside, but so far the girls prefer the two corner ones.
This is the inside. There is two sticks screwed into the wall for a roost, but so far the girls only use it during the day for catnaps, and prefer to sleep in the elevated platform behind the waterer. It looks boring inside, but during stormy and cooped up/hot days, they can be seen enjoying lettuce tetherball, staring at themselves in the mirror (there’s a small makeup mirror nailed to the wall), jumping up and down from the roost, and running as fast as they can from the waterer to the run. Their favorite by far is to dust in the wood dust left over from old wood chips.
Here is a closer look at the run. I scoop it out when it gets stinky, and all of the woodchips scattered around are because I just gave them new ones. They can’t keep anything nice. I am considering wrapping the run in plastic, but I don’t want it to keep moisture in and give my girls frostbite!!!
The roof of the coop is shingles like a house.
So, what do you think? This is my first winter having my own chickens, so I need all the advice you can give! Everything is appreciated!!
Much love,
Ashley.
It is 6 feet by 8 feet, which makes 48 sq feet inside. The windows are 1 foot by one foot, and there are ventilation vents in the back. The run is made of decking boards and an old fish trap. The whole thing is on runners, so it is not on the ground.
This is the nesting box. The roof is not just tin, there is some wood underneath. I had a small problem with water getting through the small crack between the lid and the walls, so I took some rubber trim for bathrooms and nailed it above. It works very well! There is 5 boxes inside, but so far the girls prefer the two corner ones.
This is the inside. There is two sticks screwed into the wall for a roost, but so far the girls only use it during the day for catnaps, and prefer to sleep in the elevated platform behind the waterer. It looks boring inside, but during stormy and cooped up/hot days, they can be seen enjoying lettuce tetherball, staring at themselves in the mirror (there’s a small makeup mirror nailed to the wall), jumping up and down from the roost, and running as fast as they can from the waterer to the run. Their favorite by far is to dust in the wood dust left over from old wood chips.
Here is a closer look at the run. I scoop it out when it gets stinky, and all of the woodchips scattered around are because I just gave them new ones. They can’t keep anything nice. I am considering wrapping the run in plastic, but I don’t want it to keep moisture in and give my girls frostbite!!!
The roof of the coop is shingles like a house.
So, what do you think? This is my first winter having my own chickens, so I need all the advice you can give! Everything is appreciated!!
Much love,
Ashley.