I got my first chicks on June 1, and here's how things are looking so far in my little coop in the city. Here's my coop and run. The coop is 3x4x4(slopes down to 3). The run is 6x10. I made the coop entirely out of an old shed someone tore down up the street. All I had to pay for in it was the hardware, but it works great!. The run I did buy the materials for, but all told I only spent 250-300 on the upstart costs for my little backyard chicken operation. My three original chicks are up there on the in-run roost/coop door/ramp. They are almost 3 months. The Buff Orpington is named Blanche, the Barred Rock is Rose, and the Easter Egger is Dorothea. I had to get rid of one easter egger, Sophia, as he ended up being a cockerel, but I believe we found him a good home. To "replace" Sophia, we got two Cinnamon Queens (the nicest euphemism for RSLs, don't you think ) from some friends for whom 6 eggs a day were too many! Great news is they're already laying! Bad news is they're quite mean to the three younger pullets... nothing too violent though, so hopefully they'll work it out. There's "chicken jail" next to them if they act up too much. The Cinnamon Queens' names are Aunt Angela and Sophia II. That's all... just wanted to share. It's been so much fun and so little hassle keeping chickens. I love it!
It looks great! It looks like your chickens will all be safe and secure, except I notice one thing. A rat could dig underneath and squeeze through the wire on the floor. I have rats making tunnels under my run occasionally. I have a friend who had a rat dig up underneath and eat 4 of her silkies all in one day (she was away). I would put hardware cloth on the floor also. But other than that !!!
looks good!! I really love that you recycled an old shed to make your coop! We spent less than $100 on an 8X8 coop (the run is not finished yet ) and we built a little banty hut, too - mostly out of pallets we got for free, and some other fence and corrugated tin that was in my yard from the previous owner (he raised chickens and ducks here many years ago) -we tore down an old termite eaten old duck/goat (at different times) structure and reused what we could. i guess this property was destined for BYCs! great job, really cute coop
Excellent job. I would make one suggestion...on their ramp into the coop. take some 1 x 1 and screw on there every 8" or so...it gives them a safe traction stop to grip in snow (no idea where you are) and rain when it would be slick or icy.
Quote:Thanks for the suggestion. Not much show in Charleston, SC, but I have noticed they slip a little... in fact the little ones prefer to fly up from the side. I might just do that one day!
Quote:Yeah... I'm pretty sure I'm predator proof other than for rats... They're so darn flexible. I have seen small ones in the coop at night, though none since I put a bromethalin bait trap in the coop. The birds can't get to the bait, and I know my dog well enough to know that once something's dead, she won't bother with it, so I guess that's all I can do.
