Minnesota!

[jbenson]

My birds have forgotten what snow looks like. I went to open the coop and a bunch tried to beat the rush by running out the human door. I have a double door system one door to the chicken area then a door 4 feet further to the outside. I have been leaving the outside door open to try and get rid of moisture for the last week.

The chickens have learned they can run by me and out the human door and beat the rush for the little chicken door. Today about half of them ran by me, got to the outside door and stopped. WHITE stuff on the ground, how scary! They were afraid to go out, finally one EE flew out the door landed about 10 feet out and had that "Oh, poop" look on her face as she was surrounded by white. I cannot believe the forgot snow already.

The only smart ones were my CX's they waddled out with no trouble and started looking for food and begging..


Minnie you're going to confuse the poor kid!! Besides I am way closer to Big Lake than you are.....And I raised my offer to 2 dozen eggs...

Wouldn't it be great to get a coop cleaned for eggs! ( a simple little dream that gives me much pleasure)

haha, my birds did a similar stunt. Opened the chicken door and they started trying to squeeze several birds through at the same time, but the first bird there was my bantam cochin who is the widest bird and she saw the snow and stopped dead in her tracks blocking the door. The rest of the birds couldn't see the snow yet and kept pushing, finally pushing her out into the run and they all spilled out into the snow. There wasn't much cause I have a cover on it, but some did blow in through the parts of the sides that is open. They were most particularly mad that the wetness from the past couple days caused the ground to be completely rock solid frozen. They are out there right now trying to peck bits of scratch out of the ice. I guess it will keep them busy for a while.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Ralphie,
I used to pay my boys to clean the pens, but one is off to college and living the more grown-up life and the other works part-time at the grocery store in town. My daughter is relagated to keeping rabbits cleaned out, so I can't add anymore to her load for now. On the plus side, I am still young enough to do the work and I don't really shy away from manual labor, it is more of a time issue. I always have a million other things I should be doing. I would have gone out yesterday to clean them but it was so rainy and sloppy around the doors, I didn't want to fall and hurt myself. I already have back issues to do with, and a fall right now would really wreak havoc on things.

 

[Vashjir]

My coop is barely worth a quail's egg to clean; 2 forkfuls of dirty straw out, one armload of fresh in. A 2'x6' enclosed coop area has its advantages.

 

[Triplell]

Right now i have 4 pens that are 10x13, one that 11x28, one that is 11x18 then one that is 16x13. Then i have my Bantam pens that are 4.5x2, right these are not divided so they are 2 ft wide by 9 ft. I like to give all the room i can give them.

 

[duluthralphie]

I failed in my coop design, I did not take into account 50 degree weather in Dec.

I made my coop with a dirt floor and put it on skids, on the ends I have 2x8s the slip to the ground blocking the draft. My coop is placed on skids so I can slide it back an forth, to clean it I just push it with my skid steer, clean with skid steer and push back in place......


This stinking warm weather we had froze it in place, now my only way to clean it is through my man-door across the feed storage area which has a plywood floor and out the other man door. A pain in the rear!


I am willing to pay 3 dozen eggs for someone to finish cleaning it!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Ralphie, I screwed myself on how I have to clean my main building too. I maxed out on space for the birds, but didn't leave an easy way to clean. 8- 4'X12' pens, side by side down the long building, with doors down the middle so each opens into the next. To clean, I have to take a muck tub, fill it, carry it to one of the end doors, then out to a wagon or wheelbarrow. The other option is, pitch it all out the chicken door to their attached run, then pitch it again into the wheelbarrow or wagon. It all goes to the compost pile about 50-yards away from the buildings.
I have wood floors but they have vinyl on them so even if it freezes, I can still break the chunks and get them out. I use straight shavings so I can do that, wouldn't be able to with straw. My plan for this coming year is to either add an alley-way to the buliding, or to cut the size of the pens and have one that is outside the pens. Each pen has a 4'X10' run attached to it.

 

[cmom]

I failed in my coop design, I did not take into account 50 degree weather in Dec.

I made my coop with a dirt floor and put it on skids, on the ends I have 2x8s the slip to the ground blocking the draft. My coop is placed on skids so I can slide it back an forth, to clean it I just push it with my skid steer, clean with skid steer and push back in place......


This stinking warm weather we had froze it in place, now my only way to clean it is through my man-door across the feed storage area which has a plywood floor and out the other man door. A pain in the rear!


I am willing to pay 3 dozen eggs for someone to finish cleaning it!

Each coop we built we did an improved model. The tall coop was originally on skids. We had to move it with a tractor. Since we built these coops we have added 5 more. We made the back with doors that lift up so I can rake the poop out from under the roosts.

This coop and run is movable. The wheels fold up and can be stored on the top and when we want to move it the wheels fold down.

 

[duluthralphie]

I am actually thinking of changing my next design considerably.

I plan to make the next coop a "pole" building with one side being 2 4x8 sheets that I can easily remove and drive my bobcat in for cleaning. I am also going to connect covered runs to all new coops so I do not have to worry when I am gone.

If I was in Florida my design would work, I think.... Does the coop on skids work down there?

I am also thinking of making several 3 season coops that are inside covered pens to assure the right chickens breed and keep them safe. However, I will always free range the majority and just put up/whine and cry about the hawk/eagle losses.

 

[cmom]

I had 2 coops with skids. I did have to use one of the tractors to move the coops but they skidded just fine. The coops still have the skids on them but we haven't moved them in several years. Now I have electric and water with auto waterers hookups at each coop. So I have a hose on each coop also for ease of cleaning. I was painting the coops so I tool the hoses off but the holders are still on the coops.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

My coops are 8x8 and 6x8 with 3/4" treated plywood floors on blocks. There are back-to-back, with a pop door connecting them. They each have a regular exterior door, a pop door and a window. Then they have an 8x8 covered run off of the pop door and and 30 x 30 run built off the back. I usually just use a wheel barrow and load everything in there and dump into a pile. In the winter I'm lazy with the back coop and just toss it all into the 30' run.