Wanted to share my flock's new coop. Feedback and suggestions for improvements appreciated... (Flock pics at bottom)
Their original home - a mail-order coop that cost me around $200 shipped - not ideal but it was a decent starter coop and at the time our chicks were getting big fast and I was in the middle of my college courses and VERY busy. I'm going to hold onto it to use for chicks and medical emergencies.
Their NEW home:
This is how it currently sits - while unpacking some boxes in the barn I found my old tin sign collection and let the kids pick out some to put on the coop to give it a little character. I plan to paint the coop white with barn paint in the near future to give it better weather resistance. If I can find some small windows to add I might do that - ventilation is currently through the open soffits and eaves - which is okay but I don't think it provides enough cross-flow.
More of the flock enjoying the coop - that's my Roo, "The Colombian Chuck Norris" on the right.
Words to live by my friends...
For size comparison - this is when I was working on merging the flocks - operation your+mine=ours is now complete and the small coop is in storage in the barn awaiting the next round of chicks.
Side view - in case you're wondering, that is a rusted cookie sheet on hinges which functions as a ramp and a door - when I bought this coop the previous owner locked all the chickens inside and nailed the rusty sheet over the door - quite a crazy ride for the chickens! When we opened up the coop I needed a door ASAP so I slapped hinges on the sheet and it's worked great!
Nice features of this coop - both the nesting area lid and the bottom rear wall are on hinges which makes cleaning easy. Although with the large man door on the front I do my cleaning through there and toss the waste out the chicken door into a bin for transportation to the compost area.
With the man door open - I added slide-bolts so the door locks the same way a french door does - this gives added security and will make it much less drafty in the winter.
Roosting bars and nest boxes - about 2/3 of my chickens roost so far, and I may add another row of "higher" roosting bars, but will give that some time and thought.
The Flock:
We have two Mille-Fleur Bantam roos - this is the larger of the two - he doesn't have a name yet.
Our king roo - "The Colombian Chuck Norris" keeping a watch over his flock. We are on three acres of mowed land surrounded by about 75 acres of plowed fields.
Another shot of Chuck.
Wyandotte and Ameraucanas
Their original home - a mail-order coop that cost me around $200 shipped - not ideal but it was a decent starter coop and at the time our chicks were getting big fast and I was in the middle of my college courses and VERY busy. I'm going to hold onto it to use for chicks and medical emergencies.
Their NEW home:
This is how it currently sits - while unpacking some boxes in the barn I found my old tin sign collection and let the kids pick out some to put on the coop to give it a little character. I plan to paint the coop white with barn paint in the near future to give it better weather resistance. If I can find some small windows to add I might do that - ventilation is currently through the open soffits and eaves - which is okay but I don't think it provides enough cross-flow.
More of the flock enjoying the coop - that's my Roo, "The Colombian Chuck Norris" on the right.
Words to live by my friends...
For size comparison - this is when I was working on merging the flocks - operation your+mine=ours is now complete and the small coop is in storage in the barn awaiting the next round of chicks.
Side view - in case you're wondering, that is a rusted cookie sheet on hinges which functions as a ramp and a door - when I bought this coop the previous owner locked all the chickens inside and nailed the rusty sheet over the door - quite a crazy ride for the chickens! When we opened up the coop I needed a door ASAP so I slapped hinges on the sheet and it's worked great!
Nice features of this coop - both the nesting area lid and the bottom rear wall are on hinges which makes cleaning easy. Although with the large man door on the front I do my cleaning through there and toss the waste out the chicken door into a bin for transportation to the compost area.
With the man door open - I added slide-bolts so the door locks the same way a french door does - this gives added security and will make it much less drafty in the winter.
Roosting bars and nest boxes - about 2/3 of my chickens roost so far, and I may add another row of "higher" roosting bars, but will give that some time and thought.
The Flock:
We have two Mille-Fleur Bantam roos - this is the larger of the two - he doesn't have a name yet.
Our king roo - "The Colombian Chuck Norris" keeping a watch over his flock. We are on three acres of mowed land surrounded by about 75 acres of plowed fields.
Another shot of Chuck.
Wyandotte and Ameraucanas
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