My Coop

[jacktheknife]

DallasChickyMamma,

Hi, I am down here in south Dallas county.
Right in between IH35 & IH45, about a couple of miles from the Ellis county line.
{South of Lancaster along the creek}

Just wanted to say hi, and good luck with your poultry.
I don't get out much but stay home nearly all the time to save on gas.
Some of my 'Rhode Island Reds' live in cages and some live in poultry palaces.
I have been saving money and building poultry housing for years,
but live on disability and 'it ain't much'.
I hatched 131 chicks two years ago, and raised 80 to laying age
selling them for a thousand dollars.
$1,000. even!
However the feed cost $750...

{I'm working on it}

Check out the picture of my 'Show Coop' on the last page of my web site.
It is ...well...a 'show off' coop!
Giant ...but not finished yet.
{corner post braces and top netting}
But I got all the ideas right here!


Thank you...♫


J. Winters von Knife
Sandymay & Archdukedog von Knife too

http://jacksknifeshop.tripod.com/

 

[DallasChickyMomma]

The coop is basically done, just a few finishing touches tomorrow. We are pretty pleased with it.

Finished at night, so no daytime pictures yet. Will take some tomorrow.

 

[sattoritx]

looks nice can't wait to see those day pics.
We built most of our coop this weekend too and were working well into the night tonight. Wonderful weather, with the exception of the soggy ground sat morning from the severe thunder storms we got down here in Waco. I can't wait to get those chicks moved in. 1 gets out of the brooder box already think he may take off from on top of one of the feeders.
Here is a pic of our day run for the chicks when the weather is nice...

Inside pic earlier today, with the nest boxes framed out, poop pit and double roosts will be installed on the left side, but we are temp making the poop pit an opening with a ramp to the run below.

and what we have done of the coop so far (another night pic)... The large opening will be on hinges for ventilation and to open out to a larger run that is not yet built. The solid wall will have a smaller chicken sized door. I liked this large opening cause I am hoping it will make cleaning easier.

 

[DallasChickyMomma]

Looks good to me!

I was watching the chicks walk all over the back yard last night, and realized I had a weak point in one of my fence walls as Scramble popped through a hole to the neighbors yard. I toted down to Home Depot and Bought railroad ties to line the whole fence. Good thing my backyard is on the smallish side.

 

[sattoritx]

good thing you noticed and that there wasnt something waiting on the other side of that fence for a snack. Good thinking on the railroad ties.

 

[elmo]

Just be aware that come July and August or maybe even earlier, you are probably going to need to be doing different things to keep your hens from getting too hot. I'm in Dallas, too, and I have an open sided coop/run, with shade, and heat tolerant bantams, and last summer my chickens were still panting in the heat. I added extra shade and misters.

Standard breeds suffer here in the summer, sometimes to the point of death. You're really going to have to keep a close eye on things. Think shade, shade and more shade.

Don't worry about the winters, though. Standard size chickens do fine here even when it freezes and snows, just as long as they have a roof over their heads and someplace where the wind isn't blowing directly over them.

 

[sattoritx]

Is there a shadier spot in your yard? We have our coop under a seasonal tree, which means lots of shade in the spring/ summer when the tree has leaves, and lots of sunshine in the winter, of course we are now facing moving problems cause we didnt build it where we wanted it and now its too heavy to move, lol.

 

[nancypo]

Interesting orbs in the top of your one photo...

 

[nancypo]

Here's my finished coop for 3 girls-

 

[sattoritx]

Quote:
Yeah i noticed those too, there is nothing there obviously for it to reflect the flash off of, but to the right of the pic is our deck and our back porch light was on so maybe that was reflecting off the roof of the coop? The on on the left isnt the moon either which was my first thought.