Need input!

[Kimquat]

Hiya fellas

This past weekend saw our backyard outfitted with a new coop and five lovely ladies to fill it. I'm pretty much obsessing over details at this point, but I know there's some room for improvement with my set up and I'd love to hear anything you guys would like to offer.

Here's my coop - unpainted at this point:

Disregard that towel hanging there - I hadn't finished the steps for the ramp and was desperate. That has since been rectified. Also, that square cut out is now a door.

I'm considering adding a small run that will be available to my birds whenever the coop door is opened. I do plan on free-ranging them quite a bit, but I'm so nervous about predators and what could happen to them when I'm not there that I think I might be developing an ulcer. I am kicking myself because the birds roost somewhat over the ramp and so they are happily pooping all over it every single night.

I opted for a regular old dirt floor in the coop. There was grass, but the silkies decimated what grass was available within the first four hours of their moving in. Inside, there are pine shavings aplenty.

Do you guys have any suggestions for making this a safer, more comfortable home for my girls? I want them to be as comfortable and happy as possible. Any pictures of affordable, small-scale runs would also be much appreciated. I scoured the forums the other night and somehow managed not to actually bookmark a single thing even though I thought I had.

Also, I hate my feeder/waterer and while it's supposed to be hanging beneath an outdoor perch, they are sitting on the ground because they don't hang the way I imagined they would. I'm wondering if there isn't a better solution here and perhaps I could just put them outside the coop when I let my birds out to play in a few days.

Here's a few pictures of my sweeties:


Henny's so sweet. I was afraid she and Harriet would bully the silkies since they're so much bigger, but they're actually the nicest of the bunch.



Sylvia and Betty. Sylvia actually hangs with the two Sex Links and they're a trio of chill.



Blanche is very wary. She also gave us our first egg yesterday!



Sylvia always appears to be pondering something. She's a deep chicken.



I really love these guys.

Any suggestions, ideas, input would be very much appreciated.

 

[Tweakster]

Nice, cozy little coop! I'm sure your chooks enjoy it.

With the water-er and feeder, getting them up off the ground helps kept dirt out of them. As the chooks tear up the ground a bit more you're going to find that they throw a lot of dirt around as they scratch. This makes a bigger difference with the water-er. You might give the hanging thing a second go, later, just to get them up off the ground.

Also, might I suggest looking into some half inch by half inch wire mesh to replace the chicken wire? Since there is no pop door to limit predator access to the coop from the run, any predator gaining access through the wire or under the bottom of the run can waltz into the coop and get their fill of self serve Pollo. The half by half inch mesh can't be torn by raccoons, and some of the big raccoons can tear a hole in chicken wire. This isn't as big of a deal if there is a close-able pop door to the coop, so perhaps you might want to look into adding a close-able pop door of some type. If you do choose to secure the run, bury the wire mesh into the ground so predators can't dig under. This sounds a bit extreme, but hungry coons can go to extreme measures to gain access to a late night snack.

Again, great little coop. Looks like your chooks really enjoy it. Best of luck!

 

[ChicKat]

Congratulations on your first egg and your beautiful birds. I love the pictures.

One suggestion for you is that the chicken wire that will keep the chickens in, won't keep predators out. It would be a good idea to get some hardware cloth and reinforce anyplace that a raccoon or other critter could get into.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Safety: Depending on your area and predator load, I would be wary of using just chicken wire. I have read stories of raccoons and dogs biting through chicken wire (especially the newer flimsy stuff). Also, raccoons will pull whatever part of the bird they can get a hold of through the wire. Reinforcing, especially around the bottom, with wire mesh is a good idea. Consider also that many predators can dig under the wire, so if you have this worry, you can add large rocks or pavers around the edges, although burying wire mesh is safest.

Comfort: I think your idea of enlarging the enclosed run is good. More space = less stress. That way, on the days you can't let them out, you won't feel guilty! I don't have room to hang my feeders/waterers either so I put them up on a few stacked pavers which keeps them cleaner. Bricks or a wood block, anything would work. If you really want to hang them, put a 2x4 across the top of the run and hang them from a long cord/wire. You might consider covering the run during the rainy season. Chickens can get really muddy, especially those feathered feet!

I always leave the feeders in the run when the chickens are out free ranging. I don't want to start attracting critters and feeding all the wild birds. I do have an outside source of water. Your girls should eat in the morning before you let them out and come back to the coop to eat before bedtime.

All said, your coop looks very comfy and the chickens must think so too to give you an egg! (I'm still waiting. Mine are just three months.) They are lucky to have such a caring owner.

 

[Kimquat]

Tweakster: I hope they enjoy it! I have asked them, but they just cocked their heads at me. So I gave them some mealworms.

I did consider adding a pop-door, but Harriet seems to like getting up super early and getting to the water and food first. I have been fretting over the chicken wire and and going to pick up some hardware cloth this weekend to reinforce their coop. But now that I think about it, the pop door would solve the 'poop-on-the-ladder' problem. Good food for thought - thank you.

ChicKat: Thank you! I am absolutely going to reinforce the chicken wire. I will also not be using chicken wire to fence in the addition. Perhaps a shorter, enclosed run will be better - less expensive and just as good. I mean, it's not as though my chickens will grow to be six feet.

Wishing: I am worried about foxes and raccoons while my girls are sleeping and worried about hawks when they are free-ranging. I so want them to be able to munch on the grass and bugs, though, so I'm willing to give it a try. I'm definitely going to reinforce the wire with hardware cloth and will probably also put in a pop-door. Great idea about the rocks - it could be decorative and functional! I'll put those feeders up on a platform until I can figure out something that will really work - thanks for the suggestion. I did add a roof to the run and I'm glad I did because it rained a whole bunch yesterday and the girls were clucky and dry all day. I don't know what I was thinking... Thanks for the input and the feeding ideas - I'm a bit of a feeder and have probably been giving them too much. I'm sending good laying vibes to your hens. May they lay aplenty. ^__^