New Coop! (picture heavy)

[Burgs]

Finally got the new coop up! it took a whole weekend and allot of bolting, screwing, lifting, carrying, chicken escape attempts and many bruised fingers but its so worth it! It was my Dads Dads chicken shed and he got it from a man who had had it for a while so its a good few years old but its still going strong! had to replace a few timbers here and there and I need to add a couple of ramps up to the perches inside (my poor buffs cant get up there) but essentially its all done! what you guys think?

view from the front of the garden! nice bit of sun






its got sliding glass panels with mesh on the inside so you can let air in during the summer months and the glass panels at the top flip down like windows



Sliding door is really handy lets the air in and the light . . .Horace likes to patrol the door i'm not sure why :-? and i can open the front coop door to let chicken out with a metal wire pulley system so i don't even have to go in the coop i can open the door from the outside!



Loads of space so if its raining really hard i don'y have to let them out at all!



nest boxes are a bit high for my buffs but the rest are just fine with them lol . . . once again Horace is striking a pose lol

 

[Hholly]

Looks nice!

 

[Maga]

Your run doesn't have a top to it. Do you get any predators attacking your chickens? I have fox, hawk, raccoon, dogs, occasionally a mountain lion and moose. I have a small coop and covered run and want to extend a larger run from this but I fear for them. Should I settle down and not fear as much for their safety or cover the run with wire?

 

[Burgs]

Your run doesn't have a top to it.  Do you get any predators attacking your chickens?  I have fox, hawk, raccoon, dogs, occasionally a mountain lion and moose.  I have a small coop and covered run and want to extend a larger run from this but I fear for them.  Should I settle down and not fear as much for their safety or cover the run with wire?

I've never had a problem with predators of any sort! We have a fox the prowls round at night I see on occasions but the chicken are locked away so I'm not concerned. We have buzzards but a chicken I think is just two big for them to tackle especially when there is easier pray to be had in the fields.

I live in England so not much in the way of predation! And there is a pheasant shoot that surrounds my house for around 5 months of the year and that really keeps the fox population down!!

My dad used to cover his chicken run with netting but the run was only small and it was really there to keep the chicken from flying out! I have found that if the area you are providing is big enough they don't bother flying out they don't have a need to with all the space available! ive only got a four foot high fence and they never flap over! But most of my flock are heavy birds (Buffs etc) so they don't really fly anyway and I do clip the cocks wings just incase they fly over if there is a fight or something!

My advice would be that if it troubles you then cover your run just for peace of mind otherwise you will be constantly dwelling on the safety of your chickens

 

[aart]

Nice little building!

 

[The Lazy L]

The sliding door to cover the screened people door is a nice touch!

 

[Burgs]

Thanks guys! My flock love it in there! They almost spend more time in the shed than outside lol

 

[User395221]

Nice house, and Horace is a stunner.

 

[Burgs]

Nice house, and Horace is a stunner.

Thanks! I really wish I new what he was i've been trying to work it out for ages! I hatched him with a batch of pure breeds i got of Ebay the rest that hatched were pure bread put whatever he is wasn't on the list of chicken they had so i do not know what he is :-/ Got any ideas?





He has grown up a bit since these pictures though his tail is allot longer now and he is a bit taller

 

[Burgs]

As you can see he is once again striking a pose lol