New winter coop finished!! Upgrades on my BYC page.

[LynneP]

Lovely job and as you have suggested, smaller gauge predator wire will heighten the safety. I think you would be very pleased if you had some roofing over the run, and it protects the house too, as you don't get so much muck and some odor if you open a window. Lucky chooks...

 

[patman75]

Regarding a covered run... I think I would have to reinforce the run to handle snow load. The run in on a grade so the water will run off quickly, at least I have that going for me. The chickens really like being under the coop too, so half is covered. With only 6 chickens soon to be 5 once I hear any crowing I shouldn't have too much of a mess on my hands this year and I will have more time next year when it is warmer.

Funny thing about the roost last night I walked in to see if they figured out how to get up there. 2 were on the platform next to the roost, 3 were in nest boxes and one was on the floor. None on the roost.

At least they were inside and not under the coop. Time to go out and do some modifications.

I Also added mulch around the coop to help the mud around the coop from all the construction and the water that runs off the roof. Looks even better.

 

[LynneP]

Well, young birds are slow to roost. Even at 18 months mine use the roost to groom and gossip then move over to a platform above the nest boxes to roost. Worked out okay though, easy to scrape the droppings in the morning and they use less bedding overall...

Remember lower roosts for bigger birds...it's an adventure, they'll teach you.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Awesome Coop!

wish I was 1/2 that handy!

lol

 

[hollyk]

Very nice! It is so interesting to hear all the advice given about wintering with snow- my chickens would not know what to do if they saw snow!
I love how the coop looks like the house. I almost gave up on roosts, until I used a 2 1/2 in closet rod- wooden. The birds loved those. Everything is so clean in a new coop, if only we could teach the chickens to keep it that clean.

 

[CityChook]

Very nice looking coop and run. Well done - you should feel very proud!

Can't tell from the photo if you have wire across the top of your run -- if you don't then you might want to consider adding that.

I think that if you put maybe 2 more 2x4's in the top you could add a simple metal roof. It would keep your run soooo much drier and would not add a great deal of weight. After a big snow, I just go out with a big broom and sweep the snow off my run roof to keep the weight down. The rest melts off. No big deal. Depending on where your weather comes from will determine how much snow you can keep out. I have a roof on my run (it's salvaged metal siding from a friend's barn) and it keeps the rain mostly out but the snow just seems to blow in anyways. Oh well. Still better than nothing.

Lovely coop and run!

 

[Barred Rocker]

Wow, very professional. Did you have to meet any codes in your neighborhood? It integrates so well with your house.

 

[patman75]

Quote:
The run is fully enclosed. Top too. I'll add some more pictures when I build my webpage. It is 6 foot high so I can walk in with out bending over. Same with the coop, at least 6 foot tall so I don't bang my head.

Quote:
No codes were I live. I had about 1/3 of the siding, all of the j-channel & fascia and about 1/3 of the lumber left over from the garage, door was free and window only $15. I built it to last, i wanted it low maintenence and secure from predators. It is also is about 30ft from my neighbor property line so I wanted it to look nice for them as well. It actually has turned out to be entertainment for one of their dogs who just sits on the property line (electric fence collars) and watches the chickens most of the day.

 

[chickens4me]

Very Nice! I love how it matches your home so beautifully.

 

[goldenchic]

well done what a lovely job