Dreammaker
Songster
At long last, our chicken coop is complete and our new pullets are in their new home!
An official name for it is yet to come, but it is truly incredible! I may just have to enter it into the BYC coop contest!
We began years ago, entertaining the idea of chickens, but kept it on the back burner until January of this year, when we decided to go for it. The design and build was a long, laborious process... From the get-go, we knew we wanted something along the lines of Carolina Coops. Countless YouTube videos, sketches, and spreadsheets later, we had our design. My incredible husband, with no formal training in carpentry or construction (just a passionate DIY-er) made this thing top to bottom. It is built like a fortress. I am truly in awe of him. To my own credit, I helped with design, color choices, painting the coop and run, and cheering him on. And of course, perusing BYC All.The.Time.
It is set on a perimeter of pavers, with a predator apron about 2 feet around. The run is compacted dirt (fairly sandy) to which pine needles and dry leaves have been added. The run is level, but sits on a slope, which helps with drainage. The hen house itself is 6x5, the run is 6x16. The windows and run are covered in 1/2" hardware cloth. The plexiglass "storm windows" are propped open 90% of the time, but if we had a massive snow or rain storm, some can be closed if necessary.
Everything has been designed for the birds' safety, comfort, and enjoyment and ease of maintenence for us. We have poured our heart and soul into this. I hope our flock is happy and healthy for years to come. They consist of:
Nellie the Light Brahma
Fran the Maran
Ethel the Lavender Orpington
Ginny the ISA Brown
Helga the Swedish Flower
Freckles the Speckled Sussex
Already love them and want only the best for them.
Thanks everyone for checking it out!
An official name for it is yet to come, but it is truly incredible! I may just have to enter it into the BYC coop contest!
We began years ago, entertaining the idea of chickens, but kept it on the back burner until January of this year, when we decided to go for it. The design and build was a long, laborious process... From the get-go, we knew we wanted something along the lines of Carolina Coops. Countless YouTube videos, sketches, and spreadsheets later, we had our design. My incredible husband, with no formal training in carpentry or construction (just a passionate DIY-er) made this thing top to bottom. It is built like a fortress. I am truly in awe of him. To my own credit, I helped with design, color choices, painting the coop and run, and cheering him on. And of course, perusing BYC All.The.Time.
It is set on a perimeter of pavers, with a predator apron about 2 feet around. The run is compacted dirt (fairly sandy) to which pine needles and dry leaves have been added. The run is level, but sits on a slope, which helps with drainage. The hen house itself is 6x5, the run is 6x16. The windows and run are covered in 1/2" hardware cloth. The plexiglass "storm windows" are propped open 90% of the time, but if we had a massive snow or rain storm, some can be closed if necessary.
Everything has been designed for the birds' safety, comfort, and enjoyment and ease of maintenence for us. We have poured our heart and soul into this. I hope our flock is happy and healthy for years to come. They consist of:
Nellie the Light Brahma
Fran the Maran
Ethel the Lavender Orpington
Ginny the ISA Brown
Helga the Swedish Flower
Freckles the Speckled Sussex
Already love them and want only the best for them.
Thanks everyone for checking it out!
