Our coop is finished.

[thetekgeek]

Well, it has been quite a few weeks since I posted my "new to chickens" introduction. We have had the chicks in the brooder all that time and they were starting to get too big for the brooder.

During that time I have been building the coop. It took much longer than I had anticipated because of weather situations here, but over the weekend I finished the coop and the ladies have moved into their new home.

Here are a few pictures of the finished coop, I just snapped them with my cell phone when I decided I was done.

This picture was taken a little too quick, my wife had me add an 'X' to the bottom box for decorative purposes. So, imagine that it is there in this picture.

Nesting boxes and storage on the side for quick, easy access to eggs and feed.

The girls making themselves at home. What a feeling to see this. In the back right corner, there is a 'doggie door' heading out to the run. Which brings up a question. Currently, I open the door to the run during the day and close them in at night. Do I need to do this? Also, I have the feed and water inside the coop, but not in the run. Do I need to have them in both areas? They seem to be curious about the run, but haven't figured out that they can come in and out.

What started as a small project for a small coop for my chickens turned into a huge project once my wife found a few websites with coop designs. It turned into an awful lot of work, but in the end it was worth it. The girls are in the coop and seem to be quite happy with their new home.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

It's beautiful!!

 

[mcjessen]

WOW is that pretty.

Yes, leave the pop (doggie) door open during the day and close it at night.

As far as the food...I'm finding that my girls don't eat at night so the food and water I have in there now may not be necessary. In the winter it may. The girls aren't allowed out yet as we have some hardware cloth work to finish up. They spent their first night in the coop outside last night and I'm sure are itching to get back out in the run today. Tomorrow I believe we'll be able to allow them out in the morning and close them up at night - on to a regular schedule. I will move their food out in the run tomorrow - they already have water in the run. Long story short, I don't think you'll need food and water in both locations until the weather gets cold.

 

[thetekgeek]

Thank you both.

mcjessen, I noticed you are in Idaho. So am I. You are quite a bit further north than I am, but I visit your area of the state each summer to play a little golf. I love that area up there.

Thank you for the reply.

 

[ll]

Very nice!
I do believe if your run is secure you can just leave the door open 24/7 and they will put themselves to bed each night.
Best of luck, and yes your hard work was definitely worthwhile

 

[Ogress]

Wow, what a NICE coop! You are a skilled builder. I hired someone to build mine and will be paying the CC bills for that for some time to come. (mine is on my BYC page though I have made a few modifications to the inside since then, mainly the addition of poop boards). I have food and water both inside and outside the coop. When I let the chickens in, I hang the outside feeders up high so rats and chipmunks can't get in them. My entire run is covered with hardware cloth that goes inderground a few inches, but not enough. I just found where there is a rodent tunneling under the run fence.

I close my coop door at night. I'm afraid for the abundant wildlife here. If I can find a way to make the run completely secure, I'd likely leave their door open and the food down at night. I made a mistake with my little chicken doors. The doors slide up and down in a track that is constantly jamming up with wood shavings. I'm going to make doors that open and close from the outside.

Nice Job!

 

[Bev in Nevada]

nice! the last photo, is that doors with wire? interesting, can I see a photo of the whole area there. I want a "screen" type door in one area inside mine (between chickens and storage area) without actually having a screen door

 

[calista]

What a terrific job! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Nice, clean lines with attention to detail, and very functional, too.

What kind of predators do you get on what looks like very open country up there? Is it very windy?

You might consider throwing lettuce leaves, corn cobs, and other biodegradable produce in the run to give your chickens extra nourishment and stimulation. When they have something to do, it seems to cut down on any bad habits like pecking at each other.

 

[MT Chickies]

What a great coop! Good job! the girls look very happy

The only thing you might think about was the roost - I had read that they work better with the flat side up instead of on edge, for keepin' the tootsies warm in the winter

 

[melschicks]

Very Nice!!!