post your chicken coop pictures here!

[philyc]

Thanks for the tips talkalittle. The roosts are 33 inches long and around two feet off the ground.

The reason for the ladder was because i thought the space would be too small for the bigger birds to just hop up and too high for the Batman's to just hop up.

The ladder is about 3-4 inches wide. So doesn't take up too much room. But I'm very new to this so will take all the advice that is given if you think i should remove the ladder and the roots nearer the nest box?

Thanks alot!

 

[cabinchicky]

@philyc, I have roosts thar are 3.5 ft off the floor. My bantam EEs, Brahmas, SS, EE's and Cochin all get up there just fine.They hope and flap wings and there they are. You will be surprised how far they can fly. 8 ft high is our run, bantam roo loves being up on it.

 

[philyc]

Great. The ladder will come out as well as the high roost nearest the nest boxes. Thanks for the feedback guys, exactly why people love this place!

 

[BarrettG]

Snagged a couple pictures of my setup over the last few days. It's been a work in progress since early July. We're getting there! It started as an 8x12 garden shed. The inside "finish" is original with the scrapped together wood panels and drywall. Didn't see a need to make it prettier - the chickens won't care. View from the south. I just added the rocks set over hardware cloth on the south side, but I still need to do the west side. The area between me and the coop is where the veggie garden was. Just cleared it out yesterday for the winter. You can see the fresh additions to the compost pile behind the coop and one of our roos going to town where the corn was planted. Here's a shot of the new and improved roost setup. I used 2 branches from a hedge tree I recently cut down. The larger bar has been there since July, but with the birds growing, I decided to add a second. Poop board isn't full depth yet, so won't catch anything from the lower roost, but nobody sleeps on the smaller front roost bar anyway. Poop board has shavings with DE on it. I put the ramp in there with an elevated launch pad, but everybody just flies directly up, so I may get rid of it unless (or until) we get some small newbies that need the higher launch pad. Just out of frame to the right is a 30"x24" window covered in hardware cloth. And here's the best I have of the front of the coop and run. Run is 16x16. There's a pop door on the side of the coop that you can't see, that leads into the run. There isn't a nest box yet, as none of my girls are laying age and I don't want them thinking it's a place to sleep. It's under construction in the workshop, and will be a through-wall setup to the right of the doors that lead into the coop. I'll just cut a hole out and mount it up when I have time - probably in the next month or so. Also, I have the rest of the gallons of that barn red and barn white paint to finish painting with - just too much going on to get to it right now. Hope you like it!

Poop board? I think that's awesome. I never heard of that. I go in my coop every morning and pic up huge turds with a pooper scooper. I have hay as bedding so I have to clean it when it gets dirty. Putting up a poop board would be a great idea and allow me to switch out the hay less. The only thing for constructive criticism I can say is that 2x4 instead of the round trees are better for them to roost. It's better on their feet. Other then that it looks awesome

 

[Latestarter]

Actually, the very thick log (over 4" diameter) is ideal for their roost. Folks say a 2x4 on the flat as most folks don't use or have access to tree limbs, and to point out to folks who already have dimensional lumber as a roost that is smaller than 4" wide.

 

[bruceha2000]

I just put a wooden floor in my converted horse stall coop. Do I need litter or can I just sweep out the poop every morning. The only time they have to stay in during the day is when it rains. Thank you

My horse stall coop has a dirt floor with horse mats on it. I put in compressed pine shavings and MAYBE take them out once a year. Mostly I just rake through it under the roosts every morning.
I suspect I would have to do more if the chickens were confined to the coop but the auto door opens and closes with the sun so they are either in the barn alley or outside all day long other than food, water and egg laying.

Thanks for the tips talkalittle. The roosts are 33 inches long and around two feet off the ground.

The reason for the ladder was because i thought the space would be too small for the bigger birds to just hop up and too high for the Batman's to just hop up.

The ladder is about 3-4 inches wide. So doesn't take up too much room. But I'm very new to this so will take all the advice that is given if you think i should remove the ladder and the roots nearer the nest box?

Thanks alot!

No need for an "access perch" for your nest boxes, they are quite close to the ground.

My broody raised chicks were hopping up on the 2' high roost at 2 weeks of age and from there to the 4' to "visit" at 3 weeks. The broody moved them from the brooding pen to a nest box with an 18" high access bar (another 6" to the nest box) at 2 weeks. At a month they all moved to the 4' roosts with the 3 Y/O girls over the period of a few days. Only so much room in a 12x16 nest box for a large Black Australorp and seven 4 week old chicks

Mostly all the birds stage the 4' roosts from the 2' roost (parallel and 9" forward) on the way up and fly down in the morning. The coop is 10' deep and the forward 4' roost is 7' back from the front wall. That is just enough room to land.

No need for a ladder with roosts at the height of yours. BUT given the narrowness of the coop and spacing of the roosts, they might have trouble hopping/flying up between the roosts since they will open their wings even if they only flap once. I think it is more about stability. If you are going to stick to 4 birds (and I wouldn't go higher without a larger coop) you might take out one of the roosts and put in a perpendicular one nearer the back. Then they would still have enough linear roost and more open access to them. With high roosts they need a "flight path" to get down (they aren't helicopters) but from 2 feet they can just hop off.

 

[cabinchicky]

Actually, the very thick log (over 4" diameter) is ideal for their roost. Folks say a 2x4 on the flat as most folks don't use or have access to tree limbs, and to point out to folks who already have dimensional lumber as a roost that is smaller than 4" wide.

I too use tree limbs as roosts, inside and out of my coops. They are large so they can not get toes around them only slightly curved. This is my 3rd Ohio winter with them and no frostbite toes. They roost on their feet and they are fully covered.

 

[Spartan22]

I used couple of 3" diameter birch perch and couple of 2x4s. They all prefer the 3" rounded than the 4" flat. The 2x4s are always empty at night. Go figure, like I have 8 nesting boxes they only use 4-5 the most.

 

[BarrettG]

I had 2 inch pvc and some birds would always roost in the nest. Once I removed the pvc and put up the 2x4 I didn't have that problem any more.

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm not at all surprised they didn't want to roost on a PVC pipe, too slippery in general and at 2" diameter must have been really hard to walk on.

I have:
2x4 on the flat
3" round fence rail
sistered vertical 2x4

All get used. It seems to be as much about walls being preferable and who is willing to let who sit next to them.