post your chicken coop pictures here!

[gotro17]

@bruceha2000 Thanks! The gardening reference would be if ine day we didn't have them and I'd pug a gardening bench there or something...and a spot to store my pots and things. We are really only going to eclipse the side with the wall, and make it an open air coop with the nesting boxes and wind break on the far end. The girls playhouse is under renovation, but, here are the "TVs"...

They'll have the area all along the wall, ending after the mandarin tree to the left. We are planting an avocado dead center against the wall to hide the neighbors rusty shed. I plan on placing alternating, upright form, lavender and rosemary along this side of the chicken fence. Then we will put raised beds after the mandarin, move the blood orange (in the middle) and the fig over inside their space for hawk protection...lastly- fill everything in with gravel and a firepit. Did I mention the playhouse has electricity and wine needs to be chilled...

 

[noble]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response... Basically in a permanent area. We'd be building out a space between the back of our girls playhouse/storage shed and a cinderblock wall between us and our neighbors. In the event we never have chickens, we could at least use it as a gardening, or storage, patio.

We are going to make their run from the front closest to me taking the picture, 8ft wide, 25' long, to the turn of the wall (behind me in the photo),then if will go 6ft wide, another 60ft long...around citrus trees...

That will be for about 8-10 birds, with one rooster for protection.

I think it's awesome they will love it and tons of room with the 60'for more bird's . I started with just chickens now I have quail and pheasants and Rabbits. Love it.

 

[noble]

@bruceha2000 Thanks! The gardening reference would be if ine day we didn't have them and I'd pug a gardening bench there or something...and a spot to store my pots and things. We are really only going to eclipse the side with the wall, and make it an open air coop with the nesting boxes and wind break on the far end. The girls playhouse is under renovation, but, here are the "TVs"...

They'll have the area all along the wall, ending after the mandarin tree to the left. We are planting an avocado dead center against the wall to hide the neighbors rusty shed. I plan on placing alternating, upright form, lavender and rosemary along this side of the chicken fence. Then we will put raised beds after the mandarin, move the blood orange (in the middle) and the fig over inside their space for hawk protection...lastly- fill everything in with gravel and a firepit. Did I mention the playhouse has electricity and wine needs to be chilled...

so cool

 

[remadl76239]

I would like to enter the contest for coop design. Can someone show me how?

this is a portable coop that can be pushed by one person or pulled by an atv along with portable fenceing.

 

[bruceha2000]

@bruceha2000 Thanks! The gardening reference would be if ine day we didn't have them and I'd pug a gardening bench there or something...and a spot to store my pots and things. We are really only going to eclipse the side with the wall, and make it an open air coop with the nesting boxes and wind break on the far end. The girls playhouse is under renovation, but, here are the "TVs"...





They'll have the area all along the wall, ending after the mandarin tree to the left. We are planting an avocado dead center against the wall to hide the neighbors rusty shed. I plan on placing alternating, upright form, lavender and rosemary along this side of the chicken fence. Then we will put raised beds after the mandarin, move the blood orange (in the middle) and the fig over inside their space for hawk protection...lastly- fill everything in with gravel and a firepit. Did I mention the playhouse has electricity and wine needs to be chilled...

An open air coop will be great, especially in your area, no such thing as too much air exchange as long as there isn't a draft over the chickens on the roost. Especially helpful in the hot summer months since the chickens can't take off the down coats that keep them warm in winter.

When you build, remember that you don't need a nest for each hen. No sense making extra work and using extra materials. They don't all lay at the same time and frequently want to lay in a box that already has an egg in it (which is why people put a fake egg in each nest). At the moment I have 7 pullets and a 3.5 Y/O hen laying. The older hen is using the 4' enclosed community box - she and the other Ancona are the only ones that do even though it was originally the only box for 12 hens. When I made the 4' open box with 3 nests, the other 10 hens switched to that. Every once in awhile one of the Black Australorps will use the community box. So basically, 3 nests served 10 hens. Might be a problem when the older girls get back in gear mid February (based on their history). I don't guess 3 nests will be enough for 14 birds unless the older girls slow down even more (which would not be unusual given their age) or decide they like the community box. I might partition it off and make more openings, there is only 1 central one now.

If you have not had chickens before, be aware they will make dust baths in your garden spaces so you will have to put something around plants you don't want them to mess with.

I don't think you should be serving your children chilled wine

 

[matt7sd]

Hehe garage door. My wife calls it the chicken mansion. That's actually the first ramp I just threw together and I thought it was too steep so I put the bottom end on a cinder block. My new ramp is sturdier and red like the door.

 

[bruceha2000]

hmmm, double posted.

 

[gotro17]

Yha

An open air coop will be great, especially in your area, no such thing as too much air exchange as long as there isn't a draft over the chickens on the roost. Especially helpful in the hot summer months since the chickens can't take off the down coats that keep them warm in winter.

When you build, remember that you don't need a nest for each hen. No sense making extra work and using extra materials. They don't all lay at the same time and frequently want to lay in a box that already has an egg in it (which is why people put a fake egg in each nest). At the moment I have 7 pullets and a 3.5 Y/O hen laying. The older hen is using the 4' enclosed community box - she and the other Ancona are the only ones that do even though it was originally the only box for 12 hens. When I made the 4' open box with 3 nests, the other 10 hens switched to that. Every once in awhile one of the Black Australorps will use the community box. So basically, 3 nests served 10 hens. Might be a problem when the older girls get back in gear mid February (based on their history). I don't guess 3 nests will be enough for 14 birds unless the older girls slow down even more (which would not be unusual given their age) or decide they like the community box. I might partition it off and make more openings, there is only 1 central one now.

If you have not had chickens before, be aware they will make dust baths in your garden spaces so you will have to put something around plants you don't want them to mess with.

I don't think you should be serving your children chilled wine   

Thanks Bruce! Yes... The plans call for 4- 2ft. nest boxes.. I'd like to use greenhouse panels for the solid part I want to extend from the wall, up. The ventilation will come from space left at the top in the back (hardware cloth).. We have a regular afternoon off shore breeze from the ocean that should keep things fresh. My question is... Where should I put a roost, if any, outside the boxes...or should I just keep them low? I don't mind low- my girls can get the eggs easily then too. I am planning for a ladder roost, 5'x6', with 4 rungs.

 

[lynnehd]

I would like to enter the contest for coop design. Can someone show me how?











this is a portable coop that can be pushed by one person or pulled by an atv along with portable fenceing.

Here is the thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1072147/official-byc-coop-and-run-page-contest-winter-spring-2016
Nice coop!!!!

 

[gpeters3]

I think sometimes we get carried away with details. Wild birds stay warm in winter no matter where they are. They instinctively seek out a spot with some ground cover for their feet and some brush or tall grass to block the wind. They naturally free range. So all we have to do is provide the same things they would have in the wild. A building of some kind to stay out of the wind, some bedding to keep teir feet warm and a place to lay eggs large enough to move around to get comfy and a food and water source that they cant get dirty no matter how hard they try. They naturally roost somewhere at night but they can find all kinds of things to roost on, even chicken wire or a board edgè stickin out from the wall (bantams) i know because ive seen them do it when being bullied.

Now its just a matter of how extravagant we want to get with those basic needs ive picked up a few useful tips here such as wood rather than pipe for perches, avoid chicken wire surround where predators can get to it, 2 sqft per bird in the coop IF.... they have a run or free range. All good info but after all they are just animals and their needs are simple. I do hàve one question though, i see many coops set up on stilts with fencing around the bottom and access through the floor. Just curious what that does for them?