post your chicken coop pictures here!

[TJordan]

Pardon all the snow. We got a ton last night. I am in Heaven. Love love snow! My chickens not so much they either refuse to come out or hide under the coop.

Love the snow... Worried about that chicken mesh... It can be torn apart by a child much less a determined animal.

 

[kylen2007]

I lock up the birds every night. The coop is like a fort to get into so we didin't spend a lot on making the run animal proof. Just enough to keep the chickens in. Even if a predator gets in the run it isnt getting in the coop. Seemsd the biggest mistake people made was not secure their coop well enough. So we went a tad overboard on the actual coop but under dod the run. Lol We also have a dog who goes nuts if anything is in the yard. One night he was going nuts at the back door at 3 am open the door ad he went straight towards the coop.

 

[TJordan]

I lock up the birds every night. The coop is like a fort to get into so we didin't spend a lot on making the run animal proof. Just enough to keep the chickens in. Even if a predator gets in the run it isnt getting in the coop. Seemsd the biggest mistake people made was not secure their coop well enough. So we went a tad overboard on the actual coop but under dod the run. Lol We also have a dog who goes nuts if anything is in the yard. One night he was going nuts at the back door at 3 am open the door ad he went straight towards the coop.

I'm afraid of how this story ends...

I'm going to put hardware cloth around the whole bottom of the run and up 3'.... The top will be covered as well. I never want to lose another bird to a nighttime raid.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I have had chickens for over a year and never had anything try to get my chickens or got any

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Pardon all the snow. We got a ton last night. I am in Heaven. Love love snow! My chickens not so much they either refuse to come out or hide under the coop.

I like ur coop

 

[kylen2007]

Had mine for anywar and never had an issue except a week ago when I chased off a hawk. ThAts when we covered the run. I had 4 that could get out and my rooster (who is a giant and over 10 lbs) couldnt get out to protect her. Luckily I scared off the hawk and the hen was too heavy tl carry off. I havw zero evidents of a preditor even attempting to get in my run. We have coyotes but very very rarely hear or see them. Could be bc we are only 100 yards from the road and te only things around my house is corn and soybean fields. Then on the other side of the river is woods that is protected so plenty of hunting for them. I am working on a meat bird coop. I may be more aggressive ln fencing for them since I am dojng a hoop coop.

 

[kylen2007]

I like ur coop

Thank you! Its our chicken mansion.

 

[perchie.girl]

Pardon all the snow. We got a ton last night. I am in Heaven. Love love snow! My chickens not so much they either refuse to come out or hide under the coop.

scatter some Alfalfa on top.... they love to eat alfalfa leaves and it will get them out. plus it gives them green food its loaded with calcium and minerals too.

Plus they wont see the Evil Snow underneath.....

 

[kylen2007]

scatter some Alfalfa on top....  they love to eat alfalfa leaves and it will get them out.  plus it gives them green food its loaded with calcium and minerals too.

Plus they wont see the Evil Snow underneath..... 

Great idea! I usually throw hay down when we get a lot of rain to help with mud. They love digging through it. I do baby them and sweep the ramp in and out of the coop for them. I even started throwing their daily treats under the coop bc they refuse to come out. My rooster just paces and clucks at me like come on woman under here. Lol.

 

[perchie.girl]

For what its worth I had em twenty years on and off. IN CHAIN link... Once predators found em it was like we were under siege.

The difference being Before.... I had dogs. After My girl had passed away so there was no one checking the perimeter.

Locking them in a building at night wasn't an option. They got locked in but inside a dog kennel. I lost thirty Guinea bacon head keets in two weeks. (fully fledged not sexually mature about two thirds adult size ) Some were pulled right through the chain-link. others only partially..... I am a pretty pragmatic person but this carnage got me pretty hard.

I blame myself.... becoming complacent... And not taking in account that I didn't have a canine presence any more.

If your birds are going to be in contact with the chicken wire at any point.... hardware cloth is a good idea. Mine got nailed at the ends of the perches. and OVER HEAD. I finally was able to secrure my poultry containment by making sure the perches were defended at the ends by hardwar cloth... On the inside of the chainlink. Then I put up a tarp over head and lowered the Guinea perches.... I was still getting losses that was when I found that the chainlink panels on the roof werent attached on one corner. What ever it was was strong enough to lift a forty pound chainlink panel enough to worm their way in.

My next coop is a couple of years down the road. I have drawn my structure and have almost all of the materials. I just have to get back home to live... and build it.

Oh and for what its worth. I am in a portion of the Sonoran Desert near the Mexican border. I have Mountain Lion, Bob Cat, Raccoon, Weasel, Rats and Ground squirrels. The flying predators are Owls, Hawks, Falcons, and the occasional Turkey Buzzard.

The Ravens happily dine on Eggs if they can get to them but I dont begrudge them. I suspect if I had chicks out there I would have to take precautions for them. Ground squirrels are egg stealers too as are rats. But they mostly get into the feed.

deb