post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

Excellent thing to keep in mind when trying to provide for the chickens. Even the string out of a feed sack can do irreparable harm.

Ed

Agreed!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I almost have my new hoop coop done.  Got it all wired up, will just need to do a few more minor things to it once I have my meat birds out of it, which should be next week.  one thing I'm noticing is that the tarp has been rubbing on some of the wire.  trying to think of a way to keep that from happening.  thoughts??  

You could get some rubber tubing from lowes and put the wire through the tubing.

 

[Neolones]

 

[Tika75]

Here are 2 ways. I used 12 inch wide by 4 feet plywood in all corners even around the brood pens. In this pic you can see the 5x7 tunnels i put in the brood pens so the chicks could come and go at will but the hens couldnt get in. I waited til they were large enough to fly and run so they could hop up on the roosts and run away from bullies. The bullying only lasted a few weeks and they quit chasing them but they still pecked at them when they got too close. They learn quickly who to stay away from.

Thanks for the ideas!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvester017


We used a cheap bed sheet over our smaller canopy frame to keep the tarp from rubbing and tearing on some of the sharp parts of the frame. Next time we are considering a thicker denim fabric or canvas-type wide fabric roll under the tarp to keep the tarp from tearing so fast against the metal frame. There is a fabric that Sunbrella makes that's pretty sturdy and UV protected but also fabulously EXPENSIVE but it works too. We will probably wrap foam around the sharpest ends of the metal canopy frame to see if that will maybe help cushion the tarp from fraying. In any event we have to replace our canopy tarps at least once a year because the brutal sun and heavy winter winds shred the cheap tarps. Shredded tarp strings can hobble a chicken's feet so its absolutely necessary to change tarps before that occurs.

You might check out a place that fixes motorhomes. They may have old awnings they would let you have for free or at a cheap price. Pull apart salvages sometimes have motorhomes too.

 

[Tika75]

I like your little coop. One thing others will point out is you might want some hardware cloth around the bottom to keep critters out better.

 

[Neolones]

The bottom fame under the coop, has chicken wire, I will add more wire then. Thank you!

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings @Neolones Welcome to BYC and the coop thread. What they were trying to say is that chicken wire is pretty much useless as a defense against predators. It's fine for keeping rabbits and chickens where you want them but a coyote/dog/raccoon will rip right through it in minutes. I see you have a 6' privacy fence behind it and would assume that it encloses your yard, but that won't stop a raccoon/possum/cat from entering your yard. Putting hardware cloth surrounding the bottom of the run to a height of ~3' will stop all but the biggest, (bears) most determined (badger) hungriest predator from getting in. Most livestock losses actually come from dogs... yours, the neighbors, or strays.

Good luck with your birds!

 

[Neolones]

Oh, I see now. Will definitely do that. Thank you for the advise.

 

[Latestarter]

Some folks save a little money and buy 2"x4" welded wire fencing 3' high and wrap that over the top of the chicken wire. substantially cheaper than hardware cloth, but also not as effective at keeping raccoons from reaching through to grab a bird and tear it apart. But it normally will stop dogs from being able to rip through. And most of the time coons are a night time threat and your birds will most likely be inside the coop.

 

[Tika75]

The bottom fame under the coop, has chicken wire, I will add more wire then. Thank you!

Hello. Yes what they said. LOL Sorry I wasn't as clear. I'm at work and my phone started ringing off the hook.

I'm not sure I'm reading correctly... are you talking so your chickens can't get under the coop area or does the floor of your run have wire too?