post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Latestarter]

How many put water and food inside their hen house? Due to the possibility of mice and other critters our hen house is free of food and water. My chickens have access to food and water in the coop. They have a small door way that they can access at any time. The coop is fully enclosed so they have plenty of room to roam (40 x 40)

Ummm I believe the hen house and the coop are the same thing... did you mean the run (vice coop)? I have the food and water inside the coop. I have had no issues with rodents of any kind in the coop. I feed fermented feed once per day in a trough. for the most part, they have it gone by the end of each day. The waterers are 5 gallon jugs with horizontal nipples hung from above so the nipples are at head height.

 

[Birdy Buddy]

I posted on this thread about a month ago. I had just finished the main part on my new tractor coop but still had to build the run. The above photo is my finished coop with the run. I have been thinking about building this for a few years so I had a good idea what I wanted. I studied a lot of coops and a lot of the tractors looked hard to move with small wheels on one end where you had to lift too much. I wanted large wheels to be able to move over a lump to two without bottoming out in a hole. So far I have moved the coop to several different places this past month and I was able to easily move it myself in spite of being a little old and disabled. Wood construction is heavy, so I wanted to keep the coop small and light for my half acre lot in Sacramento CA.



This photo shows the floor construction. I used salvaged wood mostly. I only had one stud in each corner to keep it light. The floor rectangle is 48" X 56". The floor framing is 2X6 pressure treated.



This photo shows how I mounted the wheel. I bought the wheels first for this project. I would have preferred a larger wagon wheel but this 20" wheel was rated for 900 lbs and had solid tires. the wheels were the most expensive item for this coop. I paid about $60 for the pair. The wheels were designed for a deer or moose carcass cart. I thought of getting a long axle but opted for a 3/4" X 8" machine bolt. I am not going to make this a trailer and only need to move it a little at a time so I think the bolt is adequate for an axle.



I assembled the nest boxes on the siding panel so they would be inside the coop before I assembled the walls of the coop. I'm an old carpenter so I hoard wood and often peruse Craig's List for wood deals. I have a lot of nailers at hand and used the framing nailer for the frame and a 1/4" crown stapler for the plywood and wire.





This pic show the framing for the roof and the cantilever handles for moving the tractor. The handles are 2X4 that extend to the front of the coop. The whole coop balances on the two wheels and is easy to spin and roll. The slotted hole on the side of the coop is where the hopper feeder goes. I used two sheets of T111 siding plywood for the exterior of the coop.



This pic is looking down into the hopper feeder after it was attached to the side of the coop. It should be able to hold about 40 lbs of food and keep it dry. The chickens are about 5 weeks old now and have no problem eating out of the feeder. I used polycarbonate for the roofing. I like polycarbonate because it is unbreakable and lets in light while filtering UV out. A well lighted coop is not as friendly to spiders and mites.



This photo shows the gable end with wood spaced for ventilation and a wire window on each end. All the wire is stretched and attached using wood strips stapled on all the edges.



This is the front of the coop with the run attached. The run is made out of 4 panels that detach easily from the coop. The panels weigh about 40 lbs each and one person can handle them pretty easy, one at a time. Everything can disassemble easy when I want to move the coop to greener grass. The lid of the run has a scrap of Grace Triflex roofing fabric I had to provide shade. The platform inside the coop is for access to the feeder. I had to elevate the feeder to clear the wheels on the outside. The platform comes off easily when I want to rake out the coop contents. The water stays clean up on the platform.



I secure all the panels to the coop and to each other with hook and eye latches. This photo shows the front of the coop attached to the frame of the run. I have to level the coop first with a small jack so it squares up with the panel and I clip it together. I don't use the eye hole on the latch but instead hook to the shaft of the eye bolt. If you get it right the hook snaps on and doesn't jiggle. The weight of the panels keep the coop from rocking on the wheels when the run is attached.


This is the front panel of the run. I was cleaning out the last months bedding . The platform and the waterer is outside the coop for cleaning. I wanted it to be tall enough so I could walk in and clean the coop. The lid of the run is sloped to meet the front of the coop. All the doors and panels were made using half lap joints. It's a strong connection that I can make quickly. The wood strips stapled to the edges of the panel to secure the wire helps the panel be very sturdy but it can still flex a little to follow ground contours.



This is the nest box opened from the outside. A little scrap keeps it closed and a nail pins it locked in place to thwart clever predators. There is a wood cleat where the hens can perch and enter. I will keep the boxes filled with fresh straw that is easy to replace from outside. An 8" overhang should keep the coop dry in the rainy season. You can see one of three sticks I use for the roost. The little chicks can already hop to the highest rungs of the roost.



This shows the back of the coop with the little jack I use to help level the coop for assembly of the run. I bought the jack for 5 bucks at a yard sale. It can be moved easily to square the coop with the run panels. When the coop and run are assembled then the jack is not necessary to keep the coop steady anymore. The 2X4 handle is on top of the cantilevers because when I move the coop, I push down on the 2X4 to tilt the coop up on the wheels.



This is the front door of the coop showing the half lap joint and the wire sandwich I used throughout to attach the wire. The area I have for the coop is separate from where my bird dogs run. I am sure they are born chicken thieves. The perimeter has a six foot 2" X 4" woven wire horse fencing. Inside the chicken perimeter I also have a large garden that has plenty of chicken snacks growing on the vine like tomatoes and melons. I throw all the weeds and kitchen scraps to the chickens too. Any zucchini or cucumber longer than six inches goes in the coop. The chicks already come out to greet me because I always bring treats.



This is the garden and chicken tractor area. I recently built the greenhouse in the back of my lot. I completely remodeled the house on the lot so it is all new throughout. It's summer in California now and pretty brown where it's not watered. In the winter and spring I plan to move the tractor a lot when the grass is green. I like the scorched earth you get when the chicken run has been in place for a week of so. All the bedding and straw is used for compost. I like eggs too and five chickens should be enough for my wife and two dogs.
I hope this post hasn't been too long. I'm pretty happy now with my new house and chickens. The chickens are like the cherry on top of my new home construction here.

 

[NickChillPhoto]

Indeed

 

[Spartan22]

How many put water and food inside their hen house? Due to the possibility of mice and other critters our hen house is free of food and water. My chickens have access to food and water in the coop. They have a small door way that they can access at any time. The coop is fully enclosed so they have plenty of room to roam (40 x 40)

I got food and water in the coop suspended from the 8' ceiling, so the younger ones 14 wks & 19 wk olds can have access to food & water when the older ones (2 yr & 1 yr olds) guard the other feeding stations in the run.

 

[mcgeehanclan]

New chicken momma here. Got our first set of chicks -10 varied breeds- in early March and waiting for our first egg any day now. My hubby designed and built our coop and run and I think he did a great job. It is solid as a rock. Not bad for a first timer

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[Latestarter]

New chicken momma here. Got our first set of chicks -10 varied breeds- in early March and waiting for our first egg any day now. My hubby designed and built our coop and run and I think he did a great job. It is solid as a rock. Not bad for a first timer

[/URL]

Nice looking setup. Grats on the new chicks. Ummm on the first egg thing.... they are only about 16 weeks old and most start laying in the 20-26 week range. So hope you don't get upset waiting, or try to hold your breath in anticipation... Might still be a while yet. But when it does happen, well

 

[gpeters3]

My oldest are just barely 16 weeks and 3 are laying. Not holding my breath but anxious to see if any lay colored eggs. Got 2 white and 1 brown so far (13 to go). Finally got fake eggs in all 10 nest boxes and leg bands to mark the layers.

 

[teria]

Our coop is pretty much done, just need the new run built and an automatic door on the back. Thinking about a porch on the front.

 

[gpeters3]

Had mice in my old coop. Built a feed stand just tall enough for mice and put decon in it. Got rid of mice and no chicken issues so i keep decon in all my buildings now and no mice. First clue, open a drawer and find nests. And, yes i know chickens eat mice but decon will send them looking for water so they dont die in buildings, typically. Another good reason to use nipple water stations.

Initially kept decon in the barn because i keep vehicle seats in there and store other cloth items as well an dont want mice nesting in them. Sadly, save the whalers forced decon to trash the old pellet tray and go for something they probably wont eat so im looking on line for the old stuff. None of.the local stores sell it any more. That is another rule i have, nothing alive on my property except people and pets. If mice and mosquitos become extinct it wont hurt my feelings a bit (poo on balance of nature) Sorry, fish and owls just have to eat something else.

 

[Gundawg]

Got some walls framed today here are a few more pictures.

Mike