post your chicken coop pictures here!

[ShanandGem]

The very best quality chicks I have ever purchased came from a lady whose property was clinging to the side of a steep hill, and whose coops and runs were made of rotting scrap wood and odds and ends of fencing. Everything looked like it was going to fall over in a strong wind, and yet her birds are the most beautiful and true to type I have purchased yet.
Chickens don't give a crap if their coop is finished in four different Martha Stewart colors and has a lamp with tassels and art on the walls. They are literally going to crap all over it. I admire the more aesthetic coops but seriously, a chicken will live quite happily in a ramshackle contraption provided it's safe, secure, and has adequate ventilation.

 

[mclanea]

Not everyone can afford to make or buy enough welded wire to make a sufficient run. Or a nice coop. I did the best I could. Now I'm sorry I posted in this thread.
Thanks to those who posted supportively. I appreciate the warning but the way it was stated made me feel foolish for being proud of my crappy coop.

The hardware cloth is like a meme on this thread. You'll know your situation better than anyone. And it's your hobby, enjoy them... ignore the meme.

 

[Gundawg]

For me and my situation I am living in the house I hope to live out the rest of my life in, my wife and I spend many hours in our yard keeping it up and making it nicer we literally live outside more than inside the house. I wanted to build a building I would be proud of and would add value to my place in case my wife and I can't maintain the place as we age and decide to sell.

I love seeing all the coops posted on here I think a person can learn something good or bad from looking at other coops. If I were renting I would not be making a coop and run like what I am building. I would also not build the coop I am building if I planned to sell my house in a few years. As a kid I lived in a tent for a period of time so I have no problem with things that are described as ramshackle I can see beauty in the simplicity and low cost of some of the structures. I hope that people do not look at what I am doing as showing off I just want to share because I am learning a lot on here as a first time chickeneer (I made that word up).

Mike

 

[tomphot]

For me and my situation I am living in the house I hope to live out the rest of my life in, my wife and I spend many hours in our yard keeping it up and making it nicer we literally live outside more than inside the house. I wanted to build a building I would be proud of and would add value to my place in case my wife and I can't maintain the place as we age and decide to sell.

I love seeing all the coops posted on here I think a person can learn something good or bad from looking at other coops. If I were renting I would not be making a coop and run like what I am building. I would also not build the coop I am building if I planned to sell my house in a few years. As a kid I lived in a tent for a period of time so I have no problem with things that are described as ramshackle I can see beauty in the simplicity and low cost of some of the structures. I hope that people do not look at what I am doing as showing off I just want to share because I am learning a lot on here as a first time chickeneer (I made that word up).

Mike

I totally agree - I'm sure many look at our Gypsy Chick wagon and roll their eyes. Both of us have had tons of fun with it and it's been a huge creative release. We have no delusions in the thinking that the chickens like it, though I know they like their 400 sq ft run!

 

[Intheswamp]

Nah, Mike. You've never given an indication of being high-hatted snooty...you're someone enjoying what they're doing. I'm enjoying watching your build! So, when did you say you were coming to Alabama??? <GRIN>

 

[zndzant]

Not everyone can afford to make or buy enough welded wire to make a sufficient run. Or a nice coop. I did the best I could. Now I'm sorry I posted in this thread.
Thanks to those who posted supportively. I appreciate the warning but the way it was stated made me feel foolish for being proud of my crappy coop.

Please don't feel bad. I'm sure no one meant to be negative. Everyone here loves their chickens and just want to help others keep their chickies as safe as possible. We were all new at some point and have all learned from others here. That's our purpose! You've done a great job on short notice. I doubt I could have done as well. I have been plotting,planning, and saving for two years before I got my chickens. You continue to stay proud of what you've done.

 

[Beekissed]

Not everyone can afford to make or buy enough welded wire to make a sufficient run. Or a nice coop. I did the best I could. Now I'm sorry I posted in this thread.
Thanks to those who posted supportively. I appreciate the warning but the way it was stated made me feel foolish for being proud of my crappy coop.

You should have left those pics up....your temporary cooping was far better than many permanent coops I've seen on BYC in many ways. They had space, they had a lot of air, they had shade and roosts. I agree with you...hardware wire is outrageously expensive and I'd never attempt to do a whole run or cooping out of it. Sure, there's a chance that preds may get those birds in the interim while you are getting a sturdier setup in place, but predators also get to coops and runs that are supposedly Ft. Knox tight, so six of one, half dozen of the other.

I have a knocked up hoop coop built of mostly small pieces of scrap lumber I was given for free, no run in sight, pop door open 24/7 and my hoops are only covered with plastic mesh to keep the birds in and not to keep anything out. Been using that coop for 4-5 yrs now and love it. I have dogs living around the coop and free to run within a boundary, so predators are not an issue for me in the coop but my flock free ranges outside of that boundary and I STILL count them safer than birds kept in a coop and run, no matter how much hardware wire has been applied.

No worries, chickens don't care a fig about fancy, nor pretty and neither should anyone else....it doesn't make you a better flock owner if you've spent a truckload on your flock.

 

[bruceha2000]

I totally agree - I'm sure many look at our Gypsy Chick wagon and roll their eyes. Both of us have had tons of fun with it and it's been a huge creative release. We have no delusions in the thinking that the chickens like it, though I know they like their 400 sq ft run!

And congratulations on getting Coop of the Week!

Nah, Mike. You've never given an indication of being high-hatted snooty...you're someone enjoying what they're doing. I'm enjoying watching your build! So, when did you say you were coming to Alabama??? <GRIN>

... With his tools and machines

 

[Gundawg]

I have a couple questions 1st is I plan to use wood chips in the floor of the hen house 4-6 inches deep. The floor is constructed of rough cut 2" thick fir from an old barn do I need to seal that wood with something or will it be ok like it is? The planks have about an 1/8" gap between them. I have a chipper and make lots of chips so they are not store bought.

2nd question is how far off the floor should the nest boxes be? I have not framed the wall they are going on so adding structure is not a problem.

Thanks Mike

 

[bruceha2000]

I'm sure you will get various answers Mike. I put my internal nest boxes up at 18" off the floor so the space under them is usable by the chickens. You want them LOWER than the roosts. Chickens like to roost as far up as they can get and if that is the nest boxes, that is where they will sleep. Not what you want unless you like cleaning poop out of the nest boxes every morning.

On the floor, I'm not sure. If you rake around the chips every morning they pretty well mix with the poop, but that is the kiln dried pine shavings I get in compressed bales. Not sure how "raw" chips would work by comparison. Your "poop issues" will depend on how many chickens you have and if they can get out of the coop early in the morning.
It is possible the rough cut lumber will take on an ammonia smell over time if untreated (and don't ask me what to treat it with because I don't know

)

I have rubber horse mats (because they were in the barn stall when we bought the place) over hardware cloth on a dirt floor.