post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Wolfstorm82]

Love it! Good job! You could hang stuff from the bamboo, is it? A swing, treats, etc.

I have a swing hanging between the potted plants. They love it. It's their little oasis. the duck loves her pool too. Its in the works.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Is the mint plant poisonous to chickens I just cut mine but I was going to maybe plant some over in or around the pen.

 

[junebuggena]

Is the mint plant poisonous to chickens I just cut mine but I was going to maybe plant some over in or around the pen.

All members of the mint family are safe for chickens.

 

[chickluvinfreak]

Is the mint plant poisonous to chickens I just cut mine but I was going to maybe plant some over in or around the pen.

Mint is completely safe. And mine love it! Planting it around the coop will also help to keep pests out. It gives off a pungent order that mice and insects dislike and avoid. Some people say it has a cooling effect in the summer time and will put in their drinking water. But it's unlikely that it helps in cooling because chickens have very few tastebuds. But whether it does or not it's still healthy and they seem to think it tastes good

 

[Sylvester017]

Sorry for all the pictures, try to take things from multiple angles/every angle, i know it's dumb, but yeah.

I know it's not pretty but the girls have been trying to sleep on the roof a lot lately and it used to only be if the roost bars got knocked down and I forgot to put them back up but now this week they've decided they'll sleep up there anyway. So i put them back in or push them off the roof and they go in and are fine. But anyway, tonight I was worried because it is pretty humid out so I didn't want heat stroke or anything but I didn't want them getting eaten either and plus they are all on top of each other on the roof anyway so i put them inside. But my dad suggested I open the nest boxes. Well I don't trust the arm that locks it ope , they have landed on the the nest box roof before and almost crushed chickens below when it unlocks and shuts so i only wanted it open part way. So i went and found a 2x4 scrap and some plywood scraps and put them on top of the nest box dividers in the middle box so now it's propped open a few inches and air can flow in from the first and third nest boxes. Also tied the back door open. The past few months I've been leaving the door open and started leaving the back door open too for more air flow but it always closed partway so tonight i tied it all the way open for optimal air flow. I'm thinking i might leave that and the nest boxes open all the time. Or cut holes in the side of the coop haha as you can see, there is ventilation supposedly but it's just nowhere near enough which I should have realized a long time ago do hence tonight's improvements. I personally think that having both doors wide open has helped on it's own butlike I said, was paranoid about heatstroke so added the extra bit of ventilation tonight. There's also a slight occasional breeze tonight though so that should hopefully help too.

Also turned the deck light off so it won't shine in, usually inside is dark but having the side open it was a tad bright.

And before anyone says it, yes I knoe some don't agree with having the doors open but they are up the minute there's light way earlier than anyone is up so i believe it's good/better for them, and they're in a chainlink dog kennel, as well as being right in the backyard oh 20-30 feet from the deck with a huge dog who sleeps in the bedroom right next to the backyard so we will hear anything. And usually the light's on.

And i know the coop's too small for 8, we have the new one almost finished and they'll be moving in soon. But until then I've decided to maximize ventilation.

Sorry for the long post, can never shut up and/or make it short lol

The last couple years our SoCal summers have been brutal. In our last little coop we did the same thing - left the nestbox door open for air flow. But we didn't have the little coop inside a kennel like yours so I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. in the morning to watch the little coop that there weren't any feral cats or raccoons in the yard. Left the nestbox door open until the night cooled down enough to close the door again. Hey, you do what you gotta do not to lose those chickens to the heatwaves. We now have a bigger coop that has an optional kennel wire floor for summer for more ventilation. We use the solid floor tray in winter and the heavy wire kennel floor in summer. As for coops being too small ~ whatever the manufacturer suggests for number of chickens I cut the number in half for how many chickens fit comfortably. My Barn Coop suggests 15 chickens but I don't want more than 4 or 5 in it to keep it cleaner and roomier for the comfort of the hens ~ it's only a 4x4 floor space so how can they suggest 15 chickens ~ nutty!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Thank You @chickluvinfreak and @junebuggena. I just cut mine off for the year but I know you can grow it just by putting it in dirt without roots but i didn't know if it was safe but I will plant as much of it as I can, maybe I can weave it through the bars of the pen as it gets taller for more shade.

 

[bruceha2000]

Thanks for the info. I have decided to have the nesting boxes inside completely and have an access door from the outside built into the wall this way I don't have anything sticking out to have to seal for rain I have an 18" overhang so I can stay out of the rain when gathering eggs and if they stick out I would have to walk around them in the rain. The coop has plenty of room inside and the boxes will be high enough for them to walk under them. I will make a slopped interior roof for the boxes so they can't sit on top of them. I may put the food and water under the boxes to keep them cleaner since they won't be able to poop in them like they would if they could roost above them.

Mike

Here is the wall framed for the 2 side doors.

Making great progress Mike. And yep, that plan works. Hanging the food and water under the boxes has to be the easiest way to keep them from getting fouled (fowled?). My feeder is a 4" PVC pipe connected vertically to a plastic plant pot tray. It hangs from the ceiling and I had to move it this winter when I decided the girls could use the shelf I made for the broody buster box. No broodies in the winter and for some reason a LOT of the girls prefer that to the 2x4 on the flat and the 3" round fence rail roosts. All are at 4' off the floor, go figure. Anyway, the edge of the feeder tray was vertically too close to the edge of that shelf.

Though ... thinking about it some more, I'm not sure how you can get a hanging feeder and waterer under the nest boxes at the right height for the hens unless they are pretty squat (the feeders, not the hens

). Harder to fill that way too. But I'm sure you'll work something out.

Quote:
You may not get an answer, the original post for this coop was 5 years ago. My answer would be "A LOT of hard work" and "A LOT of time maintaining it". Wish I had that much time because you are right, it is lovely.

Sorry for all the pictures, try to take things from multiple angles/every angle, i know it's dumb, but yeah.

I know it's not pretty but the girls have been trying to sleep on the roof a lot lately and it used to only be if the roost bars got knocked down and I forgot to put them back up but now this week they've decided they'll sleep up there anyway. So i put them back in or push them off the roof and they go in and are fine. But anyway, tonight I was worried because it is pretty humid out so I didn't want heat stroke or anything but I didn't want them getting eaten either and plus they are all on top of each other on the roof anyway so i put them inside. But my dad suggested I open the nest boxes. Well I don't trust the arm that locks it ope , they have landed on the the nest box roof before and almost crushed chickens below when it unlocks and shuts so i only wanted it open part way. So i went and found a 2x4 scrap and some plywood scraps and put them on top of the nest box dividers in the middle box so now it's propped open a few inches and air can flow in from the first and third nest boxes. Also tied the back door open. The past few months I've been leaving the door open and started leaving the back door open too for more air flow but it always closed partway so tonight i tied it all the way open for optimal air flow. I'm thinking i might leave that and the nest boxes open all the time. Or cut holes in the side of the coop haha as you can see, there is ventilation supposedly but it's just nowhere near enough which I should have realized a long time ago do hence tonight's improvements. I personally think that having both doors wide open has helped on it's own butlike I said, was paranoid about heatstroke so added the extra bit of ventilation tonight. There's also a slight occasional breeze tonight though so that should hopefully help too.

Also turned the deck light off so it won't shine in, usually inside is dark but having the side open it was a tad bright.

And before anyone says it, yes I knoe some don't agree with having the doors open but they are up the minute there's light way earlier than anyone is up so i believe it's good/better for them, and they're in a chainlink dog kennel, as well as being right in the backyard oh 20-30 feet from the deck with a huge dog who sleeps in the bedroom right next to the backyard so we will hear anything. And usually the light's on.

And i know the coop's too small for 8, we have the new one almost finished and they'll be moving in soon. But until then I've decided to maximize ventilation.

Sorry for the long post, can never shut up and/or make it short lol

I don't remember if the run had a chain link top or not. And did you skirt wire around the outside? If yes to both, unless the chickens decide to sleep next to the fence they should be pretty safe from anything but a weasel.

 

[msantamaria]

Hello, im new to the comunity so let me introduce miself briefly before the pics.

This is my first time having chickens, i live in the coast of Kenya and the shelter is next to my house, just purchased 50 4 week olds. The breed is called KARI, they are dual purpose chicken, basically they are improved local Kienyeji breed.

That being said this is my humble shelter, the budget was quite small sadly, so its nothing fancy.


This is the finished shelter before setting it up.






Yesterday after preparing it for the arrival of the little dudes.







This is today!, a few hours ago, just after their arrival.









Some final notes:
Im trying to put a bunch of toys, hanging perches, lettuces and cds. 2 more dirt baths as well.
In 2 weeks (most likely) they will start free roaming, lots of greens arround the compounds.


Any input is very appreciated, reading these forums has been so helpful!
PS, one small thing, as soon as night came they all went to the door and have been sitting there for hours now, is it normal or too much/little light maybe?

Thank you!

 

[junebuggena]

Hello, im new to the comunity so let me introduce miself briefly before the pics.

This is my first time having chickens, i live in the coast of Kenya and the shelter is next to my house, just purchased 50 4 week olds. The breed is called KARI, they are dual purpose chicken, basically they are improved local Kienyeji breed.

That being said this is my humble shelter, the budget was quite small sadly, so its nothing fancy.


This is the finished shelter before setting it up.






Yesterday after preparing it for the arrival of the little dudes.







This is today!, a few hours ago, just after their arrival.









Some final notes:
Im trying to put a bunch of toys, hanging perches, lettuces and cds. 2 more dirt baths as well.
In 2 weeks (most likely) they will start free roaming, lots of greens arround the compounds.


Any input is very appreciated, reading these forums has been so helpful!
PS, one small thing, as soon as night came they all went to the door and have been sitting there for hours now, is it normal or too much/little light maybe?

Thank you!

Awesome job! For 50 birds, you're going to need more roosting space, about 1 foot of roost per bird. Also, I hope you plan on adding a run because, while the coop is huge, it's not going to be enough space for all 50 once they are adults.

 

[bruceha2000]

Hello, im new to the comunity so let me introduce miself briefly before the pics.

This is my first time having chickens, i live in the coast of Kenya and the shelter is next to my house, just purchased 50 4 week olds. The breed is called KARI, they are dual purpose chicken, basically they are improved local Kienyeji breed.

That being said this is my humble shelter, the budget was quite small sadly, so its nothing fancy.


This is the finished shelter before setting it up.





Some final notes:
Im trying to put a bunch of toys, hanging perches, lettuces and cds. 2 more dirt baths as well.
In 2 weeks (most likely) they will start free roaming, lots of greens around the compounds.


Any input is very appreciated, reading these forums has been so helpful!
PS, one small thing, as soon as night came they all went to the door and have been sitting there for hours now, is it normal or too much/little light maybe?

Thank you!

Not a thing wrong with "nothing fancy"! Job well done.

Do you mean they are inside the coop by the door? That does seem an odd thing to do when it starts to get dark. Normally they will head TO the coop as the sun gets low. I wonder what their arrangement was before you got them, perhaps they were not confined to a coop at night? Do they go up on the roosts at night?

What sort of predators do you have in Kenya? I'm guessing you don't need to worry about raccoons but have a host of things we in the USA know nothing about.

I Googled Kari chicken breed and found:
http://www.africanfarming.net/livestock/poultry/kari-develops-new-chicken-breed-in-kenya

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) . Developed in KARI's Naivasha Poultry Development Institute, the new breed known as kienyeji chicken, achieves a weight of 1.5 kg in five months.

How fantastic that they were intentionally bred for the local climate. Do you have them primarily for eggs or do you plan to eat some when they get big enough? I guess the cockerels would be planned for the table.