post your chicken coop pictures here!

[msantamaria]

thank you very much for your nice input, i will update my profile.

Yes, they were all day enjoying inside the coop and as soon as it started getting dark they all clustered by the door, they have been there for 6 hours at least, they seem healthy and ok. I imagine they are cold, because is not even pitch dark, theres a bulb some metres away that provides a little light inside the coop. Since this is their first night i dont know about the perches, a bunch of them napped during the day in the perches but thats it. Probably no reason to worry but seems odd.

No racoons in Kenya, predators are just cats, rats and maaaybe a dog, snakes are scarce too.

KARI is a pretty cool breed, they went all over the country researching local chickens, so they are very resistant to diseases and weather.

Finally, they will be mostly layers, cocks will be for meat definitely.

Thanks for your input

 

[ShrekDawg]

[COLOR=0000CD]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![/COLOR]

Thanks! Good to know someone else does or did it. They seem to be okay. Love that mesh floor! The dog kennel definitely makes me feel a lot better. Originally we had just the little run it came with and i don't know, the whole thing just felt flimsy to me, coop too, so for the first 2 weeks after they moved out i was bringing them inside at night which no one liked, stressed them out and huge pain to catch them. We decided to use the dog kennel we had laying around for years, got it for free at least 10 years ago from a neighbor who moved, so figured why not use it. Then took the attached run off so it would be more open run space (though unfortunately the wire under the coop isn't removable) and they permanently moved out, even at night, at 7 weeks. Anyhow, it's really strong and def makes me feel better.

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. 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. 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.

We actually don't have either of those things which I know makes it worse. We do have some plywood over part of the run though and bird netting over the whole thing. We were planning on adding a skirt and started to but then winter was coming so we figured it was fine. Haven't had anything try to dig even though there is or was a trench dug on one side. The side next to the woods has two wooden railroad ties so i don't think anything's lifting those up. And of course the dog on duty. But I know that we have gotten lucky. New coop and run will a skirt and wire 2 or 3 feet up too. Oddly nothing has tried getting in except i think we may have rodents. We have seen a fox hanging around recently, was right in front of coop a couple weeks ago, but he didn't try to get in and dog scared him off. I have no doubt though that had we not decided to put the coop in the dog kennel all that time ago he could have gotten into the coop kit with as flimsy as it is. But he hasn't tried. The roof is like 2 feet at least from the kennel walls but I've been putting them inside the coop every night.

 

[Cockon Candi]

We now have a hen hole, need a run. And chickens... It is SO hot here in NE Ohio...

 

[Cockon Candi]

You obviously care about their well-being, you're giving them things to do. But define cold in Kenya. It gets very cold here in winter (-20 F) & chickens survive better sometimes than humans, so I don't think you have to worry about that. You have a lot of babies to take care of!

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!

 

[Sylvester017]

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.

WELCOME!!!




CHICKEN WIRE IS GOOD FOR KEEPING CHICKENS INSIDE BUT WON'T KEEP PREDATORS OUT. 2 STRAY NEIGHBORHOOD DOGS BROKE OUR FENCE GATE AND ATTACKED OUR LITTLE CHICKEN-WIRE COOP AND MANGLED THE WIRE BEYOND REPAIR. 2 GOOD NEIGHBORS CHASED OFF THE DOGS BEFORE THEY GOT TO OUR CHICKENS SO I DON'T RECOMMEND CHICKEN WIRE ONLY -- MAYBE USE HEAVIER CATTLE-WIRE TYPE FENCE TO REINFORCE OVER CHICKEN WIRE IF YOU CAN PLAN FOR IT.

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.

ADDING TOYS LIKE TREE STUMPS, PLASTIC CHAIRS OR OLD LAWN FURNITURE, TABLES, LOGS, ETC, AS YOU ARE PLANNING TO DO WILL BE GOOD TO KEEP CHICKENS BUSY! WILL THEIR OPEN FREE-RANGE COMPOUND BE FENCED FROM OUTSIDE PREDATORS LIKE STRAY DOGS OR WILDLIFE BECAUSE IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE SOMEONE WATCHING THE FREE-RANGE FLOCK ALL THE TIME.

NOT ALWAYS PRETTY BUT IN OUR SMALL BACKYARD OVER THE YEARS WE HAD SEVERAL SHELTERS SET-UP FOR THE FREE-RANGE CHICKENS TO HIDE/SNOOZE UNDER SO THEY DON'T HAVE FAR TO RUN TO HIDE FROM AERIAL PREDATORS ~ LIKE POP-UP CANOPY, LAWN FURNITURE, MAKESHIFT LOW LEAN-TO'S SET ON BRICKS, POTTED PLANTS, STICKERY CLIMBING ROSEBUSH, WHEELBARROW, DOG HOUSES, EVEN TRASH CANS AND COMPOST BINS MAKE HIDING PLACES CLOSE-BY EACH OTHER:















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? PERHAPS THE CHICKENS FEEL SECURE AGAINST THE TALL SOLID WOOD DOOR, MAYBE IT SHIELDS AGAINST DRAFTS, PERHAPS IT MAKES MORE COVER FOR THEM TO ROOST THAN THE OPEN WIRE WALLS? YOU'LL EVENTUALLY FIGURE IT OUT WITH TIME.

Thank you!

Thanks! Good to know someone else does or did it. They seem to be okay. Love that mesh floor! The dog kennel definitely makes me feel a lot better. Originally we had just the little run it came with and i don't know, the whole thing just felt flimsy to me, coop too, so for the first 2 weeks after they moved out i was bringing them inside at night which no one liked, stressed them out and huge pain to catch them. We decided to use the dog kennel we had laying around for years, got it for free at least 10 years ago from a neighbor who moved, so figured why not use it. Then took the attached run off so it would be more open run space (though unfortunately the wire under the coop isn't removable) and they permanently moved out, even at night, at 7 weeks. Anyhow, it's really strong and def makes me feel better.
We actually don't have either of those things which I know makes it worse. We do have some plywood over part of the run though and bird netting over the whole thing. We were planning on adding a skirt and started to but then winter was coming so we figured it was fine. Haven't had anything try to dig even though there is or was a trench dug on one side. The side next to the woods has two wooden railroad ties so i don't think anything's lifting those up. And of course the dog on duty. But I know that we have gotten lucky. New coop and run will a skirt and wire 2 or 3 feet up too. Oddly nothing has tried getting in except i think we may have rodents. We have seen a fox hanging around recently, was right in front of coop a couple weeks ago, but he didn't try to get in and dog scared him off. I have no doubt though that had we not decided to put the coop in the dog kennel all that time ago he could have gotten into the coop kit with as flimsy as it is. But he hasn't tried. The roof is like 2 feet at least from the kennel walls but I've been putting them inside the coop every night.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE TAKING NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AND DOG RUN FENCING IS THE GREATEST ~ WE HAVE THE BLACK-TYPE CANINE KENNEL WIRE FOR OUR ENTIRE NEW BARN COOP AND OPTIONAL RUN AND I SWEAR NOTHING SHORT OF A GRIZZLY BEAR CAN POSSIBLY TEAR IT APART. I'VE HAD BACKYARD CHICKENS FOR 5 YRS AND AM STILL CONSTANTLY MODIFYING AS I SEE CHANGES THAT ARE NEEDED. DON'T KNOW WHAT TYPE RODENTS YOU SUSPECT BUT WE SET OUT XTRA-LARGE STICKY TRAPS AT NIGHT WHERE WE SEE RAT DROPPINGS AND BY MORNING WE CATCH A RAT OR A MOUSE! WE DO THIS FOR 2 OR 3 NIGHTS TO MAKE SURE WE CATCH 'EM ALL. THING TO REMEMBER IS SET OUT THE STICKY TRAPS AFTER CHICKENS GO TO ROOST AND PICK 'EM UP BEFORE SUN-UP BEFORE THE CHICKENS COME OUT. I STILL PLAN ON TRYING "THE BEST MOUSE TRAP EVER" BRAND OF RODENT TRAP WHICH RUNS $20.

 

[cmccullough1390]

Converting old shed into coop
So much progress over 2 days

Day 1

Day 2 Sealing floor one more coat to go lol

Lots done still need to cement the edges for extra predator proofing, gate, netting on top with two beams so I can hang feeder and water, inside we need to make nesting boxes, install removable roost, paint last layer, add sand bedding, and hang water and feeder

 

[Sylvester017]

Converting old shed into coop
So much progress over 2 days






Lots done still need to cement the edges for extra predator proofing, gate, netting on top with two beams so I can hang feeder and water, inside we need to make nesting boxes, install removable roost, paint last layer, add sand bedding, and hang water and feeder

That's a LOT of work and money but good to see the protective precautions ~ that wiring is probably the most expensive labor-intensive part of the build!!! Hope the shed will be well ventilated even in winter with extra windows or vents? One thing I found helpful in slushy rainy weather is to have a paver stone walkway or sidewalk from the house to the coop entrance to avoid sinking in muddy water. Will the shed-coop have outside access to the nestbox area or will you be entering the coop for egg collections? If egg collections are from inside the coop-shed some paver stones leading to the shed door will help during rainy days to stomp off mud from the boots before entering the coop. Lots to think about and 5 yrs from now you'll still be modifying just as we've been doing LOL! Have a pop-up canopy outside the run and put a couple folding chairs under it so you can sit and watch chicken TV while sipping lemonade!!!

 

[bruceha2000]

thank you very much for your nice input, i will update my profile.

Yes, they were all day enjoying inside the coop and as soon as it started getting dark they all clustered by the door, they have been there for 6 hours at least, they seem healthy and ok. I imagine they are cold, because is not even pitch dark, theres a bulb some metres away that provides a little light inside the coop. Since this is their first night i dont know about the perches, a bunch of them napped during the day in the perches but thats it. Probably no reason to worry but seems odd.

No racoons in Kenya, predators are just cats, rats and maaaybe a dog, snakes are scarce too.

KARI is a pretty cool breed, they went all over the country researching local chickens, so they are very resistant to diseases and weather.

Finally, they will be mostly layers, cocks will be for meat definitely.

Thanks for your input

Obviously I don't know the breed but most chickens can take a ton of cold. My Anconas are a Mediterranean breed with pretty big combs and they deal with temps that sometimes get to -15F or -20F, no heat in my coop.

Since your birds are 4 weeks old they should be fully feathered and capable of maintaining their body temperature in the absence of a draft. If they didn't have roosts where they were raised, it might take a few days for them to figure out that sleeping on the roost at night is normal. Who knows, maybe they were sleeping in trees! Some people have resorted to putting them on the roosts a time or two. I guess I was lucky. I put mine outside in the coop at about 4 weeks and they figured it out on their own.

We now have a hen hole, need a run. And chickens... It is SO hot here in NE Ohio...

Clearly you did not read the "How to raise chickens" manual. FIRST you get the chicks and while raising them in the house start building the coop. Then notice how fast those fluffballs grow and how much you WISH you had built the coop first!

Of course *I* wouldn't do it that way

Converting old shed into coop
So much progress over 2 days



Lots done still need to cement the edges for extra predator proofing, gate, netting on top with two beams so I can hang feeder and water, inside we need to make nesting boxes, install removable roost, paint last layer, add sand bedding, and hang water and feeder

That is a serious amount of 1/2" hardware cloth! I don't want to see your credit card statement

Better safe than sorry. Nice job. Amazing how much work it is even when you already have the building on site isn't it?

 

[Spartan22]

We now have a hen hole, need a run. And chickens... It is SO hot here in NE Ohio...

Very nice!! Did you guys get some rain yesterday and today? It was raining 10 minutes north of us but nothing in my area until today. Your probably 20-30 minutes away from me.

 

[cmccullough1390]

Obviously I don't know the breed but most chickens can take a ton of cold. My Anconas are a Mediterranean breed with pretty big combs and they deal with temps that sometimes get to -15F or -20F, no heat in my coop.

Since your birds are 4 weeks old they should be fully feathered and capable of maintaining their body temperature in the absence of a draft. If they didn't have roosts where they were raised, it might take a few days for them to figure out that sleeping on the roost at night is normal. Who knows, maybe they were sleeping in trees! Some people have resorted to putting them on the roosts a time or two. I guess I was lucky. I put mine outside in the coop at about 4 weeks and they figured it out on their own.


Clearly you did not read the "How to raise chickens" manual. FIRST you get the chicks and while raising them in the house start building the coop. Then notice how fast those fluffballs grow and how much you WISH you had built the coop first!   Of course *I* wouldn't do it that way 


That is a serious amount of 1/2" hardware cloth! I don't want to see your credit card statement   Better safe than sorry. Nice job. Amazing how much work it is even when you already have the building on site isn't it?

It's great when it's already started I got all the wire for 50$ at a local hardware stores anniversary sale