post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Chickadee1982]

I have the exact same thing. I use it as a grow out coop for young chicks. But I have encounter some issues. All of the hinges are zinc. They rust in a matter of months in a coastal climate. Also, where roof covering meets the wood frame is a weak spot for water to penetrate. Most chicks outgrow it by about 6 to 8 weeks old. At that point, they are just too big to fit through the door at the top of the ramp.

grow out coop? So, you're telling me that I bought that thing for nothing?
I am not going to buy young chicks,but grown laying hens. I will have to see how to modify it. It sure is a waist for money

 

[junebuggena]

grow out coop? So, you're telling me that I bought that thing for nothing?
I am not going to buy young chicks,but grown laying hens. I will have to see how to modify it. It sure is a waist for money

Yeah, it's a grow out coop. Birds over 12 weeks have a hard time getting in and out. It's impossible for an adult hen to get in at all. It's made for rabbits. And rabbits don't need the same kind of head room that an adult chicken needs. For a full grown, adult hen to comfortably enter and exit a coop, the entrance should be at least 12 inches tall. Rabbits only need an opening of about 8 inches tall.

 

[Flock In Texas]

Day 3 of construction.

I'm working on the feeder and water systems today.

 

[ShrekDawg]

grow out coop? So, you're telling me that I bought that thing for nothing?
I am not going to buy young chicks,but grown laying hens. I will have to see how to modify it. It sure is a waist for money

Is there any way to return it? Just don't open it when it comes and try returning it?

 

[Cockon Candi]

We've used milk crates for the past several years and they worked well. But this spring we bought 35 new chicks. We had a bad setup in the old coop and all 35 roosted on the side of the crates, creating an unbelievable mess. I built a new coop and new, better nesting boxes and decided to use these trays so I could clean them out. No one sleeps in these now, thankfully.

I can see it now. When I worked at PigHoppers, there were a lot of plastic milk cartons stacked in the old farm shed converted to coop, along with planks of wood for roosting, out of necessity. Wot a pain to clean! PigHoppers was a rescue farm for pigs & bunnies, but people dropped off all their unwanteds so they made do with what they had. Chickens, ducks, dogs, cats...Never use milk cartons!

 

[Chickadee1982]

Is there any way to return it? Just don't open it when it comes and try returning it?

Unfortunately I bought it from a website with private sellers, no returns allowed... it's ok, I will have to just think about something to add and modify it. It's alright.

 

[Cockon Candi]

Mine may not be the prettiest coop on the planet but we made the ancient coop that was already on the property work for us.

The outside is 20 by 10 feet (ish) going to have to move it though to get the grass back. With 2 ducks it's impossible to keep that pool clean longer than a week (have tried the Braggs vinegar and shading it with the table = no luck)

The inside area that is more open is approx 20 by 12 feet (ish). Goal is to get more sand in there for the floor. You can see the 5 gal buckets I'm going to use for nesting boxes. And I keep the leftover feed and scratch grains in a Tupperware container. The hanging waterers are probably the greatest thing I ever purchased. The feeder was there from the start.

This part of the coop is still under construction the plywood will eventually be a hinged door with just the bottom cut out for the chickens to go through. The inside is all solid walls and more sand floor. Planning to put the nesting buckets in there and the roost that still needs built. Goal is that that side will stay warmer in winter with less breeze going through. That side is another 16 by 12 feet. I'd say for 10 chickens and 2 ducks they can't complain. Would love to let them free roam our 8 acres but I've got 3 dogs that would have a hay day with that.

I think it's lovely. I prefer rustic.

 

[Cockon Candi]

Umm you could try plastic storage drawers or bins

I'm in the same spot, but I need 14" x 14". I'm thinking pizza boxes.

 

[Latestarter]

Unfortunately I bought it from a website with private sellers, no returns allowed... it's ok, I will have to just think about something to add and modify it. It's alright.

Well, you could always use it as intended and get a rabbit... Branch out so to speak... Then start fresh on a real coop for your soon to be had girls. I mean, you can build a basic coop fairly fast and inexpensively as a "hold over" till you have the time and $$ to build something fancier. The birds don't care about fancy... That's a human problem.

 

[Cockon Candi]

We now have a hen hole, a cock walk, & fence. Hubby found some aluminum pans instead of pizza boxes that need just a little smooshing to fit their nite-nite boxes. (The chickens aren't mine but the neighbors, the Girls just visit every day. Now I'm working on entertainment ideas...