Mine is mostly repurposed materials, wooden pallets, plywood, pvc pipe and a tarp, has worked out wonderfully for my girls
post your chicken coop pictures here!
- Thread starter chickenlover237
- Start date
Mine is mostly repurposed materials, wooden pallets, plywood, pvc pipe and a tarp, has worked out wonderfully for my girls
THAT is hilarious!! You'll have to update me when your better half figures out he's "been had" !!
Ok, nailing works on your pop-door ramp. Unfortunately we have to NOT secure the ramp permanently. We are going to try putting it up tomorrow if it doesn't rain. We are trying a block wall topper brick that is exactly as wide as the ramp to place on the ground at the base of the ramp. It is one heavy piece of topper brick and we think it will hold the new ramp fairly secure. We'll see tomorrow.
BTW I love your coop. Besides being ADORABLE it looks pretty roomy and comfy inside. Do you free-range outside the coop run? How many chickens do you have?
We let our 4 girls free-range the backyard but have set up some low-to-the-ground lean-tos for the girls to dive under from flying predators. We had a climbing rose bush they liked to snooze under but it died after 25 years. Will have to plant a new one. They seem to like to hide near fences or walls of buildings so that's where we set up the lean-to's. We just used a couple cinder-blocks on each side of a scrap plywood and an old closet shelf and the chickens are happy as clams under them. Chickens aren't fussy about appearances, thank goodness!
Cute coop. I'd love a greenhouse like that!
I grew up in Vista in the 1940's-50's on 25 acres but the land was sold and subdivided and doesn't look the same any more. Vista was one of those communities where you could live either rural or in a city neighborhood. The nearest department store was JCP or Sears in Escondido. San Marcos was a desolate bunch of dry hills. Henie Hills was barren. Delpy's Corner was just an empty corner where 2 rural roads met. There were no freeways but little one or two lane winding roads to get to Oceanside. It is so different now that I barely recognize where I am. Google satellite still shows some of our old lemon-lime citrus grove is still standing.
About the worst predators we had then were the loose neighborhood dogs of irresponsible owners or a wandering peacock from the Colonel's property down the road. Even though it was rural when I was a kid I can't remember having any predators like Coyotes, Raccoons, or Wildcats etc. Is it about the same today? Just hawks to watch out for? We always kept an outdoor dog so maybe that's why we never saw night critters on the farm. We never even smelled the odor of skunk in the air yet here in our city 'burbs today you can smell them constantly!
- Mar 30, 2014
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Well we finally got our coop done.
Being in Arizona, everyonE I spoke too said ventilation and shade were the priority. We can cover with a tarp in rare inclement weather.
No offense meant - LOL - chickens don't have much say in where they're kept. Please don't feel offended that I have an opinion as well. Again just an opinion of my experience. I believe there are just as many people in favor of this thinking as are opposed to it.
For what we feel are healthier reasons we give ours plenty of space. My folks raised chickens on the farm anywhere from 25-50 at a time in an open pen the size of a city block. Of course we had 25 acres then so that was easy to do and throw in some ducks and geese to boot. Chickens are messy but in a big area there is no offensive odor because of being on the move. Chicken addicts tend to overcrowd and that leads to pest infestations, illnesses, odors, unhealthy foot conditions - you name it. Because we kept our poultry on dirt and not shavings or litter or whatever, they were a healthy bunch and Mom did routine health checks. She always knew what animal was what and it still amazes me today how she knew them as she didn't tag them in any way. Today with our own girls we keep a soft dirt floor in the coop. If one should jump or get knocked to the floor it will be a gentler landing then a hard wood or concrete floor - again keeping our bantams in mind. Colder climates may not have this option but it works for us here. It's also wise to get the correct breeds for the climate zone.
Yes, Silkie bantams do really need the same space as LF. They are lower to the ground and if mixed with some LF need that same space to dodge the klutzier bigger LF because Silkies can't fly - only leap and jump. Our sweet kooky Ameraucana is notorious for being the biggest klutz in the flock and knocked a Silkie out of a nestbox ledge. Cost us $77.00 for vet visit and medicine for the poor little bruised bantam - we were just relieved nothing was broken and owe it to the fall on a softer dirt floor.
Everyone's situation is different and everyone chooses their own best methods. I just hate to see bantams classified as needing less space and bring awareness about coop space dwindles because of feed/water/nestbox/etc taking away the allottment. I loved the big U.K. Eglu when I first saw it and it wasn't the cost that was prohibitive but that the attached fencing easily collapsed when someone's German Shepherd jumped on it. Eglu was advertised for up to 10 LF and customers said it was barely comfortable for 2-3 hens and that the plastic ramp didn't even reach the ground so the chickens never used it. We were going to get a pre-fabricated coop but dimensions weren't enough for a rabbit IMO plus customer reviews said the assembly directions were just a page of unclear illustrations and that a lot of pieces would be damaged/split or parts were missing and didn't feel secure that the coops were predator proof in any way. For the same cost of a pre-fab we got a fully assembled custom-built coop at our feed store with the round-hole entrance nestboxes that gives hens the privacy they love. It was a chance random fluke finding it at the right place at the right time as we don't have the talents of many wonderful builders on this thread.
The insecurity of pre-fabricated housing is why I love seeing chicken owners making secure, ingenious, and spacious digs on this coop thread. Chickens aren't fussy about coop style but they do love space. I equate space for a chicken to being a human in a 10 x 20 space 24/7 eating, sleeping, not being able to choose my meals, and entertaining myself with only another two or more individuals and eventually going stir crazy. Chickens are mobile foraging creatures and as such need more space, not less. Thank goodness the old-style commercial caged egg hens are getting criticized and eliminated not just in the USA but all over the world - finally!
Tarps are great covers. We started with smaller ones but now use one huge tarp. They only last about a year. This year we are setting up a pop-up canopy that just barely covers the coop and run. However our girls love to jump in the rain puddles after the downpours let up so we try to keep the door propped open so they have the option to either hide from the weather or go jump and play outdoors. So many bugs and grubs to dig up in the soft mud!
Your design is so very cute!
- Mar 2, 2014
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If I had plans, I would be happy to share. The coop started as a rabbit hutch/bantam coop from a local builder here in Arizona. I modified it pretty significantly. The run was 'scratch built' with cull lumber.
Almost a week down and so far........LOLOL..... so good.....hasn't heard them yet!!!!! I check on the after he leaves in the am and then offf and on during the day....then just before he gets home and I'm always up after he goes to bed so I make one last bedcheck.....!!!! Hasn't found out yet!... Tomorrow is clean out the tub day..but he will be working and it will be a beautiful day for it!
Hehe. thanks for the update. I was wondering about that.
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