post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

LOVE it!!! Green eggs and ham, anyone??

I think with Easter or Olive Eggers you can actually HAVE green eggs and ham!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY!!!! Tomorrow morning I'm going to pick up three hens!!!
Let's see...I've got the coop assembled, sprinkled it with DE, put hay in the nest box and wood shavings in the coop, put up the run, stocked up on feed and oyster shells, bought waterers, a feeder and will finish securing the run and coop with chicken wire tomorrow. I've saved up some trimmings from Brussel sprouts and butternut squash that we had for dinner last night to spread in the run and I've got a very flexible schedule for the next few days.
I think I'm ready!!

Here's a photo of the coop and 2/3 of the run...after I took the photo I added another section of run. They have about 3 square meters. I'll have three chickens in it and plan to make another area at the bottom of the garden/yard for them to be able to be free in. They will get time out of the run to play and explore every day.




The building on the left is my new Pilates chalet...the box to the right of the coop/run is storage for straw, bedding, feed etc.


I've still got to put the wire skirting down around the coop and run.


I've a couple of questions and if some of you seasoned Poultry lovers can help with a couple of answers/suggestions I'd appreciate it!
I've been told to put them in the coop when I bring them home so they can settle. Some people say 4 hours but I'm thinking I should just let them settle then open the door.
Also, is there anything I should avoid like giving them the kitchen scraps right away for example? I want to make sure I don't give them a shock or make them ill.
I believe the chickens I'm getting have not seen grass before and that they have been kept in crowded conditions. I'm really looking forward to seeing them discover grass!
I'm just hoping to make their homecoming as stress free as possible.
Thanks for your help!

EXCITED!!!!!

That is absolutely adorable and so glad you are giving them space plus foraging time. Very pretty yard with all that greenery and space! Don't worry about our comments about poultry wire vs hardwire. It's just that most seasoned chickeneers have had bad experiences keeping out predators with just poultry wire and will always recommend the hardwire. In any event any wire is better than none to start and eventually get the hardwire. When we were away from home our coop got attacked by a stray 90-lb German Shepherd that broke through our gate. He didn't get to the chickens, scared them though, and although the poultry net wire kept him out he bent the wire so badly it can't be fixed or returned to it's original shape. If a neighbor hadn't heard the chickens hollering and scared off the mutt he just might've torn enough of the poultry wire to get at our birds. We have since repaired the gate and added a second so that any intruder will have to break TWO gates to get into the yard now.

 

[Sylvester017]

I am new on here and my son and i have just took up this chicken business. We really enjoy our 4 chickens, Rhode island red, black australorp, and 2 plymouth rocks my son 9 just loves them! He calls them by name and they just come running to him waiting for the treats he has for them. They follow him all over the yard when we let them out in the evening after schiool. I went a little over kill on the run but my son said that he wanted them to have plenty of room. hope to post more pics soon.

Children are a soft touch with animals and usually have good instincts about them. So glad to hear he wants to give them a lot of room - bless him!

 

[Sylvester017]

The coop footprint is 8ft x 8ft and is 2 ft off the ground which give them a nice outside shelter. The run is also 8ft x 8ft giving a combined 8 x16 area. Water system uses 4 water nipples inside and 5 outside. Automatic door opener is expensive but worth it. Poop catcher under 2 perchs is a big help in keeping clean inside. With Windows and storm door lot's of light. Installed a metal roof so can collect water, gutters still need to be installed. Holding tank is about 25 gallons, have to put in a little bleach in to keep alge from growing.

I'm not a chemist so forgive me for asking. Since ACV is good for chickens would it work like bleach to keep algae from forming in the water? Just wondering if anyone else on this thread would know? Our tap water during the drought was so heavily smelly with chlorine. I read that chlorine (bleach) and fluoride (some cities use it still in their water systems) leach calcium and since egg shells are made of calcium that maybe those two chemicals should be avoided for egg layers? Anyway after reading that and smelling our lousy city water we started using bottled water (5-gallon refill bottles) and we noticed we're not getting funky looking shells with bumps or thin spots now.

 

[Sylvester017]

Here is our main coop - Le Poulet Chalet. We ordered it from TUFF SHED.




View of the egg box side




Here is the run we got for free from someone my sister knows - Thanks Grandpa Jim, you saved me a lot of construction agony!




Here is a good view of our little coop I made - Hen Pecked General Hospital and our chairs we set up to watch Chicken T.V.



Inside Poulet Chalet. It has three egg boxes, however, all the girls use one egg box.




a view of the roosts with the poopy boards. The idea is that the birds are supposed to poop on the boards when they roost and then I can take the nights bounty to the compost pile.




Another inside view


I just love our chicken complex! I like to think the girls like it too.

TUFF SHED makes chicken coops? I've got to get to their website! Aren't chickens the funniest creatures? Ours all want the nestbox closest to the entrance. We found 3 eggs in the same box today! Adorable TV screen you have there! We don't subscribe to cable TV either when we have a big sliding door to watch our own big screen chicken yard! Very nice!

 

[scubaharry]

Thank you, New to this and have also had others tell me to use Apple Cider vinegar. Being that water system just installed going to use ACV first.
Cheers
Harry

 

[iwiw60]

scubaharry...is there a reason you have a heat lamp directly over their roost area??? Seems odd to have it sooo close.

 

[scubaharry]

It was cold that night. They were on there perch to far left and they seem to adjust. Warmer now in NW Florida so has been removed. There 2 months old now and don't need to heat lamp anymore. Thank You for asking.
Cheers,
Harry

 

[ISA4Drew]

Well I put some more finishing touches on the coop after we had another snowfall yesterday,so only a few more things to do to make it perfect for out gals.
Just have to throw a good stain on the wood

,add a soffit vent to the east and bury mesh in ground...soo heres a few more snapshots..thx

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you, New to this and have also had others tell me to use Apple Cider vinegar. Being that water system just installed going to use ACV first.
Cheers
Harry

I know - post a couple pics and the suggestions come pouring in. I learned a couple things for future coops when I posted my little coop.