post your chicken coop pictures here!

[RodZilla]

I have a small coop very much like yours...Is that a plantar space on top? You might think about sand in your run. It allows it to drain very easily and keeps it from getting muddy. I need to increase my fun to be the lize of yours.

Yeah its a lil bed of herbs...If you do use sand how easy is it to clean and apply in my garden?

 

[aart]

Quote:
They will tear up sod on a matter of hours, they can also dig holes a good foot deep in not too long a time.

 

[RodZilla]

They will tear up sod on a matter of hours, they can also dig holes a good foot deep in not too long a time.

Hey aart,
would you suggest a few good layers of hay??

 

[TnMama]

We built ours from what was planned as a deer stand, but my cousin didn't have time to finish it. We added a roof, some more wood to close it in,& made a door. It's the side of a small walk in closet & prob 9 ft tall. Vents on 3 sides.

 

[jtbass2756]

WOW ! If I don't hurry and get a coop built! Going to have to start it myself. Here is the temporary mini coop I have for my 6 EE'ers. If you look closely, you will see I have a coop within a coop.. Had two bullies, I mean...they were mean! Going to take them to a swap/sale. I would just give them away! Both are EE roos. They sure don't like being separated from the group though! LOL AND....I have
11 Black Copper Marans coming along quickly!! They are 3 weeks old and needing room. Don't know how many roos I have in there but....., Oh, the windows etc have been taken away...only there at night and during the storm we had the other day...it held tight.

 

[RIR85]

This is my first time raising backyard chickens. Also my first chicken coop.Used recycled shipping crates and pallets. left over deck material and couple box of screws. purchased wire and pvc for waterer and feeder. I am looking for input. I built for 4 RIR, ended up getting 5 RIR chicks. Big enough to accommodate 5 RIR hens?? Chicks are about 2 weeks old, in brooder in garage. Thank you!

 

[TnMama]

Hey aart,
would you suggest a few good layers of hay??

Pine needles will work, outside. That's what's in my yard. They loved to burrow in them.

 

[gilcamp4]

the top is the black sex licks as babys the bottom is this year. they are the same black chicken
if you go on the mcmurry web site they show the peeps by what breed they are, also the book shows them also by breed, the black look like black sex licks and the one red with white on wings looks like the red sex licks, I have them from mcmurry last year and they were doing great, did you get the brown egg package?

 

[jtbass2756]

Yeah its a lil bed of herbs...If you do use sand how easy is it to clean and apply in my garden?

Mine is very easy... I surface rake it at least once a week and put everything in the compost. Then about every 2 weeks I turn it or rake it deep mixing some DE with it as I go. Takes me about 10 minutes at the most. I love it. What ever you put in there...if you just put the pile in there and let them spread it from one end to another....LOLOL

 

[Southerlys]

Let me know where you get the good edible kind of nasturtiums - I understand humans can eat it too except I researched that it is spicy/bitter? Nasturtiums planted between rows of garden vegetables is supposedly a good garden insect deterrent as well.

I understand pansies are chicken edible but they are only an annual and too expensive to keep buying and replenishing pansy plants every year.

I found that although Marigolds are good for insect control in your vegetable garden, there's only ONE Marigold variety that is the beneficial one as an insect deterrent.

My chicken friend planted corn and grains in a little area on the side of her coop but I personally don't want to attract rodents, rats, mice etc. so near to my coop - something else to think about before planting attractive meals for predators.

A plant my chickens loved was an old climbing rose bush to sit beside for hiding and shade during the day. The roses looked pretty, smelled nice, the chickens loved the shade, and rodents don't like the thorny branches. A row of different colored rose bushes in front of the pen will look nice and the chickens will love the hiding and shade they provide but it will obstruct your distant view of the chickens. You decide whether you wish to shade the chickens or enjoy the view of their pen from a distance - be aware that chickens usually don't stay out in open view for long anyway. Ours are always sitting under bushes, lean-to's or inside their coop when not actively foraging. Sometimes they sit up against the green trash bin in the backyard to hide/snooze. They don't like open spaces so having an open view of their pen from a distance could be a moot point - meanwhile the decorative yet shady rose bushes would be used by them. One other thing I like about the rose plants is that they are so darn hardy and don't require constant care - a little rose fertilizer a couple times a year and pruning down the stems in November and they grow back big and beautiful by Spring. My climbing rose bush was 25 years old before we finally had to pull it out during remodeling and we never fertilized it OR pruned it! The only flower plant I know that can take neglect and abuse and still come back fresh and beautiful in the Spring!

If you want a good reference book preview it at a Barnes and Noble bookstore - it is called [COLOR=008080]"Free-Range Chicken Gardens"[/COLOR] by Jessi Bloom which lists toxic vs safe plants to have around chickens with attractive garden photos, coop designs, and backyard layout plans. It's $19.95 in paperback and less $$$ if you download it to a Nook. I just picked up my book last week after drooling over it for the past 6 months. This is one of two basic reference books I have on chickens and the other book I have is [COLOR=008080]"Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens"[/COLOR] 3rd Edition.

You really turned the chicken run into an attractive backyard scene!

No coop is complete without an antique rooster weather vane