post your chicken coop pictures here!

[kenmlang]

Thanks JTbass and Sylvester for the compliments! I know, Sylvester...the Adirondack Mountains are a rough place for a chicken as far as predators. With the coop...the 4x4 posts are buried 4 feet in the ground set in concrete. The wire is buried about 18" and large shot-rock stones were placed in the trench and then covered with dirt. The cedar run posts are set 2' in the ground...the wire is buried the same amount and we added the same stones to these trenches. We have never had any trouble with raccoons, skunks, etc. We frequently have fox tracks on our property...but have never had one around the coop. The run underneath the coop we used standard chicken wire. We stapled the wire and buried it before we knew better, but knock on wood have had no problems. The run is all 1/2" stainless steel welded hardware cloth. Much stouter than the other and I looked like I had wrestled with a tiger after finishing everything up...sharp stuff!

For a brooding area, we have an a-frame shed on our property that was here when we bought. There are two secure rooms inside with power, etc. We plan on using this area as our brooder area...we are currently using it as our separation pen if we have a chicken that needs to be separated. We open the windows so they can hear the other chickens...it seems to be working out well.

When my husband and I bought our property we cut a ton of trees in the back of our house to open the yard up. We hired a portable mill to cut and plane the wood for us...ALL the lumber used in the coop were trees behind our house 8 months earlier

Isn't that the way it is supposed to be done!! Use what you got!! Kudos to you and yours!! May God Bless you and yours!!!

 

[ADKChickenChick]

Thanks everybody! We are all about using what you have. We put a lot of though and care into our little farm...it feels nice to be recognized for our ideas and thriftiness

 

[kenmlang]

Thanks everybody! We are all about using what you have. We put a lot of though and care into our little farm...it feels nice to be recognized for our ideas and thriftiness

Amen!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks JTbass and Sylvester for the compliments! I know, Sylvester...the Adirondack Mountains are a rough place for a chicken as far as predators. With the coop...the 4x4 posts are buried 4 feet in the ground set in concrete. The wire is buried about 18" and large shot-rock stones were placed in the trench and then covered with dirt. The cedar run posts are set 2' in the ground...the wire is buried the same amount and we added the same stones to these trenches. We have never had any trouble with raccoons, skunks, etc. We frequently have fox tracks on our property...but have never had one around the coop. The run underneath the coop we used standard chicken wire. We stapled the wire and buried it before we knew better, but knock on wood have had no problems. The run is all 1/2" stainless steel welded hardware cloth. Much stouter than the other and I looked like I had wrestled with a tiger after finishing everything up...sharp stuff!

For a brooding area, we have an a-frame shed on our property that was here when we bought. There are two secure rooms inside with power, etc. We plan on using this area as our brooder area...we are currently using it as our separation pen if we have a chicken that needs to be separated. We open the windows so they can hear the other chickens...it seems to be working out well.

When my husband and I bought our property we cut a ton of trees in the back of our house to open the yard up. We hired a portable mill to cut and plane the wood for us...ALL the lumber used in the coop were trees behind our house 8 months earlier

You guys anticipated a lot of security stuff. And fantastic use of the trees on your property!!

Still - would like to see the bottom of the "Mother Cluckers" secured with the hardwire - don't take the poultry wire down and just attach the hardwire right over it. The reason you were cut-up after working with hardwire is exactly why you want to use it against predators. No predators yet? Wait, they'll be coming around - they'll discover your chickens as "sitting ducks" - no pun intended.

We put a 60-watt equivalent light outside our coop and it's worked to keep most critters and rodents away - the only rat we've seen this year was a dead one and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the work of our free-range flock. Last year our Leghorn found a nest of babies and ripped them up around the yard - hurray! There are fancier automatic security type night lights but we had one that annoyingly blinked on and off whenever a leaf blew under it so we just use the steady patio light over the coop now.

Don't know if bears are noctural or not - I think they can be either day or night foragers. The raccoons around here are so bold as to be on the golf course in broad daylight with absolutely no fear. Those determined suckers can open locks and rip open poultry wire easily with their patient manipulative claws plus they will kill not for food but just for the sheer joy of tearing another creature apart - can you tell I hate them? Killing for food I can totally understand but not for the sheer pleasure of killing just because they can. Some juvenile black bears around here have been extracted from backyard swimming pools and had to be relocated hundreds of miles away by park rangers.

There's wild critters all around us even in the city. Just because we haven't seen one doesn't mean there wasn't one on the property. Since cooped chickens are at risk compared to free-range we are security conscious about the nights here. During the day the free-range chickens can jump, fly, or hide for safety but night-time in a coop keeps us on our toes security-wise.

 

[Sylvester017]

I love the sense of humor. Our chickens make us laugh too. Our coop is called the "Dome-Chick" which in Russian slang translates to "Little House."

 

[Sylvester017]

I found it at Tractor Supply but bought it on eBay. They had the best price and free shipping. It's called Advantek Pet Gazebo. It's 5x5x5. The cover is reversible. Brown to draw heat in, White to reflect it. I was able to put it together alone but it would go faster and be easier for 2 people. The only bad part it is heavy. I'd say 60-80 lbs. It won't be blown away though.

Your Gazebo kennel gives the backyard a nice appearance. It is to die for! If you plan on moving it around it probably won't be too often - you'll need a couple of flat dollies or maybe take it apart some and reassemble again as that is what is recommended on our Lucky Dog kennel. I wouldn't mind using your kennel in our yard as a permanent garden Gazebo on a raised platform with a boutique table and chairs in it just to relax watching the chickens forage in the yard. Really really cute!

We got our rectangular 4x8 Lucky Dog kennel on sale w/ free shipping through Walmart's website - it came with an arched soft-roof canopy. From all the reviews they said these kennels rusted if they weren't reinforced with a coat of Rust-o-leum so we repainted all our panels before assembling. What a pain for something that should have been done correctly during manufacture. While we were at it we repainted the two metal Hummingbird feeders too. The kennel can be configured in other shapes but then the rectangular canopy couldn't be used. The kennel will be too big to move around so we're securely attaching it to our existing little coop to give the hens more room when they wake up in the morning before we release them to forage in the backyard. It's a great addition but we had to buy wire cloth to reinforce the roof before fitting on the soft top. Don't want predators getting into the pen through a soft cover roof. Ultimately the coop and kennel run will be covered by a popup canopy for shade and rain protection.

There are plus and minus features to everything we buy or build. So please enjoy your flock with that wonderful coop and Gazebo in your yard!

 

[Sylvester017]

Sounds like to me you have everything under control and have thought thru everything....safety, and of course with the chicken math the way it is....the future!! Because the new one will have to be a little bit bigger you know..LOL

You're right about the chicken math. Every year we add two new pullets for eggs. But we've had some bad luck having to re-home a couple heavier breeds that turned out to be bullies and lost a couple chicks that replaced the re-homed birds. Chicks are just too delicate so won't go that route again. I get juveniles only now. In 3 years of chickeneering we've had 8 chickens but only have 4 left. Maybe chicken math is a good thing to anticipate those times when you sadly lose some. Ideally I like to order pullets in pairs so I have a 2 by 2 by 2 breed pairing in the flock but it hasn't worked out because of re-homing or death. The only paired pullets are the Silkies. With one Buff Leghorn and one Blue Wheaten Ameraucana. I did have 2 Legs and 2 Amers to pal around but circumstances changed. Here's hoping my two new pullet pair next year will stay a matched pair!

 

[sled483]

Your Gazebo kennel gives the backyard a nice appearance. It is to die for!  If you plan on moving it around it probably won't be too often - you'll need a couple of flat dollies or maybe take it apart some and reassemble again as that is what is recommended on our Lucky Dog kennel. I wouldn't mind using your kennel in our yard as a permanent garden Gazebo on a raised platform with a boutique table and chairs in it just to relax watching the chickens forage in the yard. Really really cute!

We got our rectangular 4x8 Lucky Dog kennel on sale w/ free shipping through Walmart's website - it came with an arched soft-roof canopy. From all the reviews they said these kennels rusted if they weren't reinforced with a coat of Rust-o-leum so we repainted all our panels before assembling. What a pain for something that should have been done correctly during manufacture. While we were at it we repainted the two metal Hummingbird feeders too. The kennel can be configured in other shapes but then the rectangular canopy couldn't be used. The kennel will be too big to move around so we're securely attaching it to our existing little coop to give the hens more room when they wake up in the morning before we release them to forage in the backyard. It's a great addition but we had to buy wire cloth to reinforce the roof before fitting on the soft top. Don't want predators getting into the pen through a soft cover roof. Ultimately the coop and kennel run will be covered by a popup canopy for shade and rain protection.

There are plus and minus features to everything we buy or build. So please enjoy your flock with that wonderful coop and Gazebo in your yard!

Sylvester017 thank you! I am really happy how nice the gazebo looks. I got it because of the price, the fact it had a roof, and that it was big enough for me to inside with them. I think with two people I'll be able to move it. If that doesn't work then yes I'll have to unassemble and reassemble. Luckily it's all snap together, no tools. I am looking at the lucky kennel too. I plan on getting a 10x10 dog kennel and the roof as well. That will be their permenant run. Thank you for the hint on the chain link.

 

[aart]

....... The run is all 1/2" stainless steel welded hardware cloth. Much stouter than the other ......

Stainless Steel?!? Seriously?!?
<long low whistle> Man, I could probably pay off my house for the cost of that much stn stl hc.

 

[iwiw60]

How cute your coop is...LUV the signs!