post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Buggirl]

We have the same one just added to it and painted.

I love the addition idea!

 

[bruceha2000]

Well we finished our bantams coop....ummm I think it maybe a bit big BUT there's plenty of roosting areas and a place for 2 nesting boxes.

There is no such thing!

Your coop could be 50' x 100' and the birds would still use all of it. My girls' coop is a 9.5' x 12' converted horse stall in the lower part of a 75' long barn. When their chicken door opens, they have 2 more stalls, a 9.5' x 10' room where I keep the feed, BOSS, scratch and extra shavings, the area near the south door where the water spigot is and the 10' wide alley the length of the barn to 'play' in. This is their 'indoor run'. They use it all ... until I open the outer door, then they wander an area probably 200' x 400'.

Bruce

 

[Sylvester017]

I just bought this coop on Amazon for $199. It's 78" by 42". It will house three bantams. I know it's not homemade, but I think it's a cool design:

Realize that the coop itself is not totally 78-inches (they added the nestbox overhang in the dimensions). Good price for the coop as I've seen it over $300 about 3 years ago when we were searching. I've seen it in a landscaped setting raised on a platform and skids and it is so very attractive. The only thing is that only 2 bantams will be comfortable in it.

If you have LF be prepared to either add an outside kennel run to it or free-range the chickens. Chickens only use the enclosed coop for egg-laying or roosting at night but need a lot of run space for their daily foraging, dust-baths, and self-entertainment. Our coop was too small (4x6x4' tall) for 2 Silkies 24/7 so we gradually got them comfortable with free-ranging by setting up a lot of low lean-to's, a recycled dog house, a popup canopy, and a few rose bushes along the fence for them to snooze/hide under from the Cooper's Hawk. After 3 years those Silkie girls and 2 LF are pretty savvy about hawk alarms and hiding and only use the little coop during the day to lay eggs or go brood. We keep a tarp over our little coop to preserve it from sun rot and rain just long enough til we can afford a newer bigger assembled coop.

In assembling these cute smaller coops it might be a good idea to use extra reinforcing metal braces to hold the little walls together from prying raccoon claws. Wood will have to be stained/sealed about every 3-4 years to preserve the finish. Caulking any holes/gaps may also be in order. Just anticipate extra work just like any building project. We assembled a snap-together storage cabinet last week and had to do modifications along the way because a couple pieces just didn't want to fit. We know we assembled it correctly as there were written as well as video instructions and the pieces only fit one way - but that's building projects for you!

This coop is really cute. I saw one photo where the owners had two of them facing each other with an enclosed run between the two in a beautifully landscaped setting. Some people have all the $$$ and time! I'm so jealous LOL

 

[Sylvester017]

There is no such thing!

Your coop could be 50' x 100' and the birds would still use all of it. My girls' coop is a 9.5' x 12' converted horse stall in the lower part of a 75' long barn. When their chicken door opens, they have 2 more stalls, a 9.5' x 10' room where I keep the feed, BOSS, scratch and extra shavings, the area near the south door where the water spigot is and the 10' wide alley the length of the barn to 'play' in. This is their 'indoor run'. They use it all ... until I open the outer door, then they wander an area probably 200' x 400'.

Bruce

So-o-o absolutely true! The birds figure out their parameters according to what you allow them. Ours free-range our backyard but still have their eye on my fenced garden LOL

 

[sled483]

The seat was falling apart on this chair so I cut it off and gave it to the girls. They love it.

That's really cute and useful.

 

[coaldigger]

Finally moved the kids outside to the coop ! I am still working on the run, but they seem to be happy...It an addition added to our existing garden shed. I was going to buy one at first and then really for the y money here could not find one I was happy with. Then during research ti build my own I realized that I already had the basic structure....Its 6.5' wide by 12' long, I figure 70 sq. ft. should be plenty for them to sleep in. I have 11 silkies , a cochin bantam and three wyandottes. they have been together since born and for the time being get along great. could change, only time will tell. I am sure that when the silkies finally show us their true genders we will be thinning the flock some I still need to add a window and a pop door but the ventilation is done and for the most part it is complete
using wall board for the interior walls when I get some down time.

. how it looked when I started.

 

[coaldigger]

here is the back side of coop where the run addition is going

 

[iwiw60]

Maybe gorilla tape is what duct tape used to be?......last roll of duct tape I bought seemed a cheap imitation didn't have much 'stick'.

I know what you mean by the 'cheap imitation' duct tape. I go to my local hardware store (Ace Hardware) and I can still get the "good stuff" duct tape there. It's more spendy, but it's the best!

 

[Southerlys]

Here is the new vent I put in the door.

 

[Southerlys]

Here we are now. Just some mulch and planting the lemon grass and marigold