post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

I have delawares and so far they have been good and their reputation is pretty good for egg production. I am working through the integration of 2 buff orps with them. All mine are pullets and not at POL yet. THe buffs are about a month younger than the Dels and getting picked on a bit. Nothing serious yet no injuries just a few blusters and and an occasional peck they can usually escape and I can separate them. They have only been together in the run for a few days and still working out who is boss.

Sounds like normal flock politics. All your breeds are Heavy LF so doesn't sound like you have any lightweight or smaller breeds to get bullied when they all reach adulthood at around 2 years.

 

[Sylvester017]

Sorry, poor camera phone in low light.
Anyway, here is our 4x8 coop. Pretty much finished except adding decoration. We're thinking flowers under the windows and a sign hanging above the door. Typical stuff I guess


We built it to match our house, but we're a little tight on funds so we painted it instead of using cedar shingles. The roofing and trim style and colors are the same though
Perhaps that's next summer's project.

Housing 6, 3 month old birds. 1 Wyandotte, 1 Speckled Sussex, and 4 Faverolles.

Boy that must've been a challenge building that cute coop on a steep slope. Such talented builders!

You may want to channel some type of drainage system around the coop for the hard rain days so you aren't standing in a stream when collecting eggs. Extend the roof line over the nestboxes so the boxes don't get rained on when the lid is open - you are so creative and probably can model an attractive extension or awning!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you Sylvester,

Yes.. I was spooked when I first set it up.. lol.. don't know what I'll do if I ever move, perhaps start over again. I think the only thing getting in there is a bear. Thankfully no sightings yet in 2014. I have been wanting to set up a trail camera, just to see what passes by at night other than the possum, skunk and raccoon I see when I do night check for the horses. Last month a female bobcat was hanging around my on my neighbors property. Saw her out in the morning 4 separate days. There's everything out there in dat der woods!

Thank you S017

MB

My daughter's property is butted up against a wild nature preserve and reports of Coyotes and a Mountain Lion concerned them. So son-in-law set up a night vision camera and they were shocked at all the wild life that passed their iron bar fence looking for ways to break in. Deer, Rabbits, Weasel, Skunks, Rattlesnakes, Raccoons, Pack of Coyotes, Bobcat, stray Dogs, Rats, Oppossums and don't remember what else. No Mountain Lion however - whew! Their neighbor saw a Bobcat trotting down the neighborhood street midday with something that looked like a housecat or a rabbit in its jaws.

We on the other hand had a Black Bear juvenile who came down from the mountain behind us and found a backyard swimming pool to enjoy. He was caught by Rangers and re-homed several hundred miles away and so far no Bears here for the last two years. As mankind expands into surrounding nature it has to be expected that at some point we'll be visited by something dangerous to our flocks. Even in the city someone's lost pet Boa Constrictor can be a danger to our domestic flock. Being in a city neighborhood I never expected chicken hawks but one visits my yard regularly every week but our girls have a lot of shelters, canopies, shrubs, and doghouses to dive for cover.

Your setup looks like a Bear would make a lot of racket if he tried to break in. You've done your best short of building iron bars around the pen. My daughter and son-in-law built their iron bar fence when they first moved in and from their night camera pics it was worth their investment.

 

[Sylvester017]

New pics of our coop! They have become addicted to watermelon. I can't help but spoil them!

Awww! Go ahead and spoil them. Our days are hot and humid lately and the girls appreciate those cold juicy treats.

 

[Sylvester017]

Around here people put plastic (I guess??) covers over the tires of their jacked up camping trailers during "non camping months" which number a lot more months than "camping months".

Good to know that. We are trying to weigh the pros and cons of just how much we would really need the wheels before we spend the $$$ for them.

 

[Sylvester017]

we have a peep we are trying to find out what it is, it don't look like a peep, we hatched them from our own eggs and do not have one that looks like this one,
its the black one, we have had chickens for 5 years and thank god no limit, but then maybe there should be, we had 23 chickens and got one some somewhere and it turned out to be sick and got the whole flock, then we hatched a few like 13 then a hen had 13, so here we are with 3 age groups the big ones are 1 1/2 years the next group is 10wks then we have the baby's they are about 5 wks old, a bout to make new coop for the 10 and 5 wks.

Sounds like it's grand having this hobby! Keeps you busy.

 

[vehve]

@Sylvester017 I have to ask, after following this thread for a while, how much rain are you getting there? I thought Cali was supposed to be all sun, sand and scantily clad women running about. I may have been slightly misinformed by American TV-programming, but still, I thought California was a pretty dry place?

 

[Adorkable]

I have to post the one I built from pallets, total cost $130

Very resourceful and nice looking pallet coop!

 

[Sylvester017]

Don't get me wrong, I love my EEs but I sold some EE chicks that apparently are bullies to the cinnamon queens the buyer also has. I assume the too groups just need more time to fully integrate although I'd think 2 1/2 months would be a good length of time to integrate. LOL

I guess I just don't have the typical flock.

I currently have a broody AustraWhite, had a broody Barred Rock last summer. Both of them are hatchery stock and supposedly non-broody.

CG

My Pops was a stickler for getting heritage purebreeds in livestock/poultry so I never had Cinnamon Queens, EEs, or any hybrid/sexlinks. After the bad experience my egg-seller friend had with her hybrids/sexlinks I don't plan to try them. From what I understand the hybrids are pretty mellow so probably understandable why your EEs were more active around them. EEs and Ameraucanas are high-strung fowl - friendly, kooky, cuddly, talkative, but definitely hyper-alert, klutzy, jittery types. Love them because as an active breed they are not flighty and stay put in the yard. They are so hardy, predator savvy, seem to enjoy human company, coo or talk with you, sleep in your arms, let you pet them, terrific layers, and non-broody. In fact 3 of our 4 hens went broody this year (including the Buff Leghorn!) except not the Ameraucana. She was the only one giving us eggs in winter and eggs while everyone else went broody. She's our Star in the flock and pet friendly too.

A lot of times the typical nature of a breed can alter depending on the surrounding breeds and ages in the flock mix. Example: we no longer keep fowl over 5-lb and only gentle natured friendly breeds with our 2.5-lb Silkies so they don't get bullied. We had to rehome a vicious bully 7-lb Marans and an aggressive White Leghorn who both became excessively domineering over the rest of the gentle flock. Normally the Marans and White Leghorn are quiet or mind-their-own-business types but in our particular flock mix it was too tempting for them to bully the smaller gentler birds.

 

[iwiw60]

Here's my attempt. Man, this was more work (and $$$) than I bargained for. 6x10' coup for my 5 chicks. 16x18' attached secure run. 2x4" welded wire on the sides and top. 1x2" welded wire buried on the perimeter to prevent Ricky the Raccoon from getting under. Yes, the area under the gate needs work, I'm on it.

;You've done a great job with your design, but I fear that the 2" x 4" welded wire will not be strong enough against predators like raccoons. Question: did you bury your wire down/out at the bottom?