post your chicken coop pictures here!

[LindaB220]

Hey Donnie:
I have to keep repeating to myself the following mantra: "it's just a CHICKEN COOP! NOT for human occupation!"

Of course I'm still building to almost human home standards... go figure

There are many on here who are (IMHO) "cleanliness freaks" and want the inside of the coop to be as clean as their kitchen counter.

I mean really, would YOU ever intend to eat anything off the coop floor? Then there are others who have dirt floored coops and may clean it out once a year. I have personally experienced coops that hadn't been cleaned for MULTIPLE years!

some were as you'd expect... horrible. others, you wouldn't have known without being told.

I personally don't want the odor that normally accompanies the housing of chickens... At the same time, I'm alone and have enough tasks to maintain and don't really want to add any more labor intensive hobbies to my already long list! (Yeah, you can say I'm lazy

)
After much research, I determined that the deep litter method would work best for me (In the coop as well as the run).

I have raised coops with wood floors so in order for it to work, I needed to ensure the wood floor as well as the lower portions of the wall and wall floor joint area was sealed. That way the dirt I add as well as any moisture would not rot the wood. Linoleum is almost OK for those who clean daily or weekly...a couple of problems include it's slippery, and doesn't form a "seal" where it meets the walls. Bend it up the walls and it can crack causing leaks. It's also next to impossible to seal around studs if no interior wall.
The chickens don't need interior walls, the human does

Interior walls are really only needed if you intend to insulate (another thing the chickens don't really need)

Anyway, to shorten this novella, I did NOT put up interior walls and painted the floors and several feet up the walls with "Blackjack #57"

(I bought mine at Lowes for a little over $50.00) and I also placed "hatches" near floor level that open to the run areas so that when the deep litter does need to be cleaned out, I simply open the hatch and shovel/push/sweep the litter out into the run. I expect to do a clean once a year, maybe twice, we'll see. I won't have a 'lot" of chickens in a small area, so the litter should be good for quite some time between cleanings.



If I really needed to, I could open the hatches and hose the coop out, though I can't foresee the need to do that. (I painted higher up the front wall as the roosts will be up against that wall).

Hey Latestarter, thanks for the link to the video on blackjack. I always wondered about it.

 

[jtbass2756]

Hey Donnie:
I have to keep repeating to myself the following mantra: "it's just a CHICKEN COOP! NOT for human occupation!"

Of course I'm still building to almost human home standards... go figure

There are many on here who are (IMHO) "cleanliness freaks" and want the inside of the coop to be as clean as their kitchen counter.

I mean really, would YOU ever intend to eat anything off the coop floor? Then there are others who have dirt floored coops and may clean it out once a year. I have personally experienced coops that hadn't been cleaned for MULTIPLE years!

some were as you'd expect... horrible. others, you wouldn't have known without being told.

I personally don't want the odor that normally accompanies the housing of chickens... At the same time, I'm alone and have enough tasks to maintain and don't really want to add any more labor intensive hobbies to my already long list! (Yeah, you can say I'm lazy

)
After much research, I determined that the deep litter method would work best for me (In the coop as well as the run).

I have raised coops with wood floors so in order for it to work, I needed to ensure the wood floor as well as the lower portions of the wall and wall floor joint area was sealed. That way the dirt I add as well as any moisture would not rot the wood. Linoleum is almost OK for those who clean daily or weekly...a couple of problems include it's slippery, and doesn't form a "seal" where it meets the walls. Bend it up the walls and it can crack causing leaks. It's also next to impossible to seal around studs if no interior wall.
The chickens don't need interior walls, the human does

Interior walls are really only needed if you intend to insulate (another thing the chickens don't really need)

Anyway, to shorten this novella, I did NOT put up interior walls and painted the floors and several feet up the walls with "Blackjack #57"

(I bought mine at Lowes for a little over $50.00) and I also placed "hatches" near floor level that open to the run areas so that when the deep litter does need to be cleaned out, I simply open the hatch and shovel/push/sweep the litter out into the run. I expect to do a clean once a year, maybe twice, we'll see. I won't have a 'lot" of chickens in a small area, so the litter should be good for quite some time between cleanings.



If I really needed to, I could open the hatches and hose the coop out, though I can't foresee the need to do that. (I painted higher up the front wall as the roosts will be up against that wall).

Does it say on the label if its ok for animals...??? Chickens are known for picking at anything in the coop...usually out of boredom! LOL

 

[bruceha2000]

I have hardware cloth for now. I also have plexiglass panels for colder weather. I have 2 bolts on each window frame edge that I will loosen when the plexiglass goes in.

Love the idea but plexiglass is so feaking expensive I've opted for very clear (well at least before all the dust gets to it) 8 mil plastic sheeting.

I'm wondering if it would be worth the extra $100(ish) bucks to finish the inside of my small coop with plyboard interior walls, or if the painted framing and inside of the exterior walls would be OK as is? I'm imaging poo getting piled up on everywhere there is a flat surface.

Besides the expense, another concern I am trying to deal with is overall weight of the structure, so the less material involved the better off I am.

Thanks,
Donnie

Step 1, don't have flat surfaces other than the floor and roosts
Step 2, make sure the roosts are at least a foot from the walls. You need this to keep the birds' tails from running into the wall anyway.

I don't know about everyone else's birds (especially those who commented opposite of this) but my birds poop down, not out. They poop wherever they are (except in the nests) but I've seen no evidence of projectile pooping. You could put a 1 or 2 foot high plywood border on the wall at floor level to contain shavings (or whatever you are going to use) and paint it and the floor with the waterproof stuff mentioned earlier if you feel the need. I think I would do the border strip just because it would be a PITA to clean everything out if you had to rake/sweep/whatever between the studs.

3 interior walls of my coop are plywood, the back is boards. (*) I have no "protection" on the walls. The floor is dirt with 1/2" hardware cloth over that and run up the wall about a foot (saw an ermine by our house 1.5 years ago). The floor is covered by horse mats (*) with deep litter pine shavings over them.

(*) Why? Because that is how the stall was built by whoever built it

Bruce

 

[Sylvester017]

It may seem so, but I've looked at so many pictures of pre-fab units online, and quite a few on here as well where interior walls weren't used, so... aww shucks - I guess you're right.

Many companies don't use interior walls or just particle board to cut down on expenses but still charge exhorbitant prices. Amish coops are still in my estimation the best built with pine board which should be easier to clean off poop than off of cheap particle board - but they are rightfully expensive. So many considerations in setting up a coop that's both healthy for the chickens and for the owner to maintain/clean/access.

Good luck with your decisions.

 

[Sylvester017]

I don't know about everyone else's birds (especially those who commented opposite of this) but my birds poop down, not out. They poop wherever they are (except in the nests) but I've seen no evidence of projectile pooping.

Bruce

HaHa Bruce - Obviously you've not had Silkies before. Those little buggers can really squirt especially after eating produce! We measured over a 6-inches long squirt from a 2-lb Silkie because we couldn't believe it ourselves LOL ! Granted it's not usual in firm poops but those watery ones can really fly and even surprises the chicken herself.

 

[bruceha2000]

Many companies don't use interior walls or just particle board to cut down on expenses but still charge exhorbitant prices. Amish coops are still in my estimation the best built with pine board which should be easier to clean off poop than off of cheap particle board - but they are rightfully expensive. So many considerations in setting up a coop that's both healthy for the chickens and for the owner to maintain/clean/access.

Good luck with your decisions.

I'm with you on that. I won't buy particle board. Just a LOT of glue and wood flakes. Or "press board" glue and sawdust. Both are far heavier than real wood and neither hold a screw worth a hoot. Get them wet? they fall apart. Spend more money on real wood that will last longer than you do, even if you are born tomorrow.

 

[JekkaLynn]

I hate all rodent types and including weasels, raccoons, opossums, rats, mice, wild rabbits, and especially neighborhood stray dogs owned by irresponsible owners. A stray chicken in your yard can be annoying but it won't be on the prowl to kill your pets the way a stray canine is!

You hate oppossoms? But they are not rodents they are Marsupials....they have their babies in pouches!!! Like wallabies and kangaroos! Everyone loves Marsupials!

 

[kenmlang]

You hate oppossoms? But they are not rodents they are Marsupials....they have their babies in pouches!!! Like wallabies and kangaroos! Everyone loves Marsupials!

Not chickeneers!! 'Possums eat chickens!!

 

[JekkaLynn]

I have always had wild possums around the place I have lived and have never lost a chicken to one. I have lost chickens to coons and weasels but never to a possum.

 

[junko]

YES! I just finished my coop today. All that trimwork was a pain! The girls will be 6 weeks old on Monday so I finished it in the nick of time! It's 4x8 and the egg door is on the other side. It's a little dark-- I'll try to post a better photo sometime.