post your chicken coop pictures here!

[BlueChick62]

simple, but I am pleased with it! I have a nice view from the kitchen sink!

 

[Peggy O]

Great view! I can see ours from the kitchen table. It wasn't planned, but I love that.

 

[Sylvester017]

Here is our first coop. Built by my husband. Just need to add a roost, finish nesting boxes and possibly surround with pavers.





(Not staying in here yet, just testing it out)


Sprung for the hardware cloth

Not POSSIBLY but I'd say DEFINITELY surround completely with about a 2 to 3 wide paver sidewalk all around because you look like you are in quite a rural wildlife setting. You won't be sorry you did either the hardwire or the pavers. Cute chickies!

 

[Sylvester017]

You see, Bruce, the sad thing is that you don't know you have Raccoons until you get chickens. When I house-sat my daughter's place last 2 weeks there was a giant male Coyote, Jackrabbits, dog killed an Oppossum in the yard, and a Raccoon pulled down a HUGE trash can and trash was strewn across the entire yard - I think the dog would've tangled with it if I hadn't happened to bring her in the house when it showed up - I wasn't going to have either the dog or myself tangle with that enormous bugger.

We never knew in the 25 years we lived on our city street that we had any kind of wildlife - UNTIL we got the chickens and those d**n goat-sized 'Coons crawl out of the storm drains. They're out in broad daylight - we see them on the open golf course all the time a mile away from us which is not distant for wildlife. Saw another road-kill Oppossum yesterday so they're out there even if you don't think you have them. It's sad to find out that netting doesn't work against them. Just sayin'.

Quote:
The particular post I was looking at had a tree in or around the pen and using netting on top of a pen so near a tree - well, I know 'Coons and Squirrels love those d***n trees. Since the 5 neighbors around me all cut down their huge or dying trees we haven't had squirrels OR raccoons scampering across our rooftops. Leaving the backyard light on during the night (not those annoying sensor types) but a regular steady patio light seems to work at deterring the night life too.

 

[Wildivy2112]

Nice. Love the flower box.

 

[scubaharry]

Due to high heat in NW Florida, installed a tarp over run to give girls more shade. Plan on installing a metal roof next week.

 

[bruceha2000]

OK, new pics that are actually in focus

They survived their first night outside in the coop. When I checked them slightly after dark, they were all in a big ball on the floor in a corner. First, the New Hampshires and White Wyandottes.


Now the Buff Orps and Black Australorps:

Yes, there is one oddball in that mix... That was my mystery chick from McMurray. I think it's a roo, and it appears barred, but I have no idea what it is. Any guesses? My daughter says "It's really pretty!"

I think to myself... It might turn out to be really pretty tasty

Unless she says "DAD! You can't kill the chicken

"

Nice looking set of birds you got there! Might have to put them on the roost a night or 2 so they get the idea.

My 8x8 pallet coop. Two months to build but it was fun and chickens like it.

That is what matters most! Looks like the window matches the ones in my barn. Is that a nice OLD window with a nice OLD cast bronze twist latch with a heavy duty wire spring?? I have some of those latches in my house. Someone put in others that looked similar but are junk. Stamped thin metal and the "spring" is a hard piece of plastic folded into a V shape. I don't know how old they are but all the "springs" are broken. Plastic is NOT meant to be flexed over and over and over again.

We have just about completed our new coop. Few minor details left. Designed it with the help of wichita Chicken coop and Chicken palace plans. It was the first time my husband and I have ever done anything like this together. Since I'm retired and had more time, I ordered/picked up all of the materials. I was so proud of myself as we had very little waste. Just enough to make a brooder. Chicks come July 21st. More details on the coop are in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/clamser-coop-started-on-05-02-2014

One glaring error from the get go. You are supposed to get the day old chicks FIRST then go NUTS trying to get the coop ready before they need it in 8, um, 6, um ..... 4 weeks old and they won't stay in their bathtub brooder! Go back and start over.

I read through your coop build write up. You might want to review this line:
On 6/17/2014, we made a lot of profess:

Really nice job and YOU did the heavy part before DH got on the job!

Question: is that a Z-turn mower you used to pull the dump cart full of sand? I thought they were not meant to pull weight, something about doing in the transmission. I spent some time considering replacing my 1995 garden tractor (used for mowing grass and blowing snow) with a Z-turn for mowing but I gather they aren't real good on hills, uneven surfaces and losing a front wheel down a side slope is apparently a really bad thing so I went with another garden tractor. Still have to figure out what to do about blowing snow. The old machine couldn't back up even a small incline with the blower on. I think it is just too heavy, even with chains, 50# wheel weights and more weight in a box off the back of the tractor. I'm pretty sure all that weight plus me is more than the weight of the old tractor and the rear wheels would just spin if either didn't have a hard/packed surface to sit on. And it doesn't make sense to put a smaller blower on, then you pack down the snow with the wheels and the blower won't pick it up well.

Brooder's at a nice height and on wheels

So they can move it at night from the kitchen and living room to next to the bed

The particular post I was looking at had a tree in or around the pen and using netting on top of a pen so near a tree - well, I know 'Coons and Squirrels love those d***n trees. Since the 5 neighbors around me all cut down their huge or dying trees we haven't had squirrels OR raccoons scampering across our rooftops. Leaving the backyard light on during the night (not those annoying sensor types) but a regular steady patio light seems to work at deterring the night life too.

Yeah, I was actually thinking that as well. I don't know if a coon would climb the fence but if there are overhanging branches, they might hop over and bird netting wouldn't necessarily do the job. Unless maybe if it isn't real tight and the coon is swaddled in netting.

Wife's boss came in today and told her they had a coon in their coop about 2:30 this morning. Lots of ruckus and the coon was trying to figure a way out (I presume because it heard her husband coming). Apparently there is a small gap between the wall and ceiling of the coop. I guess coons can squeeze pretty small when chicken is on the menu! Only 1 chicken bloodied, still alive this morning. So, as we keep saying, it can NOT be made too safe!

Bruce

 

[vehve]

Question: is that a Z-turn mower you used to pull the dump cart full of sand? I thought they were not meant to pull weight, something about doing in the transmission. I spent some time considering replacing my 1995 garden tractor (used for mowing grass and blowing snow) with a Z-turn for mowing but I gather they aren't real good on hills, uneven surfaces and losing a front wheel down a side slope is apparently a really bad thing so I went with another garden tractor. Still have to figure out what to do about blowing snow. The old machine couldn't back up even a small incline with the blower on. I think it is just too heavy, even with chains, 50# wheel weights and more weight in a box off the back of the tractor. I'm pretty sure all that weight plus me is more than the weight of the old tractor and the rear wheels would just spin if either didn't have a hard/packed surface to sit on. And it doesn't make sense to put a smaller blower on, then you pack down the snow with the wheels and the blower won't pick it up well.

Bruce

Reducing tire pressure might help too. If you don't get enormous amounts of snow at a time, an ATV could work for you, some can be equipped with caterpillar tracks for better traction even. Or then you do it the old fashioned way, with a shovel

*Edit* Thought of an outside the box sort of idea. Are flamethrowers considered home protection/hunting weapons in the States?

 

[Sylvester017]

Lol.

No offense taken. I've seen some long threads on various forums, but I think this one takes the cake.

Nope, not so! The Silkie thread takes the cake with about 5,000 pages of reading but I learned a lot from it.

 

[vehve]

Nope, not so! The Silkie thread takes the cake with about 5,000 pages of reading but I learned a lot from it.

That just means I haven't been rambling enough in this thread yet.