post your chicken coop pictures here!

[jtbass2756]

Take care of yourself, Mama Jay,  it's that time of the year.  Ticks are out and biting.  Definitely major antibiotics.        My mama had it years ago and it has a lasting lack of energy. 

. Couldn't help but laugh when they called and said "do you ha a hematologist!" I laughed out loud and said..no but since I have a cardiogist/pulmonologist/Gastrointerologist/and a sometimes urologist.... I'm sure there was room for one more Dr and another pill!". I'm still trying to finish my coop but its getting closer. Got a pop door in yesterday.. Now for the people door and the run!

 

[Drewnkat]

Huh, well, I guess we'll have to look into that. Our neighbors across the street have five hens who free range a lot of the time, and they don't have pavers around their coop or anything. I haven't heard about critters getting into their coop. Thanks for the info.

 

[Sylvester017]

Huh, well, I guess we'll have to look into that. Our neighbors across the street have five hens who free range a lot of the time, and they don't have pavers around their coop or anything. I haven't heard about critters getting into their coop. Thanks for the info.

Don't depend on your neighbors knowing or seeing anything. We came home at 2 a.m. and saw a goat-sized raccoon coming out of the street storm drain at the end of our block. Neighbors didn't know we had oppossums either until there was a road-kill on the street in front of our house!

 

[DoubleMM]

Don't depend on your neighbors knowing or seeing anything. We came home at 2 a.m. and saw a goat-sized raccoon coming out of the street storm drain at the end of our block. Neighbors didn't know we had oppossums either until there was a road-kill on the street in front of our house!

The old "road-kill" in front of the house..... Yes... That happens around here also

 

[LindaB220]

Huh, well, I guess we'll have to look into that. Our neighbors across the street have five hens who free range a lot of the time, and they don't have pavers around their coop or anything. I haven't heard about critters getting into their coop. Thanks for the info.

Hey Drewnkat

The people down the rural road from me have 4 8'x10' dog kennels. Chickens in each. No wire, no hardcloth, tarp's have ripped away. Open sky. Never lost a thing. Now me I had I thought Ft Knox. Until a mink got in a one inch hole and killed a chicken. I didn't have hardware cloth just a lot of layers of different welded fencing inside the dog kennel and chicken wire outside. Tinned roof. Still found an opening. So redid it again. It's ok now, but I still don't have hardware cloth and don't feel comfortable. Maybe later. I do have pavers around because that is where a lot of deaths occur.

 

[gilcamp4]

The whole setup is so nice and you did some good planning and building.

I have a question for you. Since the camper is stationary do the tires get deflated or weather-rotted? I was considering an Amish coop on wheels but decided I might not want to deal with inflatable tires since we won't be moving the coop around the property. I think if we had a big acreage it might've been useful but now we're thinking just regular stationary coop skids.

the tires are road tires, we can pull it any where we do have to put air in them to pull and i guess they will weather rote, if you get one you can put brocks under it and take the tires off, we do have three acreas but leave it in the fenced in area as we do have a mean man next door who would eat my chickens in a heart beat. i would not pay for a coop on wheels if not going to move it, i think that is extra.

 

[Sylvester017]

the tires are road tires, we can pull it any where we do have to put air in them to pull and i guess they will weather rote, if you get one you can put brocks under it and take the tires off, we do have three acreas but leave it in the fenced in area as we do have a mean man next door who would eat my chickens in a heart beat. i would not pay for a coop on wheels if not going to move it, i think that is extra.

That's what we decided. At first we thought it would be nice but then wouldn't really use it except to roll it to one stationary spot so we decided against the extra expense. The block/brock idea is a good idea too except that the removed tires would still deflate or deteriorate even in storage so figured it wasn't a good investment. We're seniors and the added expense and work wasn't worth it to us. Just our wheelbarrow tire deflated/rotted in 3 years and is more bother/expense to remove and replace than its worth - we get cheap plastic wheelbarrows now since the expensive ones get chipped, rust fast, and don't last any better. It's easier to maneuver the lighterweight plastic barrows too.

Our chickens free-range the yard all day and really don't use the coop except to lay eggs or roost for the night so we've even down-sized the model of the coop we were planning on. During the day the hens hang out under the yard canopy or the low lean-to shelters or the doghouses for hiding/napping and don't really use the coop much. We don't even keep feed/water in the coop since it is kept outdoors at-will for them and removed at night to deter rodents and night critters in the yard. We have 3 hens and getting 2 more layers in the Spring and that will make 5 which is about all our tiny cottage yard can handle - especially with half taken up by raised garden beds. 5 hens is a handful for us when we add health maintenance checks, routine worming, de-lousing schedules, and coop cleaning/treating every month - not to mention an occasional necessary vet visit expense.

 

[jhapp]

 

[Wildivy2112]

Darn I didn't have my cell phone with me but had two surprise visitors in the run
part of the Coop a while ago. I had the girls up today b/c of the excessive rain. I let them out this evening and took their feeder down to the house with me to fill it up. Got back up to the coop and there in the run was a gorgeous blue butterfly who had landed on the HW cloth, and also a hummingbird who was a little bit frantic trying to find his way out of there. I caught the hummingbird and took him out and turned him loose and off he flew, none the worse for wear. Same thing with the butterfly. Wish I had a picture.

 

[Sylvester017]

please look what can happen to the "chicken wire".. Was either a dog or a racoon: Sure love your design and paint/trim !

Chicken wire is worthless...predators and dogs can rip through it like it was butter and there goes all your hard work and flock. Use 1/2" hardware cloth...the only way to go!