post your chicken coop pictures here!

[iwiw60]

what will be a good size for the run? Thanks for the info? ..

Well, I have 4 Black Australorp gals and my run is 9' x 16' and they have room to separate themselves so no fighting, etc. If it were me? I'd make the run 10' x 20' which gives you 200 sq.ft.

 

[islandgirl82]

what will be a good size for the run? Thanks for the info? ..

Quote:

Some would say 10 square feet per chicken, but I'd say, build it as big as you can afford and fit. Ideally, I'd want about 50 square feet per bird, if the birds will be locked up all the time. If they get to free range outside the run, you can have significantly less, but still, the bigger the better.

Well, I have 4 Black Australorp gals and my run is 9' x 16' and they have room to separate themselves so no fighting, etc. If it were me? I'd make the run 10' x 20' which gives you 200 sq.ft.

x3 on giving more space.

I have a flock of 7 and a 12' x 24' run which gives them each about 42sq ft and I find on some days that's still not enough. I work from home so they do get to spend the majority of their days free-ranging but in the event that they have to be confined, even with that much space they still bicker which has made me decide to expand their run even more, especially with winter coming and knowing they'll stick closer to the coop/run for shelter from the elements. Chickens can never have too much space but not enough leads to stress which in turn leads to reduced egg production as well as behavioral and health problems, not to mention even more time you'll have to spend cleaning.

 

[perchie.girl]

for run space I am planning on 24 x 100. and yep its going to have overhead protection in the form of net. To support the net in the middle I will use a post mounted in a tire filled with concrete.... Kind of like a tether ball setup. Then on top of each post I am going to skewer old soccer balls.... No air resistance and I can move them where they need to be.

Lets see 2400 divide by ten.... should be good for 240 birds. yep I am good. At most I would be having around 100.

But seriously.... Build what you can afford and plan on expansion.

deb

 

[TJordan]

Um, YOU have to be healthy before HE builds the coop?  What sort of logic is that??

His kind?

 

[TJordan]

Get to the doctor.  A cold that lingers like that needs special attention....  more than I care to admitt over the past few years I have had to get a Breathing treatment to get a cold that has dug in like that to release the junk building in your lungs.  Otherwise a secondary infection gets in there and it turns into Bronchitis The next step from Bronchitis is Pneumonia.

I am allergic to molds....  Not chickens. 

deb

I can't afford the $60 copay right now... I did just get home from the taking the kids though... Thank God for Medicare.... They both have sinus infections...
If I am no better next Monday I'm going to call and set something up and just try to borrow the copay cost...

 

[jtbass2756]

I can't afford the $60 copay right now... I did just get home from the taking the kids though... Thank God for Medicare.... They both have sinus infections...
If I am no better next Monday I'm going to call and set something up and just try to borrow the copay cost...

I'm so sorry TJ....I do understand though. Got to Wally-mart yesterday to pick up 2 prescriptions..dh's was $148, mine was $140...................guess if we do not have it in the can or freezer...we don't eat!

Take that back...we can have eggs most anyway we can think of it!

 

[thand141]

Nice roomy coop and yard. Do you have a couple guard dogs to watch the area for foxes, coons, weasels, etc? Your wooded area is a haven for wild critters. Put out some doghouses or benches or planks on cinderblocks to give your girls added hiding/snoozing places from aerial predators if you plan to keep the outdoor pen open on top. Our chicken hawks won't go after our hiding hens even though they sit on the fence and watch the girls hiding!
I'm not a fan of OSB board but hopefully on the interior it will last as long as there isn't a lot of humidity or moisture. Chicken poop can be as destructive as water is on OSB.
Do the windows open for added ventilation during hot weather?
My favourite part of the coop is the large overhanging roofline. Plentiful roof overhangs are very purposeful during hard rains and for some shade on the walls during sunny days. Hurray for the American flag!

sadly we just had to have our dog put to sleep, but at dark the chickens go in the coop, and we close the sliding door. during the day we find most of the predators are not very active, plus we are around most of the time. we just put up deer netting over the top of the run to keep out aerial predators, there is a red tailed hawk in the area.
The osb was cheap, and can be easily replaced when needed. both windows do open and I have a spot for a fan just to keep the air moving when it's hot. I also love the long overhang for storage. and I love the rustic look of Ol' Glory. we have just completed the 'mobile' run with deer netting and fence spikes so we can let them to different parts of the grassy yard with out killing it all.
I will work on the hiding /snoozing spots . thanks so much!!!

 

[vader]

Got some more done today

[/IMG]

 

[vader]

door

 

[Sylvester017]

We let the chickens free range during the day if we are home. Otherwise, they stay in their run. It's safe there, and they can also get under the coop, which they seem to love

Our little backyard group likes to free-range and since we've set up a lot of shelters for them to snooze/hide under (doghouses, popup canopy, old wheelbarrow, old chair, planks on cinderblocks, thorny rose bushes) we don't worry about aerial predators so much. We've seen the Cooper's Hawks sit on the fence looking down on the hiding hens but for some reason doesn't go after the hiding girls. I love when the flocks of Crows come around because they chase off Hawks!