post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

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We have 8 chickens and the coop that we have is getting too small for my chicas.. So we are working on the new coop!!!.. We are going to use a natal shed as a coop and we are going to have a run area. . The first pic is how I picture my cup to b look at the end. . So hopefully we can make it. . The coop will be 8×6 and the run well be 9×6..

Your coop size will be sufficient, but the run? Your run at 9' x 6' equals 54 square feet, and is way too small for 8 birds, especially if they are standard or large breeds. If possible you might want to re-think the run size....JMHO.

My first impression also was that the run area was too limited especially after adding feed/water/perches/etc that will take away from pen space. It's a lovely design for the hot San Bdno area but we have found chickens love to roam and giving only the minimum calculated space will not be enough for freedom loving hens. Sometimes a chicken likes a little snoozy hideaway to moult in peace and can't relax if 7 other chickens are running past her all day.

 

[Sylvester017]

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!!!

Sorry about your dog - they are part of the family. My sister cried for weeks when she lost her cockapoo. I cried when we lost a chick to a sudden seizure.
Sounds like you have a good plan on the chicken pen. And the added hiding/snoozing places for the hens is a must. They just naturally gravitate to hiding places like stickery rose or evergreen bushes or under benches or porches, etc. I find large overhang roofs so very practical and you obviously do too! Killing grass is what chickens do. Ours haven't dug up the roots of our lawn but there are a lot of dry bare spots. Winter rains should restore some greenery for Spring. Your rotational system of foraging is what is always recommended.

 

[LindaB220]

That looks great. How many chickens will you have?

 

[perchie.girl]

door

nice

deb

 

[DoubleMM]

Hey sylvester... Your avatar kept reminding me of something every time I saw it and it was bugging me. I finally got it

Arte Johnson's German soldier peering through the bushes... "Verrrry interesting".....

 

[gilchicken]

8..
3 ameraucanas
2 RIRs
2 Plymouth Rocks
1 Red Sex Link

 

[Sylvester017]

Hey sylvester... Your avatar kept reminding me of something every time I saw it and it was bugging me. I finally got it

Arte Johnson's German soldier peering through the bushes... "Verrrry interesting".....

You're right - all she needs is a little German helmet

 

[Sylvester017]

8..

3 ameraucanas
2 RIRs
2 Plymouth Rocks
1 Red Sex Link

Ameraucans and/or Easter Eggers are non-combative fowl and prefer to avoid conflicts. You have them mixed with assertive heavier dual purpose fowl. I generally don't mix non-combatives in assertive heavier flocks but at least you have more than one EE so they can hang out away from the other more dominant hens. One of your RIRs or Sexlink will probably be the Alpha in the flock but some BRs can be pretty dominant sometimes. Feel sorry for the EEs mixed in but at least you have more than one.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Ameraucans and/or Easter Eggers are non-combative fowl and prefer to avoid conflicts.  You have them mixed with assertive heavier dual purpose fowl.  I generally don't mix non-combatives in assertive heavier flocks but at least you have more than one EE so they can hang out away from the other more dominant hens.  One of your RIRs or Sexlink will probably be the Alpha in the flock but some BRs can be pretty dominant sometimes.  Feel sorry for the EEs mixed in but at least you have more than one.

You're right. I didn't know when I got mine. 2 Amercaunas, 2 black sex link and 2 RIR. Fortunately one of the Amercaunas is fiesty and the two stay together. One RIR is grumpy and one Black sex link is the boss. They have a large chicken yard with a bunny hutch 2' off the ground, benches, chairs and coops and the yard is an "L" shape around the house, so they can be in different areas and not even see the others. They can always get away. Also, mine don't chase down each other, they just peck if one is on their area and they feel like it. I've heard about chickens that hunt down and peck one to death, but not mine so far.

 

[KingKongChicken]

On the right Internal wall dry feeder; I made the metal tray from flashing and was sure to make bend all the corners and edges so its not sharp.
The original cut on the inside was not large enough so I had to bore it out to make it a little bigger the cuts not to pretty but it works


Side view of the feeder the hopper for the feeder is outside the coop in this picture you can also see in the right background the copper tube line I split off the hose bib for the water dispensers

And the back of the feeder

It stays dry in the winter and is easy to fill





The External water feeder;

External watering feeder the 5 gallon bucket in the background of the picture has a high pressure 1/8 inch copper line attached to a float to keep the bucket constantly full and the pvc line fills a watering troff from the bucket. Its funny to see the chickens sticking there heads inside the holes to drink the water, but it works great they love it.



Wall mounted Internal watering feeder;
4 inch ABS pipe filled by a high pressure 1/8 inch copper tubing line attached to a float to keep the troff constantly full
i put it on a slight angle to keep it deeper on one side for the float.



The coop itself is all fabricated from recycled siding from an old church and old red wood decking.




I fabricated the gutters from flashing and recycled an old gutter downspout from the same old church we got the siding from






The chicken cat walk;



I built a small shelf like catwalk for them they love being able to be off the ground.
And put a wooden stool in there and screwed perch to it for them the jump and fly back and forth playing chicken games.


The coop open for cleaning