post your chicken coop pictures here!

[mtchickengal]

Yeah, I don't have photos of the add-ons.  First rain, we realized we needed gutter.  Up it went, and then the downspout goes into a huge bucket, which filled and overflowed with the first heavy rain we got.  The chickens reach through the chain link and drink from it.  A series of rain barrels is in the works, but we're sort of distracted right now.  My next up is a larger pen so I can keep the birdies out of the neighbors' yard (although his granddaughter adores them).  I sure hope they start to lay soon. 

Hi. I don't know what breeds of birds you have, but I have a red star/golden sex link that started laying at 19 weeks, 2 leghorns that started at 20 weeks during the late fall this year, and the rest started at 22-24 weeks.

 

[CherryFarmer]

Here's a teaser of what I'm working on for our girls. When complete very soon it'll have some trick features!

 

[jtbass2756]

Here's a teaser of what I'm working on for our girls. When complete very soon it'll have some trick features!

You are right about it being a teaser........

..............I looks awesome but I can't wait until you show the finished product! That thing looks sturdy enough to put another type of animal in there.....like a miniture donkey , etc.. Do you have any predators around there. noticed that you were using at least a 2x4 wire or even a little bigger! Becareful on the lower 3 ft and inground to cover with around a 1/2" hardware wire.......predators will reach thru the fencing and once they have hold of a chicken,,,,they will pull it thru one piece at a time.I ike the wire you have on there now with the 1x6's on the perimeter edges and I don't know where you live but that ground looks hard.....maybe a predator wouldn't even try to dig! LOLOL Mine came with chicken wire everywhere....I just took my hardware wiring and screwed it right over it and buried it 12" down!

 

[jtbass2756]

Hi jt

If I weren't a senior and handicapped I might've considered modifiying smaller DIY kits - but right now I'm looking for complete coops that don't require extra costs for modification. Currently I'm looking into larger coops and talking with a contractor tomorrow to see what can be done for us. I saw fiberglass coop models that won't require painting now or in future but the models don't have much handicap accessibility for me.

Friends of ours can't meet city requirements for keeping their flock and has to disband them. It's a shame cities that supposedly allow backyard chickens make the measurement qualifications so restrictive that you can't qualify to have the supposedly zoned birds. The cities say "we're good guys to allow you to own chickens" but make sure you can't meet the footage codes to house/keep the birds!!! Funny that cities don't require yard size for cats/dogs whose stinky droppings can't be reused in gardens (can't even be discarded in your green trash receptacles) yet recyclable reusable chicken poop has to have impossible yard space/coop restrictions. Our 3 chickens are cleaner in the backyard than any cats or dogs we've owned in the past. Go figure?

Frustrating isn't it !? I think I could design on so that I could take care of it completely take care of it from my wheelchair... Its paying to get it built that would be the most expensive part! I may start playing around with something along those lines. I'll get the requirements that Raleigh has and make sure I can work everyrhing in ! Would be neat if I could get a line of designs for the handicapped

 

[Sylvester017]

That is for sure. You can stick a BIG dog out in a SMALL yard and have it bark all day because it needs LOTS of room but you have to have your chicken coop X feet from the lot lines which on small lots means - no chickens.

You've given me a smile since you hit the nail on the head! Some of the different chicken codes I've researched have stated X number of feet from any buildings on either side of the property line. Well, X number of feet away from the neighbor's buildings, puts your coop on your back porch which also is not allowed since it has to be X number of feet away from your own house. So where is the coop to fit - straight up on a telephone pole? Silly idiots in government - the good guys who let you have chickens but not REALLY! If a municipal code limits you to only 3 hens how does that require a coop to be so restricted when a dog house location isn't restricted? I mean, you can understand a flock of 20+ birds to be restricted but not just 2 or 3 hens - compared to 2 or 3 pooping pet dogs and/or a vegetable garden-pooping cat? If the cities are cracking down on licensing dogs and severely restricting pet chickens then that should go for cats too. Ever go digging in your vegetable garden and uncover the neighbor's cat poopies buried in your clean soil? Just sayin'...

 

[Sylvester017]

We can add to the coop easily - that's why we picked this one. Right now the brooder part has three sections but I can add another brooder on the side close to the house so it's easy to add room for more chickens. I'm also going to landscape around the coop. As you can also see I've got a tented area too for shade. I'm thinking of things to do now so everything is ready in April when the three Australorp chicks to arrive. They will be free to roam around.

Our yard is just eclectic




Quote:
Originally Posted by cwrite


Good luck with your landscaping. The only small plants my chickens don't eat are rosemary and sage. I landed up having to dig the rest of my new plants up and move them into the pool area to save them. They also are not that fond of buddleja - butterfly bush, but will peck the odd leaf and they have left my hibiscus alone. Great looking plant selection. A dwarf apple/fruit tree might also work well plus give them a bit of free food. I look forward to seeing how it comes along.

I had fun reading the following link regarding toxic plants to poultry - gives scientific & common plant names and their effects on chickens: http://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

 

[FluffyScarsdale]

A dwarf fruit tree is a great idea. That link about what plants are toxic for chickens is something I will have handy from now on. It's a great resource.

 

[cwrite]

You've given me a smile since you hit the nail on the head! Some of the different chicken codes I've researched have stated X number of feet from any buildings on either side of the property line. Well, X number of feet away from the neighbor's buildings, puts your coop on your back porch which also is not allowed since it has to be X number of feet away from your own house. So where is the coop to fit - straight up on a telephone pole? Silly idiots in government - the good guys who let you have chickens but not REALLY! If a municipal code limits you to only 3 hens how does that require a coop to be so restricted when a dog house location isn't restricted? I mean, you can understand a flock of 20+ birds to be restricted but not just 2 or 3 hens - compared to 2 or 3 pooping pet dogs and/or a vegetable garden-pooping cat? If the cities are cracking down on licensing dogs and severely restricting pet chickens then that should go for cats too. Ever go digging in your vegetable garden and uncover the neighbor's cat poopies buried in your clean soil? Just sayin'...

Sylvester, they have a different system here which works quite well. Cats have the same rules as dogs. Neither is allowed to poke their heads over, under or through a property fence. This means that kids walking to school can complain to the council if they are walking past an aggressive dog every day that is doing one of those things. Cats are supposed to be kept in enclosures if they go outside (you get cat runs that attach to windows) and are not allowed off your property. The council supplies cat traps at a small cost although you have to return the cat to the council in the condition in which you trapped it. Cats and dogs have to be registered & there is an annual fee, which is reduced if they are desexed. The council also has rules for how many and what type of animal you are allowed on your property size. You can put your address in and it will list the maximum animals you are allowed going by your property size. If you want a huge dog or horses or even long lived parrots, you can enter various sizes until you find the property size you need to purchase to be allowed to have these animals.
All pet enclosures have to be 1.5m from your property boundary fence and water run off has to be dealt with.

It sounds really restrictive but in reality you can have whatever you like as long as you manage them well and no one complains. This gives anyone recourse to assistance if their neighbours animals are being a nuisance. Attacks are taken seriously, even if it is your pet being attacked. I called up to order a cat trap, explained why I needed it (my cat was being beaten up every single day & eventually so badly she had to go to the vet - the day I called) and the next thing I knew council officers were coming over to investigate. I never even imagined you could complain about your cat being beaten up by another cat. I was shocked at how seriously it was taken, especially after living in the UK where I reported being attacked by a dog while the owner laughed, to the police and it was like being in an episode of The Office and nothing was done, apart from the officer most likely destroying the paperwork after I left because he likes dogs.

 

[Sylvester017]

Sylvester, they have a different system here which works quite well. Cats have the same rules as dogs. Neither is allowed to poke their heads over, under or through a property fence. This means that kids walking to school can complain to the council if they are walking past an aggressive dog every day that is doing one of those things. Cats are supposed to be kept in enclosures if they go outside (you get cat runs that attach to windows) and are not allowed off your property. The council supplies cat traps at a small cost although you have to return the cat to the council in the condition in which you trapped it. Cats and dogs have to be registered & there is an annual fee, which is reduced if they are desexed. The council also has rules for how many and what type of animal you are allowed on your property size. You can put your address in and it will list the maximum animals you are allowed going by your property size. If you want a huge dog or horses or even long lived parrots, you can enter various sizes until you find the property size you need to purchase to be allowed to have these animals.
All pet enclosures have to be 1.5m from your property boundary fence and water run off has to be dealt with.

It sounds really restrictive but in reality you can have whatever you like as long as you manage them well and no one complains. This gives anyone recourse to assistance if their neighbours animals are being a nuisance. Attacks are taken seriously, even if it is your pet being attacked. I called up to order a cat trap, explained why I needed it (my cat was being beaten up every single day & eventually so badly she had to go to the vet - the day I called) and the next thing I knew council officers were coming over to investigate. I never even imagined you could complain about your cat being beaten up by another cat. I was shocked at how seriously it was taken, especially after living in the UK where I reported being attacked by a dog while the owner laughed, to the police and it was like being in an episode of The Office and nothing was done, apart from the officer most likely destroying the paperwork after I left because he likes dogs.

Cats run amuck in our neighborhood and 3 years ago renters in the area had a frequently loose German Shepherd that once broke into our yard to attack our coop. If not for a good neighbor I might've lost our little pet flock. Currently there are a number of Chihuahuas and little mixed breeds running our streets every day. Bringing this to the attention of authorities makes no difference. Unless there is a serious Pitbull attack on a child that attracts mass media attention, loose dogs don't get attention from authorities. Local license bureaus have their hands out to collect the yearly license fees but care little about the control of the canines. Our only recourse is to completely block-wall our property to keep out the stray animals, their urine, their unusable poop waste, or their attacks on our hens. I don't hate animals and have had various pets myself - I just hate the irresponsibility of pet owners that wind up giving all pet owners a bad name.
Australia sounds like the last sane country left in this crazy world regarding enforceable pet laws! I envy you

 

[Sylvester017]

A dwarf fruit tree is a great idea. That link about what plants are toxic for chickens is something I will have handy from now on. It's a great resource.

Since we have mostly hot weather with only occasional rainfall I am planning to plant stickery boysenberry bushes along the back block wall for the hens to hide/snooze under as well as help themselves to the berries when they ripen. I wish blueberries didn't require a cooller climate because that would be my favourite small fruit -- still, the boysenberries will be appreciated by us and hens alike. My chickens seem to like to snooze under the safety of stickery bushes like roses, evergreens, berry bushes, etc. During cooller or rainy weather they snooze in the large doghouse but in hot or humid weather they find shade in the open under the stickery plants. Unfortunately I have to keep our tomato plants well fenced because I have a couple hens that will eat the toxic leaves off the plants. You would think they know better than to ingest harmful plants from instinct but it's not so. I have a Silkie that will eat all the apple seeds available if I didn't remove them from the apple cores. Silly chickens need as much watchful care as any other pet!