post your chicken coop pictures here!

[peastix]

Hi there peastix

My only regret with getting chickens is that I did not do it sooner!

Not that I need therapy but chickens are the best therapy ever! I work from home and regardless of how bad my day is, my gals are guaranteed to put a smile on my face when I go outside to let them out for a supervised free range.

The little buggers can tell time also! 10mins to 4pm, every day they start demanding to be let out of the run and they must have a calendar tucked away somewhere because they seem to know when it is the weekend which means they get to free range all day!

I think my garden is pretty nice, probably because I spend all my spare time out there with the gals, pottering around. The inside of the house, on the other hand, is nowhere near as ‘sparkling’ as it used to be before chickens. I used to spend all Sunday cleaning, vacuuming, dusting etc ready for the new week; I get it done in 2 hours now

Hi Teila I hear you with housework gardening and chicken watching is WAY more fun.Getting a little colder here now had rain which is good as summer was very dry.Have a mental picture now of chickens with a little calendar tucked under 1 wing .Too funny.Cheers Penny

 

[Teila]

Tee hee peastix

Or may be it could be something more along these lines; hidden behind the nest box etc

 

[peastix]

Tee hee peastix

Or may be it could be something more along these lines; hidden behind the nest box etc

like the ''Jail'' bars

 

[dandymandie]

I assume there is adequate ventilation near the roof line?  Chickens for the most part are not that smelly but some poops can be just as smelly as large animal poops and you want good ventilation from the ammonia atmosphere inside the coop - all 4 seasons of the year.

We have strong Santa Ana winds here in SoCal so we buried our pop-up canopy legs about 6 to 8 inches into the soil so the canopy doesn't para-sail.  When the canopy top finally gets shredded from UV and high winds, we buy a cheap tarp in our preferred color or camou and ball tie it down to the frame that is still in good condition and we have a new top for another year.  Much cheaper than buying the expensive canopy top replacements and the tarps look nice if ball-tied securely to the frame.  We got our Ozark Trail slant-leg pop-up canopy through Walmart for $49 - it's 9x9 with a 7x7 top but very adequate for a small flock to stay shaded during the day.  We had no room for a 10x10 or 12x12 canopy in our small yard.  A friend of ours picked up another large doghouse in someone's trash and we're adding it to the backyard for a total of 3 houses now.  The Silkies love snoozing in them during the day.

Be aware that using poultry chicken hex wire is a waste of money.  Large stray mutts broke down our gate and mangled our cheap hex chicken coop wire and we would've lost our flock if not for a good neighbor who heard the commotion.  Everyone on this thread will probably recommend 1/2" hardwire for ultimate security for an enclosed outdoor pen. 

GL and hope you love your chickies!

I think i have enough ventilation. I purchased some moisture pack things with carbon balls inside and placed them in the coop. t
They arw supposed to draw out moisture. We use them in the house during winter. No water collected at the bottom so I think that's a good sign. There is the vent you see the front and the nesting boxes all have holes with sliding doors accessible from the outside. I'm a little worried about that now though. There's also a vent near the top of the roof but I think I will make one in the door that I'm going to make in the back of the coop. I'm not exactly sure what kind of wire we purchased. It seems sturdy and it's doubled up. I'll try to get a photo in before work tomorrow! Thank you for all of your help.

 

[laura s]

I am working on a new condo coop for my always broody mutt Booger. She is due to hatch 6 RIR in 2 weeks. The coop is decided by a slide out wall. Each side has a 12x12 run. I plan to use it for introductions if Booger the broody ever stops being broody

 

[TJordan]

Well day 2 in the life of my littles... Momma let me lift her up and look at her babies better today. Inspected each then let momma tuck them again. Both are looking good. Fat, fluffy and full of life.

The 3 Fs lol... Momma is still on her nest of remaining 2 eggs and that's great. Today is day 18 for the remaining 2 so we might be ok. She checked both eggs while I was there. I candled both carefully and they seem good.
We might have more on Wednesday.

 

[bruceha2000]

JMHO but a rodent-inviting firewood storage shed so near the coop may not be a good idea. We had rats the first year and all 5 of my neighbors and I cut down our trees, stopped leaving out pet food overnight, cleared out the wood piles, cleaned out the sheds and garages (plus we had a Leghorn that loved digging out baby nests in the tall bushes) and it made a big difference to irradicate the problem.

Cute coop!!

That coop is in farm country, look to the right. I don't think it would matter if the coop were 200' from the woodshed. If there are rats that want to go to the coop, they will. Best to secure the food in strong metal cans with lids and if rats ARE a problem, maybe only feed the chickens when they are locked up in the rat proof areas.

I would suggest replacing the hook on the door with something predator proof though. Even a good wind will pop that door open. Happens to the doors on my barn. Besides a thumb latch, there is a 2x3 bolted (through the center) into the left side door that rotates over the other door (which is held closed at the top by a hook on the inside). The board is prevented from pivoting by a LONG hook connected to the left side door and running across the top of the board to an eye screw in the end that is over the right side door. But a good wind will rattle the doors enough that the hook comes out and the board rotates (even though I have to push on the right side door to pivot it closed) and the thumb latch pops somewhere in the process. The board is tight enough that the paint is rubbed off the right side door. But those winds (Santa Ana power without the heat) sometimes let the chickens out as early in the morning as they want, not that they mind one bit!

 

[Amberjem]

so finished the expansion just have to pretty it up and paint it now...and I heard from my other half as this was done... so when do we expand again lol and where

 

[Red Star Hens]

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Bought mine at Tractor Supply and assembled it. Good for starting out with 4 hens. Will eventually custom build a bigger coop and run (already drawing plans) and add more chickens next year. Love all the fancy, over the top chicken mansions! Too cool!

 

[Red Star Hens]

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