post your chicken coop pictures here!

[cabinchicky]

A door and covered vents are a must in my opinion. Even if you have a busy neighborhood you need to think of the animals that lurk at night when they roost. Coyotes, coon, skunk and feral cats to name a few. The better you prepare for the safety of your flock the more chances they have to wake the next day.

 

[lindalouly]

A door and covered vents are a must in my opinion. Even if you have a busy neighborhood you need to think of the animals that lurk at night when they roost. Coyotes, coon, skunk and feral cats to name a few. The better you prepare for the safety of your flock the more chances they have to wake the next day.

That's what I told the boyfriend..... I think I will put the door back on today

 

[Latestarter]

I built this from scratch. I found most of the wood. I got bids up to $1,700 and overall I spent $250 plus 15 hrs of my labor!

Hey Barrett. Thanks for sharing and very nicely done. Plenty of ventilation for sure

and quite thrifty with the recycling. If you did all that in 15 hours...

I bow to your abilities!

I concur with what the others have said regarding the woven chicken wire... It's really not designed to stop predators from getting in... it's to keep the chickens from getting out. You might want to spring for a roll or two of 1/2" hardware cloth 3' high to place around the lower portion and consider "aproning" the chicken wire out on the ground (or trench it down a foot or 2) covered by gravel/large rocks/pavers to help thwart diggers.

A couple of comments for the benefit of the birds... Their feet aren't designed to "perch" like normal birds... they are designed to walk flat footed and stand the same way. Instead of narrow circular "perches", I'm certain they'd be much more comfy on a regular 2 x 4 with the 4" flat side up. Any wider and they'll poop all over it... narrower and it's uncomfortable to unusable. Also it appears your perch closest to the nest boxes is at approximately the same height... That being said, they'll be more likely to "perch"/roost in the nest boxes, which will lead to poop filled nest boxes... They will always/normally tend to roost at the highest point they can get to.

In addition, with the nest boxes being wide open as they are, the birds may/will use them during the day to get up off the ground to "rest". If there are eggs in there, they may develop the bad habit of eating them... They are a rather rich protein source and once that habit gets started, it's very difficult to break it. Also, some hens are very sensitive and like a nice dark, enclosed, hidden area to lay their eggs.

Nice job! Good luck with your birds!

 

[Latestarter]

It is not 100% finished yet, but here are a few pictures of our coop (I still need to fit trims around the cleaning door and finish the nest box):





Hey Frank

! Sweet looking build there! Echoing what others have said, you need much more ventilation. Since you have such a great gable overhang above the entrance, what I would do is cut out that entire upper piece of T-111 and replace it with 1/2" hardware cloth. It should be well away from any blowing rain or snow (not sure of your location and can't guess from the foliage in the photos...). A window or two would be very beneficial as well in that it will also make it easier for you to see inside without actually opening the coop, and provide light inside for the birds.

Nice job!

 

[Hecklerboy]

We just got our chicks in May. My first time building a coop.

 

[FrankLG]

Thanks cabinchicky, TalkaLittle, Latestarter for your comments.

With regards to venting, I guess the concern is during the hot summer when the hens go inside to lay eggs they will be too hot? The vents look smaller than they are, they are wide open and I always leave the chicken door open during the day and now the automatic door opener is installed, door opens at dawn and closes 30 minutes after sunset. On the other side I have a window and a large door for cleaning purposes. I do not have a picture of the other side. I will be taking a few once I finish the door & window trims. I monitor the inside temperature and humidity (the same computer that controls the door takes temp and humidity samples all day long), so far it has not been all that high even though we have had really hot days here (Bay Area, California). I suspect this is partly due to the fact that part of the day the coop is under the shade of a large oak tree. but I must admit it has been one of my concerns. If the inside gets really bad I will consider adding more venting. Since the winters are mild here more venting should not cause concerns about inside getting too cold.

 

[junebuggena]

Thanks cabinchicky, TalkaLittle, Latestarter for your comments.

With regards to venting, I guess the concern is during the hot summer when the hens go inside to lay eggs they will be too hot? The vents look smaller than they are, they are wide open and I always leave the chicken door open during the day and now the automatic door opener is installed, door opens at dawn and closes 30 minutes after sunset. On the other side I have a window and a large door for cleaning purposes. I do not have a picture of the other side. I will be taking a few once I finish the door & window trims. I monitor the inside temperature and humidity (the same computer that controls the door takes temp and humidity samples all day long), so far it has not been all that high even though we have had really hot days here (Bay Area, California). I suspect this is partly due to the fact that part of the day the coop is under the shade of a large oak tree. but I must admit it has been one of my concerns. If the inside gets really bad I will consider adding more venting. Since the winters are mild here more venting should not cause concerns about inside getting too cold.

It's not just about heat. It's about moisture and condensation in the wintertime. The bay area is a really wet place about 6 months out of the year. Cool, damp air is not very healthy for chickens. Ventilation allows that moisture to escape.

 

[cabinchicky]

The more ventilation the better. We close off our large ones in the winter(Ohio winter), and use the windows and pop door during the day. there is also a vent at the top of my coops walls at the roofline, about 1 inch plus the walls are not chinked completely. Log cabin terms here. Chink is what you do to full gaps between logs, one is 3/4 chinked. The new coop will probably only have the west wall done this year until the wood dries more.

 

[MeepBeep]

It's not just about heat. It's about moisture and condensation in the wintertime. The bay area is a really wet place about 6 months out of the year. Cool, damp air is not very healthy for chickens. Ventilation allows that moisture to escape.

Also humid air promotes frost bite, the less humidity in the air the the lower the temp and the longer duration of exposure on the skin before frost bite happens... You can actually get frostbite at just below 32°F if it's humid enough... But, dry air alone will not prevent frostbite, it only extends exposure times and allows for limited exposure to colder temps, there comes a point where even dry air won't prevent frostbite...

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I had two roos get the tips of their combs frost bit... um er bited... oh heck the tips of their combs turned black and very very little died and fell off. All this in a completly open air coop with only a roof and wind break. We get 72 hours of snow total and a wind that drills away any cached warm air you have clutched around you in a jacket... Even when we get snow its dry. We have to tie trash cans to the fences and the lids to the trash cans. any structure with a solid roof WILL become air born if its not anchored to the ground either with a shed anchor or a Tpost and some good steel straps.

I am going to give cuddle boxes a try next go round. Temporary walls around the roost top sides front and back just enough space for them to jocky for position and get in and out. They will clip to the wire of the enclosure so I can remove them when the weather is better. my neighbor has something similar for his only poultry protection.

deb