post your chicken coop pictures here!

[David LaFerney]

Originally Posted by Kevmac
How many chickens have you got, Dave ?

9 Hens only. Our setup seems pretty roomy for them so a few more - probably a dozen - would probably be alright in it. But our 9 hens average 7 eggs a day which is more than we can possibly use, so we will probably raise 6-7 chicks this spring as replacements and find good homes for our year olds once the new ones start laying. No sense in keeping (and feeding) more than we need, and that will make it even more roomy for the ones that we keep.

 

[sianara]

David you don't have to replace your hens every year unless you are eating them of course. Most will lay for several years before they stop and since you said you don't use all the eggs you have now it doesn't sound like that would be a problem. When I first started with chickens (11years ago) all the old timer chicken farmers advised me on getting new chickens each and every spring but then I realized their reasoning was different than mine was. They were eating the old girls as opposed to having them as pets which is what I do. I just wanted to make sure you realized that. I still have one hen from my original flock that will be eleven in may. She doesn't lay anymore but she did for about 8 years.

 

[bengsbirds]

a little hangout in the yard!

 

[David LaFerney]

David you don't have to replace your hens every year unless you are eating them of course. Most will lay for several years before they stop and since you said you don't use all the eggs you have now it doesn't sound like that would be a problem. When I first started with chickens (11years ago) all the old timer chicken farmers advised me on getting new chickens each and every spring but then I realized their reasoning was different than mine was. They were eating the old girls as opposed to having them as pets which is what I do. I just wanted to make sure you realized that. I still have one hen from my original flock that will be eleven in may. She doesn't lay anymore but she did for about 8 years.

I do realize that hens will lay for several years before they stop. But by replacing them every year (in theory) we get to enjoy having chicks, we can get a good price for the year old layers, and the buyers get a good deal on healthy animals in the prime of life. Also, since I don't have any desire to slaughter chickens if we didn't sell them, then eventually we would have a flock of decrepit old girls that lay narry an egg, and we would be forced to watch them die of old age one by one - while we buy both chicken feed and eggs.

Eventually the back yard would be filled with tiny little crosses and it would just be too sad.

For my family livestock can be pets, but they are still livestock. I hope you don't think I'm a monster.

 

[TravisE]

heres mine coop. the coop is 4x6ft and the run is 6x7ft. i did add on more run on the back of it 10x5ft. this is just after it was finshed 3/24 of last year.

 

[sianara]

I do realize that hens will lay for several years before they stop.  But by replacing them every year (in theory) we get to enjoy having chicks, we can get a good price for the year old layers, and the buyers get a good deal on healthy animals in the prime of life.  Also, since I don't have any desire to slaughter chickens if we didn't sell them, then eventually we would have a flock of decrepit old girls that lay narry an egg, and we would be forced to watch them die of old age one by one - while we buy both chicken feed and eggs.  

Eventually the back yard would be filled with tiny little crosses and it would just be too sad.

For my family livestock can be pets, but they are still livestock.  I hope you don't think I'm a monster.  

OMG!!! Thank you for the HUGE laugh!! My DH laughed too as I read him your post. I must be a monster because I pictured a back yard filled with tiny little crosses all over it and chicken names on them or "chicken #1, chicken #2 and so on". (Wiping eyes).

Ok, first off I do NOT think you or anyone else is a monster for slaughtering or selling their hens. If I had the stomach I would do it every year myself (slaughter most of the roosters, keep and sell some of the hens and get new chicks every spring). In fact just saying it makes me consider doing it for say five seconds but alas I do NOT have the stomach and neither does my DH (actually he doesn't really have much to do with the animals any way lol) so those that don't die from misadventure or other unexplained mysterious causes are destined to eventually become slackers and free loaders. However, I do sell the eating eggs (chicken & ducks) and I do decorate a lot of the eggs which brings in a little income which helps pay for their way as well. I get attached to my animals and they all have names and distinct personalities that I enjoy. So anyhoo, thanks again for the laugh I enjoyed it and your coop pic.

 

[MountainMamaHST]

I'm going to copy you! I love this so much!

 

[MountainMamaHST]

Here's my coop. I looked into buying one, but realized that I wanted a certain size and I didn't want it flimsy. So I went to home depot and bought all the supplies. It keeps evolving because I find things to change, but I love my coop. I designed it myself and did all the work myself. And I painted it to match our house!

This is how it started....



I had a nestbox hanging from the inside over the "trap door" down to the run.



But I decided to build an external one that I could access from the outside. And free up space inside the coop.


Mission accomplished!


I installed a light so that I can keep them laying through the winter



I also added a gutter system along the back side to keep water from hitting the rock wall and flooding the run.
It drains into the bucket and I use that to water the planting bed


My most recent project was to add another window to the back side of the coop for ventilation.




Hope you all like it!

Can we be best friends and you come over and build my coop with me!?!?

If we were having a smaller flock I'd LOVE this exact thing. I'm designing ours currently and am totally taking your grow box How awesome!!! Gutters? You rock. Really, I love this and will be using the full grow concept and watering too.

 

[MountainMamaHST]

Do you have any design info on your brooder set up? I love it! We have a bunch of little ones right now and the tote is a little cramped for them

 

[aprilc]

Super nice! That must have taken a long time to build!