post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

These hens were all together -- EEs, Faverolles, a Barnevelder, and a few others for good measure. They all did fine and were all treated for worms and mites twice. I gave them 20% layer feed, and all the extras. The other girls did fine. I've had chickens for a while now and haven't ever had this problem. It was only the Faverolles that had the issue. The other ladies kept on laying. They are probably just not really good layers. I know some are better than others. That's why this time around I got 10 EEs/Ameraucanas and 2 Australorps - I know the EEs will lay like troopers no matter what and I've heard good things about the Australorps.

Thanks for the response!

Trisha

Yes, I've researched it's hit-and-miss with Fav's and your getting 'Lorps and EEs should be a wonderful group of egg layers. We don't have an EE but an APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana we waited 6 months to get from a breeder but she was worth the wait and $$. She isn't even a year yet and she started laying in the middle of December and hasn't stopped yet. Her 1st blue egg was 1.75 oz and have graduated to 2.25 oz. She is a big kooky jittery sweet girl who isn't interested in flock politics. She reminds me of "Wade Duck" from "Garfield" cartoon series. She is afraid of the wind, a shadow, another chicken behind her, if she suddenly sees us appear, and when we suddenly disappear - just a hoot to have around. She purrs when she's held, eats out of our hand, submits to the Silkie alpha hens, and is just a delight. We never had an EE but my friend has 3 and says they are her best biggest layers of 3 different colored eggs - mint, sage, and tan.

We tried a Marans for dark eggs but were disappointed in her pushy nasty temperament and her egg-laying was only 2 or 3 a week and not the chocolate we thought Marans supposedly layed - not barely #4 on the egg color chart and they were rather small. Just goes to show that not everything is true about certain breeds. It all depends on the line of the breed as to whether it will be a good layer, good tempered, or reach the expected weight for the breed. Some lines are excellently bred while others are not bred well (some hatchery stock can be really great and maybe another hatchery breed not so much - just never know - any breeder can tell you that. That's why conscientious breeders cull heavily to get the right attributes into a breed).

I only want egg layers because they are easier on our feed bill and lay more eggs than dual purpose. RIRs are dual yet good layers but they are huge birds and my feed bill couldn't handle it. The Marans' appetite was bad enough but at least you get more eggs in return from a RIR and 'Lorp. EEs are not classified as dual purpose buy my friend says the cockerels dressed out as big as her Cornish X project birds!

 

[Sylvester017]

Our first coop for our silkies

Love it! Wish my custom-built had a double sloped roof for rainy days. We have to use a tarp for rainy days on our flat roof and if we didn't use a tarp the wind would blow all the rain into the coop and soak the floor.

Really cute design! Don't be surprised at how much time your Silkies will free-range the yard. Ours only go back into the coop to lay their egg and pop back out again to range. Even rainy days don't keep them in the coop - they love our mud holes and the worms and grubs that surface in the rain. Because they love their freedom we made a couple low-to-the-ground lean-to's for them to dive under from the Cooper's Hawk or to have shelter from a hot sun or rainy weather. Silkies like to hug fences and walls so the lean-to's are up against one fence and one building wall and we're putting up a 3rd for them. They are by far the cutest chickens we've ever had and hardier than we expected for a bantam.

 

[Sylvester017]

Not fast enough in the USA as far as I'm concerned!!! I don't know if people just aren't aware or if they truly don't care, but the conditions that commercial poultry farmers keep their flocks in are atrocious at best. I simply can't eat commercial eggs any more....not only do they look bad, but the thought of those poor hens being confined in tiny cages for their whole laying lives makes me physically sick. And the way they treat meat birds is no better....it's not even humane as far as I'm concerned. I don't know how it's even accepted.

SMH

Trisha

I agree it's not there yet but certainly better than 50 years ago when my uncle had an egg farm. I was a kid but knew in my heart it wasn't right putting 3 Leghorns in one cage cubicle in a 100 foot row of cages. At least he only kept the cages in one tier but still their legs were on wire 24/7. So cruel. My folks more humanely kept their poultry in open pens and allowed to free-range the equivalent of a city block.

Many commercial US farms are keeping the hens out of cages but still crowded inside huge buildings getting no sunshine or dirt to dust-bathe in or worms to scratch up. Still better than cages. It is slowly turning around. Some say free-range which means a little pop-door into an outdoor dirt pen with no grass but slowly the tide is turning. Mary's Chickens has totally embraced the concept of free-range where her hens are in outdoor grassy pastures. As of 2012 there has been a huge law clamp down on cruel chicken farming and stiff fines in European countries. What is it Ghandi said - a country can be judged by how humanely it treats its animals.

I won't buy chicken any more. The Cornish X is probably 99% of the inhumanely raised fowl found in supermarkets and restaurants. It's possible to raise Cornish X organically and on grass but by 6 to 8 weeks old are so deformed with split bones and torn muscles because of their too-fast growth. It's man's cruel designer breeding that's the culprit moreso than how the Cornish X are raised. The poor things are so lame or heavy they can't walk 10 feet to their water and die of thirst. I blame the American public for buying these birds in the market because as long as they and restaurant suppliers keep buying the market chicken, the inhumane poultry industry will keep breeding the deformed birds. Mary's Chickens will probably only be found in health food stores or markets that are known organic sellers. Probably cost way more than Cornish X commercial chicken but it's a way to make a statement buying her chickens over the supermarket junk.

 

[Sylvester017]

Have been trying to figure out a congfiguration of putting a new coop semi-attached to the old coop/shed.. This is what I've come up with. I have a front and rear door on my new coop because I want access to the run and to the egg door in the old coop which is under the wing of the shed. It's not going to be big..5x8'.
I've come up with this one and then another one I'm going to include.
SO WHICH ON DO YOU THINK MY "NON-CHICKEN HUBBY WILL CHOOSE? Its a little off the road (this side is toward the road in both designs.

Whichever design gives the chickens the most space either inside or outside a coop is the one that should be encouraged when your DH is choosing. Encourage the larger space plan! Who cares what faces the road? There is always plants, trees, or shrubs to plant for privacy. That's why we're nursing baby Pomegranate trees to plant for privacy and still give us some fruit in return.

 

[Sylvester017]

My coop. Built it from lumber I cut on my portable band mill

Is your avatar the coop you built? I think it is usually called an Amish coop. They are sold in pre-fabricated kits and one of the few we considered before we found a privately custom built coop at our local feed store who delivered so we didn't have to build it ourselves - hurray!

I'm construction challenged so may I ask what a portable band mill is?

 

[brandiscott]

Roost. Chicken wire over pine pellets on plywood that slides out is how we clean the poo.


This is the door we built on the side of the nesting boxes. Roost is on opposite side.

Before the sides were put on. Removable window with chicken wire behind it for summer breeze.

From the font, the ramp. The mostly jump to get inside anyways. Having a raised house allows for a bit of storage underneath. We keep a bale of straw, extra wire and a rake underneath.


The finished coop. Had a dog pen that we used for the run. It was important to us to keep the roof covered, because we live deep in the woods. An old tin barn door on the roof filled the space the pen didn't cover to provide shade and cover for the food/water/bath station. I used chicken wire to cover the dog pen on the outside so small critters wont have an open invitation.


This was all built from recycled materials. The 2x4s and wood were from an old tree house, the metal was leftover from building a building. The only thing we have to buy were the hinges and the wire! Worked out well and was a fun project. Chicken coops come in a variety of sizes and designs. I love ours, I think they have lots of room. We only have two Barnevelders, so they are happy. I let them out to run around. while I'm home

 

[kimmerjo]

Does anyone on this thread have a rabbit cage built in their chicken coop? I'm trying to figure out the best way to do it....I have 3 rabbits, 5 chickens & 3 chicks.

 

[pbarr86]

Here was my little coop project

 

[jtbass2756]

Roost. Chicken wire over pine pellets on plywood that slides out is how we clean the poo.


This is the door we built on the side of the nesting boxes. Roost is on opposite side.

Before the sides were put on. Removable window with chicken wire behind it for summer breeze.

From the font, the ramp. The mostly jump to get inside anyways. Having a raised house allows for a bit of storage underneath. We keep a bale of straw, extra wire and a rake underneath.


The finished coop. Had a dog pen that we used for the run. It was important to us to keep the roof covered, because we live deep in the woods. An old tin barn door on the roof filled the space the pen didn't cover to provide shade and cover for the food/water/bath station. I used chicken wire to cover the dog pen on the outside so small critters wont have an open invitation.


This was all built from recycled materials. The 2x4s and wood were from an old tree house, the metal was leftover from building a building. The only thing we have to buy were the hinges and the wire! Worked out well and was a fun project. Chicken coops come in a variety of sizes and designs. I love ours, I think they have lots of room. We only have two Barnevelders, so they are happy. I let them out to run around. while I'm home

Love your coop!!!! Really love the recycled materials used ! Hoping to have a slide out door for my pooping area too, that is so ideal! You did good!!!

 

[iwiw60]

Here was my little coop project

Anyone who hasn't viewed this OUTSTANDING video by pbarr86 yet...be sure to!!!! OUTSTANDING!!

YOU DID GOOD!!