post your chicken coop pictures here!

[TnMama]

The yellow bucket in the back is coming down, my DH did that while sleep walking. We use 5 gallon buckets. I'd how this new batch will do in there. The old ones (who all got eaten by a varmit) nested in any of the 4 bucket nest. I had a Minorca who would lay on the floor, every day. They tended to pick their fave boxes & lay in them consistently. We left them alone during laying times, but would get the same eggs from the same nest. They mostly roosted on the pole, a few on the ledge going into the nest box frame, some even roosted in the trees above the coop.This go round we're adding a cover to help prevent that,as well as hopeful predator deterrent. I'll post one with all the boxes out back in. The buckets were free from a grocery store, easy to clean, plenty bug enough even for our Brahma, & eggs didn't roll out bc of the small lip. We used crown molding for that. It's thin enough for them to step over, but tall enough for security. Hope that helps. I had 17 last time, all full size. Some laid in the yard, & it was egg hunting every day. No clue where some laid. One would always lay behind the shed, just outside the coop. We finally put an old dog house back there for some privacy for her. I'm not letting this group out more than a couple times a week until they all start laying so they know where to go. They will figure it out, I assure you. We put some plastic Easter Eggs in the buckets to help them learn. We use pine shavings from Tractor Supply as bedding. You don't need a lot, just a soft spot to sit.

 

[TnMama]

Have you noticed which round nestbox your ladies prefer to lay their eggs? Is the round box farthest from the door ever used? We find that our 4 hens all want to lay their eggs in the nestbox closest to the entrance. Another thread post said their hens all want to use just the one nestbox when there are plenty of others to choose from.

Another question - do your chickens sleep on their roost pole or in the nestboxes? I'm trying to study coop configurations to get a feel of how/why chickens choose certain nestboxes to lay and where they ultimately wind up roosting for the night. I know the alpha chicken always gets first pick of a roosting spot but I'm studying the why and where all the chickens ultimately make their choices for egg-laying and sleeping.

Love the Doo Drop Inn! We call ours the "Dome-Chick" which in Russian means "Little House."

No, the box was never used. The above reply was for you too. . Here's a pic with the buckets back in. Since I have a few bantams this time, I'm going to set a 1 gallon bucket on the floor in the back,& build a ramp going to the nest boxes.

 

[Zammys Zooyard]

this is my new coop, i used pallets to make it, and plane to close the sides off as the summer ends with plywood for the winter, My babies are almost 2 months lod and wow are they getting big. I am still working on the yard, i got the pols sunk and cemented yesterday. I will be wraping the fence on monday weather permitting,, tring to decide on the top, to cover with wire of just a tarp???

I bought these lovley babies from Murry McMurry, can anyone tell me the breed they are? All I know is they are brown egg layers.

 

[RodZilla]

Still putting the finishing touches on my coop, but it was made from seperated pallet. total it costed about 45 bucks. For my first time building anything I think it came out decent. It gave me a reason to buy my first power tools

 

[ScouterJoe]

Rodzilla, what is the roofing material? It looks like stone. The run looks very muddy. Are you going to put pine shavings or stay or something in there?

 

[jtbass2756]

this is my new coop, i used pallets to make it, and plane to close the sides off as the summer ends with plywood for the winter, My babies are almost 2 months lod and wow are they getting big. I am still working on the yard, i got the pols sunk and cemented yesterday. I will be wraping the fence on monday weather permitting,, tring to decide on the top, to cover with wire of just a tarp???

I bought these lovley babies from Murry McMurry, can anyone tell me the breed they are? All I know is they are brown egg layers.



Might need to think about wrapping the entire coop in 1/4 to 1/2" hardware cloth if you are not going to close it in until the cooler months. Racoons etc will rip thru this chicken wire.. I inherited one with this on it and just put a second layer on it...didn't take off the chicken wire. Make sure you bury your wire at ;least 12" on the perimeter. Don't want to have to go out to pick up pieces of you ladies because a neighbors dog, cat or other predators. I want to make a coop out of pallets and I really like your design....

 

[jtbass2756]

Still putting the finishing touches on my coop, but it was made from seperated pallet. total it costed about 45 bucks. For my first time building anything I think it came out decent. It gave me a reason to buy my first power tools

I have a small coop very much like yours...Is that a plantar space on top? You might think about sand in your run. It allows it to drain very easily and keeps it from getting muddy. I need to increase my fun to be the lize of yours.

 

[RodZilla]

Quote:

Rodzilla, what is the roofing material? It looks like stone. The run looks very muddy. Are you going to put pine shavings or stay or something in there?

Hey Scouter, Its a small raised bed... I still have some extra sod from a previously landscaping project, would that suffice?

 

[ScouterJoe]

So it will be a living roof concept? Very cool.

 

[RodZilla]

So it will be a living roof concept? Very cool.

Thats what Im hoping...I planted some cilantro, and italian parsley. Im interested to see if feeding them certain herbs impact the taste of eggs