post your chicken coop pictures here!

[damiechucks]

Built this coop for my wife. This was my first chicken coop build and I looked through a lot of photos on this site for inspiration. So I felt compelled to add mine to the archives. I couldn't get any decent photos of the inside but I will post more soon.

 

[iwiw60]

Thanks! All the openings are secured with hardware cloth. In theory, the run only needs to be day predator proof as I'm locking them up at night. It's a chicken wire run but it's enclosed in a 4' chain link yard. I am worried about hawks so I ordered a 50x50' net to cover it in.

I enlarged this one pic of yours and from what I can see you are using plain chicken wire around your run. I do see some hardware cloth looped around the gate, assuming you haven't fastened that down yet........BUT........


I can't tell what part of the country you live in (see my sig line below!) but from all appearances you most likely have predators...anything from possum, raccoon, fox, and of course hawks. That chicken wire will do nothing to deter them...they can chew through it like it was butter. If you do decide to replace that chicken wire with 1/2" hardware cloth be sure to leave about 10-12" at ground level, either buried at an angle or just 'out' from the run, covered with dirt, pavers, etc. That will deter raccoons especially. Just my input...best of luck!!

 

[JBarker]

This is my coop in the building stages. I built it in a weekend and had my barred rock hens the next. This is my first attempt with chickens. Photo heavy. Hope you enjoy.

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[JBarker]

Okay let me try this again.

 

[Chelle1108]

We have tin around the bottom of the whole pen. Just not in these pics. Hope that works.

Thanks!

 

[Chelle1108]

We have put tin around the whole bottom. I hope that works!!

 

[jtbass2756]

Built this coop for my wife. This was my first chicken coop build and I looked through a lot of photos on this site for inspiration. So I felt compelled to add mine to the archives. I couldn't get any decent photos of the inside but I will post more soon.

Absolutely love the light you are going to have in there...Nice having it underneath the shade! You did good!!!!! Love it.

 

[bruceha2000]

Built this coop for my wife. This was my first chicken coop build and I looked through a lot of photos on this site for inspiration. So I felt compelled to add mine to the archives. I couldn't get any decent photos of the inside but I will post more soon.

Looks great. Really like the view and light they will have when they can't (or don't want to) be out of the coop.

Well then I would think the net would cover it. I hear hawks all the time in my back yard, it will be interesting to see how many are really out there once I have a flock of tasty. Hickeys set up for them. I will be enclosing the top of my run with hardware cloth so they can't get in.

Enjoy your stunning coop!!!

You don't need hardware cloth for hawks and it is amazingly expensive. I think Yellowcoop has the right idea with the netting.

You get a lot done in a weekend! Where is the roost board going to be? Given the roof slope, I would guess it will be on the high side but that would have the end of it over the last nest. Presumably you have a plan.

Bruce

 

[Sylvester017]

I actually got the Anconas because I wanted a colorful egg basket and white is a color

Are there any white (large) egg layers BESIDES the Mediterraneans? The Cubalayas are for the "cute" factor. They don't seem to get into trouble with the bigger girls even though they are 2/3 the size. I don't know if it is because they are small and fast or if the bigger girls figure they don't need to show authority over a runt chicken. I got the Faverolles because I thought my daughter would like the "fluffiness". She is fine with never getting any more since they are so broody.

My BAs are great (though Zorra has done the broody thing 3 times now, but breaks easily). Echo is about the same size as the Anconas and EE, Zorra is bigger. Neither cause trouble in the flock as far as I can tell and the Anconas leave them alone for the most part. The only problem I have with Echo is she makes a shrill whistle sound that is grating and goes on too long. I have no idea what she is telling me. Echo, SHUT UP!

But then Peep (Cubalaya) "squwarks" a LOT, begging for food and the Faverolles squawk loud and long. They can shut up too!

My Partridge Chanteclers (one died for no known reason in March) aren't particularly skittish. My perspective might be skewed though because I don't have "lap chickens" I have laying hens. Spoiled but not pets so if people say a breed it skittish or flighty, maybe it is because they DO want lap chickens?

I built my broody buster last spring. Big enough for 3 birds (only because I had scrap wood that was about that size, less cutting). I'm thinking I should split it in half since I have a broody problem. My wife said Laura and Zorra were in the box together while I was gone with the girls. Maybe there is some connection to their squabbles there. Laura was out again yesterday and for no reason I could see, jumped Zorra AGAIN. Cloud of black feathers. Happened fast, I guess she hit with her claws. Stuffed her back in the broody box. I let her out this morning and she seems better ... so far.

But Anais (Faverolles) is broody AGAIN. She was broody while we were gone not 2 weeks ago. I made her stay out of the nest for 15 minutes but she kept heading back in so I took the plastic egg out and replaced it with a freezer pack in a plastic bag. She kind of squatted over it and pecked around at the nest shavings, then sat down. MAYBE it will cool her off enough. Didn't work when my wife did it to Laura 2 weeks ago but she had been broody for some time.

If these stupid broodies don't knock it off, their second year production won't be down 20% it will be down 75%. I don't expect the girls to lay eggs 7 days a week but going broody and letting them stay that way for a month or two several times a year, then not lay in the winter isn't in the cards.


Bruce

Hi Bruce:

HaHa - correct - most people don't consider white eggs a color. It's the one color I don't have so will try non-broody gentle Bredas (about 4-1/2 lb hens) next Spring 2015 if I can find a willing breeder that will ship 4-month-old juveniles and not chicks or eggs - the Breda breeder is in my State of Calif but has not experienced shipping birds yet - I might be their first shipped experiment - they have developed some new feather colors - the usual colors are Blue, Black, and Splash but the breeder now has Cuckoo and Mottled too. Shipped birds is how I obtained my other rare breed juveniles from an East Coast breeder so hopefully shipping within our State will be easier on the birds.

The Breda thread has confirmed the lack of broody instinct in the calm Bredas and they lay medium as pullets to large white eggs by their 2nd year. Polish or Crevecoeurs lay white eggs but I didn't want to deal with any more crested/bearded breeds. Instead the Breda not only doesn't have crests or beards, they don't even have combs! Of course they have those huge vulture hocks and feathered feet but then I'm accustomed to dealing with feathered feet already in the Silkies. Not wanting any more assertive Leghorns - will give the white egg-laying gentle Breda a chance in the flock next year - at least they won't be crabby broodies.

Faverolles lay nice tinted, pink, to tan eggs but are extremely docile for a free-range flock and again want a break from dealing with bearded/muffed breeds for a while.

Most people who have BAs absolutely love them. Not surprised you like yours (except for the broody thing) but BAs were created using the Orps who are notorious broodies. It pays to know how a breed was created to see if it has a broody history. That's how we got a broody Buff Leg - she had some broody breeds used to create her variety.

Cubalayas (and Phoenix IMO) are both beautiful ornamentals but certainly not egg-layers. Still it's like having a peacock for the ornamental value and pleasure of having eye candy in the backyard.

Chanties are not a breed I would try because of the video I watched of a skittish flock but still I am sorry that you lost one. Birds die for no apparent or a hidden reason we can't see. I lost a rare shipped juvenile after only 2-1/2 weeks (it never grew like her sister) and she died in our arms. The other was a Dominique 3-week-old chick that was lively and active and just fell over suddenly in a seizure and died in our hands.

I'm telling you, Bruce, those broodies are a crabby bunch. Isolation is the best solution until they are completely over it. We had one broody Silkie that didn't stick with it last month - her "favourite" nextbox was occupied by the broody Leghorn so the Silkie kept wanting to come into the house pen to brood but we didn't let her so she stopped being crabby and in a couple weeks returned to laying again. Those Silkies are good layers of 1.25 to 1.5 oz eggs about 4-6 times a week when not broody.

Commonly reported non-broody egg-layers: RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Andalusians, White Faced Black Spanish, Catalana Prat, Penedesenca, production White Legs, Brown Legs, Breda, Ameraucana, EEs, Appenzeller Spitzhauben (flighty), Barnevelder, Hamburg (not docile), Minorca, Sicilian Buttercup. Seems the majority of non-broody breeds fall under the Mediterranean class and of course the Meds are all white layers. Although these are non-broody breeds some individuals could go broody. Been reading up on the Bielefelder thread and those birds lay huge eggs but then they are huge birds with huge appetites as well!

This is probably all info you know already but still good info for some readers.

Smiles - Syl

 

[Sylvester017]

Are you aware that your pullets will be mature one day and easily fly out of the run? Especially if they see greener grass on the other side!