post your chicken coop pictures here!

[gilcamp4]

ok we are getting there for our new coop, we have 58 chickens 52 are in the camper coop and 6 are in our screen room, which i wan back, also made a dec for he outside wall, have to go get more paint to finish the outside,




hope to do yard tomorrow.

 

[73luke]

This is my first attempt at building a coop and run and ive loved every minute of it. Its 12 feet x 7 external with a 7 feet x 3.5 feet internal and I have 4 birds. Ive filled the run and coop with sand and made a roost from an old tree branch. Most of the material used was reclaimed....6 windows from an old school, an old dilapidated bicycle shed in fact the only new items were the roofing panels, the hardware cloth and the automatic pop door.

 

[LindaB220]

Here is our first coop. Built by my husband. Just need to add a roost, finish nesting boxes and possibly surround with pavers.











(Not staying in here yet, just testing it out)


Sprung for the hardware cloth

Outstanding Jamie. Good for you.!!!!

 

[LindaB220]

@73luke Great job. Love the whole setup.

 

[Latestarter]

Moved the 32 chicks out of their 12 square foot brooder into the first of the 2 coops I'm building. The interior is for the most part finished, but I do need to do the exterior trim, paint, and then build the run, and THEN instal the pop doors for each side. That will all happen over the next couple of weeks, then I'll get to work on completing coop #2


I'll do better pictures of the chicks later. I didn't realize until a short while ago that the camera focused on the netting rather than the birds.


Each pen is basically 6' x 6' of floor space. The chicks are 4 weeks old and there are about 16 in each side. As soon as I get the 2nd coop built (identical to this one) there will be ~ 8 birds in each section. I hope to have both coops and runs completed before the roosters discover their real life's purpose

 

[donniek]

Looking good Latestarter.

 

[chickeelina]

Moved the 32 chicks out of their 12 square foot brooder into the first of the 2 coops I'm building. The interior is for the most part finished, but I do need to do the exterior trim, paint, and then build the run, and THEN instal the pop doors for each side. That will all happen over the next couple of weeks, then I'll get to work on completing coop #2 I'll do better pictures of the chicks later. I didn't realize until a short while ago that the camera focused on the netting rather than the birds. So nice. Love it! Looking forward to seeing more Each pen is basically 6' x 6' of floor space. The chicks are 4 weeks old and there are about 16 in each side. As soon as I get the 2nd coop built (identical to this one) there will be ~ 8 birds in each section. I hope to have both coops and runs completed before the roosters discover their real life's purpose

 

[73luke]

 

[bruceha2000]

Or then you can just put a roof on your run and have a nice, dry, hawk and coon free space

Depends on the size of the run

This is "Backyard Chickens" but a city backyard typically has a lot less space than a suburban back yard and both generally pale in comparison to a country back yard. More space allows for bigger runs. My girls free range during the day if we are home (yes chancy and I did lose one in April). I'd probably need a building permit if I were to build a run with a roof that would be large enough that the space difference didn't send them up the wall!

Lost 6 out of 9 night before last...Partially my fault since I had them in kennels while waiting patiently for my coop to be finished..was promised the coop before I got them. WORD TO THE WISE: DO NOT BUY EVEN KEETS UNTIL YOU HAVE A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM.!! You may find you can't count on them, even though they promised! I cried all day Saturday....thought I had them staked enough, covered enough, even had windows strapped over the door area.. Only found one head, no bodies, lots of feathers...no innards...lots of bent wire...all my windows were broken, a 40 lb bale of peat moss pulled away from the back of the cages. !! I haven't seen any dogs around but know of some of them on up the road. Just heard that there are more than the average coyotes, raccoons, etc. What's not funny is that I made the statement that "I haven't seen any bunny rabbits in our back yard all day." Usually, I say that, "as long as I see the bunnies....I figure my chickens are safe!" Should have listened to my own feelings!!!!

Broken windows?? That sure wasn't possums, coons or foxes.

I purchased the hardware cloth at a local ag store...it was half the price if not more, than lowes or home depot. I couldn't beleive it. So what did I do...I went back for more...lol

I got mine from Amazon because they:
- sold it in longer rolls
- were cheaper
- had FREE shipping.

Not sure that all applies now, it was 2 years ago and I know the price went up about 25% some months later. But I do like the idea of fewer longer rolls, less piecing together and less waste when the roll ALMOST makes it to the next attachment point.

You see, Bruce, the sad thing is that you don't know you have Raccoons until you get chickens. When I house-sat my daughter's place last 2 weeks there was a giant male Coyote, Jackrabbits, dog killed an Oppossum in the yard, and a Raccoon pulled down a HUGE trash can and trash was strewn across the entire yard - I think the dog would've tangled with it if I hadn't happened to bring her in the house when it showed up - I wasn't going to have either the dog or myself tangle with that enormous bugger.

We never knew in the 25 years we lived on our city street that we had any kind of wildlife - UNTIL we got the chickens and those d**n goat-sized 'Coons crawl out of the storm drains. They're out in broad daylight - we see them on the open golf course all the time a mile away from us which is not distant for wildlife. Saw another road-kill Oppossum yesterday so they're out there even if you don't think you have them. It's sad to find out that netting doesn't work against them. Just sayin'.

Yep, and all the dead coons, foxes, coyotes and possums on the road are an indication that they ARE around. Still, I don't know if a raccoon would climb a run fence during the day to drop down on the birds. They might, like I said, I don't know

If they did, they couldn't get back out, but your birds wold still be dead. Guess we need some "real life stories" related to coons and daytime attacks.

Everyone's just on repeat I guess

It would be nice if we had a "sticky" post at the beginning of the thread with the basics because more often than not, a new person (WELCOME!) posts their project and it looks like they thought about it, worked hard and it has chicken wire for "security".

Chickens need:
- Water - heated if the temps are cold enough to freeze it. Cooled with ice blocks when the temps push 100F. Keep it in the shade.
- Quality feed. The classic picture is "grandma" scattering corn for the chickens. Corn is NOT a quality feed, not for people and not for chickens. Scratch grains should be no more than 10% of their diet. Less is fine, it is a treat, not food.
- Chickens do not see well in the dark and will stay on the roost at night (even to the point of laying an egg if their body is so inclined, make sure the floor below is soft enough) so it is not mandatory that food and water are available then.
- Oyster shell/other calcium (layers only) once they are almost old enough to lay. They will instinctively decide when and how much.
- Grit if they eat ANYTHING other than commercial feed and that includes kitchen scraps and everything they find to eat when they are not in the coop. Not needed if they are out and about and can find their own small bits of rock. They figure out timing and quantity on this as well.

In the coop:
- Minimum of 2 sq ft per bird (Large Fowl) on the floor, 4 or more is better. 2 square feet is an area about 17" by 17". A standing large fowl will occupy a space of ~6" x 18". Think about how comfortable you would be spending your life standing with people 2' from you in all directions.

- Roosts
- Minimum 12" linear space per large fowl. More than adequate in the winter when they pack together. Probably too little in the hot summer when they want air space.
- Chickens are walking birds, not perching birds. 2x4 on the flat or 3" round fence rail. You make be able to get away with smaller for bantams and young large fowl but for LF, why make something that has to be redone in a few months?
- Chickens like to roost as high as they can get. Put the roosts up, making sure they have ~18" minimum clearance to the ceiling. Put in an intermediate "access" bar if necessary.
- Nests for layers ~12" x12", not a problem if they are bigger. Not needed until the birds are ~16 weeks or older. Must be lower than the roost. If higher, the birds will sleep in them (see the prior point) and chickens poop even when they are "in bed" . Nest boxes can be up off the ground. 18" will return floor space to the birds. Provide a perching rail if the nests are more than about 12" off the ground, 2x2 is fine, at least 6" in front of the nests (assuming there is more than one) so the birds can decide which nest to use.

- Ventilation!!! Ammonia buildup (from the chickens' own poop) will kill them. Humidity build up will lead to respiratory problems (and frostbite in colder areas).

- No drafts!!! Chickens have natural down coats that keep them warm in almost any temperature (MUCH below zero F) and become compromised when blown open. Chickens do NOT need winter heat in most climates. They will likely avoid it if possible.

- Latches should be "lockable" barrel bolts, hasps, etc. Raccoons specifically are pretty dexterous with their front paws. You don't necessarily need a lock, a carabiner works well.

NOTE:
- Chicken wire is good ONLY for keeping chickens in/out of an area and only if the fence is high enough. Most any large fowl can get over a 4' fence though they prefer to land on top then go over. Running a wire above the top of the fence can discourage them. Chicken wire is WORTHLESS as security from predators. ANY predator from a small ermine to a mountain lion can get through it.

- All openings in the coop other than the chicken door should be covered with 1/2" hardware cloth. If you are concerned with larger predators like wolves, ALSO use 2x4 welded wire. 1/4" hardware cloth might sound safer because of the smaller holes but no predator will fit through a 1/2" hole and 1/4" hardware cloth is made of lighter wire and thus has less strength.

- All wire should be attached with one of the following:
- Poultry (fence) staples. These look like a U with very sharp ends. Regular staple gun staples will not hold other than for initial positioning. Staples are the cheapest of the 3 attachment methods.
- Screws through fender washers (or flattened metal bottle caps)
- Wood battens screwed over the wire with the screws going through the holes in the wire.

- The bottom two feet of the run fence should be covered with 1/2" hardware cloth. This keeps predators like raccoons from reaching through and grabbing a chicken that is against the fence.

- Protection from digging predators is a must. Wire buried down a few inches and out 18" to 24" will generally suffice. This can be 1/2" hardware cloth or larger spaced welded wire fencing, the latter being cheaper and heavier gauge wire. The intent is to make sure the digger can't actually make a hole it can get through. Weasels may tunnel from farther away and can certainly get through a 2x4 wire fence but are not likely a threat except at night when the birds should be locked in the coop anyway. Make it a habit to check your perimeter for signs of digging.

I am so sorry to hear that. I worry all night long for the safety of my 4 Rhode Island reds 13 weeks old. I don't lock them in at night because it is too hard to get into the run to reach the door ....Just ordered another run so i can put in front of the coop. Here is a picture but i have fence 10 x 10 in front so they can have roo to move around in front of the door.

What kind of door? A lot of people use a guillotine style door with a rope they can extend to the outside specifically so they can open and close it without going in the coop.

This is my first attempt at building a coop and run and ive loved every minute of it. Its 12 feet x 7 external with a 7 feet x 3.5 feet internal and I have 4 birds. Ive filled the run and coop with sand and made a roost from an old tree branch. Most of the material used was reclaimed....6 windows from an old school, an old dilapidated bicycle shed in fact the only new items were the roofing panels, the hardware cloth and the automatic pop door.

Love the glass panels down low. add 4 more and you have a draft free run for the winter

Bruce

 

[vehve]

Depends on the size of the run

This is "Backyard Chickens" but a city backyard typically has a lot less space than a suburban back yard and both generally pale in comparison to a country back yard. More space allows for bigger runs. My girls free range during the day if we are home (yes chancy and I did lose one in April). I'd probably need a building permit if I were to build a run with a roof that would be large enough that the space difference didn't send them up the wall!

Clearly you aren't committed enough to your chickens. Of course you should immediately file for a building permit for a 2000 square foot covered run.