post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Lockdown199]

Coop 4x6 run 8x20x6

 

[Sylvester017]

Coop 4x6 run 8x20x6

Nice coop and pullets. Can't tell if the wire is buried in the ground or do you plan to make a paver stone walkway all around the pen against digging predators? A perch in the open pen area or even just a couple old wood chairs would probably be appreciated by the girls.

 

[RJSorensen]

This photograph is of my new rooster, Rooster Cogburn, but has my coop in progress in the background. Still need to shingle it and a lot of trim work, but the bulk of it is there. The outside is my wife's Pinterest build, the inside will be my BYC inspired style. Poop boards and such. I am more interested in the workings, and she the look. I suppose everyone is happy… It is about 10' x 14' and close to eight feet high at the doorway. I hope it will be enough for some roosts and a nest box.



Love this thread, a lot of neat ideas and tips to be found here. Thank you BYC members for the nice forum and great insight into building and raising birds.

RJ

 

[bigmrg74]

I suppose I could talk to the trash guys if they spoke ENGLISH or my native RUSSIAN. LOL. Our nation needs to do what the European and Scandinavian countries do - teach the kids 5 different foreign languages beginning in Kindergarten all the way through high school instead of extra curriculars like finger-painting, picnics, and skipping rope! Our visiting Finnish friend speaks 6 languages and fluently and barely any accent in any of the languages she spoke - she started learning her first foreign language English in Kindergarten!!! We have overpaid school superintendents and dumbed-down school subjects and shortened school days. No wonder people are turning to home-schooling (home school also causes the parents to stimulate their learning).

Rant!

True, I got some basic spanish in MS for a semester. Although I did take German in college and got to where I was getting conversational with non-english speaking Germans and Austrians when I was in Europe for a couple of weeks via a study abroad program thru GVSU.

Now, I'm just learning how to speak Chicken.

 

[lithiachick]

I'm not sure yet about ventilation.  The top is wide open (covered by hardware cloth).  The door is always open.  For now - it's been getting really hot and the hen house is boiling.  I think we may add a window/door to the other side by the garage and cover it with hardware so I can open it and try to get some cool air in there.  For the winter, I will slide a piece of insulation foam on the top and leave a few inches open for ventilation.  I am new to this, so any advice is appreciated!!  So far, they seem fine in the house - it's big and airy with the open roof.  Winter may be a different story.  Thanks for the feedback!

I didn't realize the to was open. Cool idea there. But, if it's boiling in there now, a window is probably a good idea. Chickens tolerate the cold better than the heat. Just make sure to use hardware cloth over the part that opens. You have awhile before they are in there. Very cute chicks by the way. I have 4 Barnvelders, 1 month old. I old the variety in your choices!

 

[clevelandeggs]

1/4 inch is not as sturdy as 1/2 inch but certainly better than any flimsy poultry wire!

As for your EEs you at least have 2 of them and not just one lone one. So many new chickeneers just pick up ONE EE for a colorful egg basket without thinking about the consequences of a gentle breed alone in a group of heavier dual purpose breeds that can get aggressive at maturity. Pullets will always get along growing up together - it's at maturity anywhere from 18 months to 2 years that the bigger assertive breeds will start pushing their weight around.

What if i ran that 1"x2" metal fence behind or in front of the 1/4" wire to add as a reinforcement. the metal fence like you would use on a garden

 

[jtbass2756]

Coop 4x6 run 8x20x6

What type of sand did you go with. I've been sitting here calculaing what I need now that I have my floor down....trying to make up my mind......

 

[bruceha2000]

Hi all. I have been working on this coop for a couple weekends. This is my first coop and mostly my own design, thanks to the great ideas on this forum. The total area of the is about 6.5'x10' with the coop Bering 6.5x10' with the additional room of the best boxes off the back. Some of the wood is treated but most is not. I wanted any wood that touches the ground to be treated and the entire thing will be painted when finished. Inside the coop are 2 PVC feeders and one bucket waterer. 3 nest boxes and two 4' roost poles. I still have a lot to do but was to excited and had to post pictures of the progress.

Things that still need done:
Metal roof
Finish hardware mesh
Human door
Chicken ramp
Small chicken door
Feeder and waterer in the run
Finish up nest boxes
Paint
Please let me know what you think. I'm super excited and my girls will be old enough in a few weeks, hopefully. I have 2 barred Plymouth rocks, 2 EE, 1 RIR, and 1 Welsummer


They are now 2 weeks old feathering out nicely
Thanks again for everyone who makes this sight so great

Your dimensions seem a bit off.

And just in case it hasn't been drilled enough: Roosts: 2x4 on the flat or 3" round fence rail, HIGHER than the nest boxes. I assume the roost will be on the high end with the window: I love it, a room with a view.

If you have food and water in the coop, it is not necessary to have it in the run as well. The coop will be open whenever the chickens are outside. I went with saddle nipples - takes less space in the coop (5 gallon container is outside the coop) and no chance to slop water in the coop when filling or bringing the filled bucket into it.

Your girls will be ready for their home in 2 weeks.

thanks. Im using 1/4 inch hardwire because i found it on amazon and it was cheaper than the 1/2", i wanted to use 1/2" but couldn't pass up the price. the girls will be locked in the coop at night and i agree some good strong raccoon proof lock is in order. the wood latch on there now was just to keep the door from blowing open over night.

i didn't think about the possible negative side affects of mixing the EEs with the larger breeds. they are 2 weeks old today and the RIR appears to be at the top of the order but they all get along very well. i hope it stays this way. oh i am actually just outside of downtown Cleveland, OH but there are definitely lots of coons and opossums that need to stay out.

The wire used in 1/4" is WAY thinner than the 1/2" hardware cloth wire.

Love the look and in its own rustic stone walled run too!

I'm not sure yet about ventilation. The top is wide open (covered by hardware cloth). The door is always open. For now - it's been getting really hot and the hen house is boiling. I think we may add a window/door to the other side by the garage and cover it with hardware so I can open it and try to get some cool air in there. For the winter, I will slide a piece of insulation foam on the top and leave a few inches open for ventilation. I am new to this, so any advice is appreciated!! So far, they seem fine in the house - it's big and airy with the open roof. Winter may be a different story. Thanks for the feedback!

If it is hot in there now with an open top and the coop door open, you definitely need more ventilation. And possibly shade over the coop.

You could do a window as you said. If it is hinged on the top and opens out (awning window) you can open it from outside as much or as little as you like using some sort of rigid support under it or a chain connected to a hook on the coop wall. You wold need some sort of flashing over it so rain can't get in the top edge.

Maybe TWO windows. As I look at the Garden Coop elsewhere on the web, I am dismayed by the lack of light the chickens have - the only light they have comes in through the door on the floor?? I would put a fixed window in the wall looking out into the run, though it too could be operable, maybe a slider. You should be able to find something cheap at a "re-use" place. The chickens don't need a fancy triple pane window and with all the interest in making homes more efficient I have to believe there are a lot of old single pane windows out there. You could even make your own fixed window with a single piece of glass from a glass place. All you need is to cut out the wall a half inch or so smaller than the piece of glass and plain pine with a rabbet cut out that is the same thickness as the glass. Screw 3 pieces of that to the wall, slide the glass in, and put in the 4th piece. Since this is under the run roof, it doesn't need to be weather tight.

Ventilation in the winter is still really important, you may find you don't want the top covered with rigid foam insulation at all. Try and see when the time comes but think about ease of 'adding' and 'subtracting' the amount of coverage. The important thing in the winter is that there is no draft blowing over the birds on the roost.

I should add - it looks great!!

Coop 4x6 run 8x20x6

Looks really nice, good build. I like the big window on the side. The 1x2 wire may or may not keep out ermines but they are a night threat when the girls are locked in the coop anyway. The 1x2 welded wire is cheaper and heaver gauge than 1/2" hardware cloth. Good double coverage low with the 1x2 and hardware cloth to keep coon paws out.

I see you put some 'non skid' on the ramp, guess you figured out the cleats are too far apart

3" works well. But (and Sylvester will disagree), your birds are big enough, they don't need a ramp to get in that door anyway. You could put a "porch" that extends out about a foot at the same level as the bottom of the coop so they can hop up there, then hop up in the door. Heck, you could just cut off a 3' piece of the ramp, turn it sideways and put it there upside down. Then (for when your birds get old and can't make the "jump" ??) you can put the rest of the ramp back on at the bottom of the porch. Plus, it looks like you have to move the ramp out to close the door anyway, must be a pain in the buttski

Can you move the roosts up some? It doesn't look like they are high enough for the birds to use the floor space underneath. They like to roost high anyway.

Is the sand in the run for dust baths or just left over from the coop floor? I would definitely let the girls decimate the grass before covering it with sand (I presume to ensure they don't have a muddy run).

This photograph is of my new rooster, Rooster Cogburn, but has my coop in progress in the background. Still need to shingle it and a lot of trim work, but the bulk of it is there. The outside is my wife's Pinterest build, the inside will be my BYC inspired style. Poop boards and such. I am more interested in the workings, and she the look. I suppose everyone is happy… It is about 10' x 14' and close to eight feet high at the doorway. I hope it will be enough for some roosts and a nest box.



Love this thread, a lot of neat ideas and tips to be found here. Thank you BYC members for the nice forum and great insight into building and raising birds.

RJ

Man after my own heart. I love the nice looking coops, but I have too much to do (like 3 lifetimes worth) and stick mostly to "functional" where it doesn't matter a whole lot. Your wife's design is great, has the "farm building" feel without being too fancy. Good symmetry, light and ventilating windows. Plus the planter box and "ground level" decoration.

10'x14' and 8' at the door and you HOPE there is enough room for roosts and a nest box? How many chickens are you planning to have, 50??? Of COURSE there is room for roosts and nest boxes (and you NEED THEM!!) You have room for 25 birds in there if you want.

What if i ran that 1"x2" metal fence behind or in front of the 1/4" wire to add as a reinforcement. the metal fence like you would use on a garden

Yes! I would put the welded wire fence on the outside so it is the first thing a predator with big teeth hits.



What do you call someone who speaks 3 or more languages: Polylingual
What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages: Bilingual
What do you call someone who speaks 1 language: American

Bruce

 

[gilcamp4]

here is our chickens going into the new yard, they are not sure about leaveing the dirt
that frame is going to be put against the new coop as a indoor run for bad weather the fence is up the coop has to have egg nests but for now there are milk cartons in there they have not left me any eggs in them yet, we will start locking them in it at night as soon as the roof is fixed, dh missed some studs so we have four spots that need filling put in, i busted him the carpenter for 75 years and missed studs.

 

[Lockdown199]

Nice coop and pullets.  Can't tell if the wire is buried in the ground or do you plan to make a paver stone walkway all around the pen against digging predators?  A perch in the open pen area or even just a couple old wood chairs would probably be appreciated by the girls.

The wire goes down a foot all the way around. I had a perch that went across the open area but at night they were using that instead of going inside to perch for the night, maybe in a few weeks I'll put it back. Thanks for the advice.