post your chicken coop pictures here!

[waynem1983]

I really like this little hut, cute little design. Probably want to give the roof a slope so the rain can drain off.

This is our start up coop... I hope the picture loads right... We are adding 2 more side vents and a covered roof vent as well as a few perches... Any ideas to improve on the second one we are building..l to small for all our girls and boy so we would like ideas please... Thanks

 

[TJordan]

It has a slight slope, but I think when we add the vent we are going to increase it some... Thanks... And I'm proud of the little thing.. The whole front side swings open for me and a smaller swinging door for the birds... We made this ourselves after a tree limb caved in the back or our other one... I love recycled wood lol...

 

[TJordan]

Oh yeah... Any idea if my pullet flipping bedding all over herself and rooting down in the temporary nest is a point of lay indicater?

 

[Sylvester017]

It will be on a 3 1/2 foot tall stand and a LARGE open area for the run...

Putting the coop on a stand with a coop ramp will be good. I suggest a slanted roof for rainy days.

Things chickens like are seclusion which is what a coop provides at night, they like a perch easily hopped up to and down from so wall, ceiling, and nestbox clearance will be necessary, water and feed is not necessary to keep inside a little coop area since they will have a pen by day (we do not leave our feed out overnight to deter rodents, bugs, and night critters). In the winter cover with a fastened tarp from rain or very breezy nights.

I suggest a LOT of ventilation but away from roosting pole. We currently are experiencing 100 degree humid weather and our chickens are panting seriously. At night we've removed the tarp from the open wire sides of the coop and even left the nestbox door open to allow plenty of air in at night. One of us has to stay up watching the coop through the night (the coop is closeby our sliding door) because the nestbox drop door is left open for the poor panting girls - we never do this but the weather has been extreme this week with neighboring counties having flash floods, lightning and one reported death from this horrible weather. The coop can reek in humid weather and to avoid respiratory issues we are leaving as much open in the coop as possible at night. If you're handy at building make a drop-down lid on hinges the length of one upper coop wall to give summer ventilation (cover the opening with hardwire from the inside to keep out rodents/predators).

The space in your coop will be crowded for any more than 3 hens. Use some kind of floor-bedding to make cleanups easier and healthier inside the coop. Don't allow ammonia buildup as it is murder on chickens' respiratory systems. When you get around to adding the pen/run do not waste your $$$ on chicken poultry wire which is not interlinked and separates from itself at the slightest push. Use 1/2 inch sturdy hardwire (this will be the MOST expensive but secure part of your coop build and bury the wire 12-18 inches inground or else use paver stones around the outside of the pen to deter digging critters. Even in the city we have goat-sized Raccoons and they have nimble little claws to tear open cheap poultry wire or dig under pens. Raccoons kill more for the frenzy of the chase than for food!!!

Enjoy your chickens and wonderful that you are doing your research for healthy happy chickens!

 

[Sylvester017]

Oh yeah... Any idea if my pullet flipping bedding all over herself and rooting down in the temporary nest is a point of lay indicater?

Do you have only one pullet? Chickens are flock birds and should have at least 1-2 flockmates.

My Silkies love throwing grass or straw over their backs whether they're toodling around outdoors, laying an egg, or roosting for the night. In the nestbox we had one Silkie that scratched the straw around so hard on the nestbox floor she tore and pulled out some toenails so now we had to line the bottoms with plexiglass so she can't snag any more nails - OUCH! She really scratches hard any time she is getting ready to lay an egg - only she does it.

 

[TJordan]

Thanks, we have some left over wire that we are planning to attach to the inside of the 'bird' exit to leave open at night... Great idea on that thanks

. We also have supplies to raise it to a slant for drainage and are going to be building a second bigger one so they won't be so squished lol... Right now this one is 4&1/2' x 4&1/2 foot with 3&1/2 foot hight... Adding the roosting posts today and will make this our 'baby maker' after we get the other built... We also have a huge chunk of our backyard fenced off with the cattle wire for the run. They will have the area under the coop to move about in during bad weather as well... Hope it works

 

[TJordan]

I have 9 pullers and 1 rooster, all 19 1/2 weeks old and she's the only one doing this so far lol

 

[jtbass2756]

Really missed my grands today. They had helped me so much getting my coop chicken ready. Today I got a couple of things accomplished. I covered the back egg door with hardware wire so I could leave it down with the heat...since I haven't gotten a run done yet. Also had to switch out the slanted board that I had over the nest boxes.....it wasn't slanted enough to keep the chickens from roosting on it. I also added another higher but shorter roost. I have been allowing my lone EE free run of the coop during the day and then back in the kennel at night. Did so well with the younger girls today that I might leave her out tonight also.. She's been in the same coop with them for about 4 days. I think it helps that there's one of her and 6 of them! LOL....Here are a few picts of today's progress...just keep in mind that I have NO building experience so I'm just trying to make it more predator proof...I have more to do. Don't laugh! the top part of the top board had a crack in it at the top right side. So I added a few more screws....Might be an overachiever when it comes to screws and washers!!

Took me 3 trys to get the top roost right. LOL.....Yes, I did measure, just adjusted a little too much.

Got the nests closed off but what do you all do when you have some chickens who are right on the verge of laying but there are others in the coop who are probably 8 wks away and want to sleep in the nests?

 

[TJordan]

I like yours.. We are first time builders as well.. We bought an outrageously priced one that got crushed so we used that wood, added some of ours and it should be bird worthy tomorrow... Just a few tweets, raise the slant, add a few more vents, put up some wire curtain to lower and raise on hot nights, add a few roosts and we are set on the small on that will be the blueprints for our bigger one.. The small one will house the 3-4 that will be baby breeders and the rest will be eggs and general... I hope lol...

 

[karenp65]

I need some ideas on how to design my chicken coop so can you post your coop pictures? if you do I /img/smilies/bow.gif to you!

My coop is still a work in progress. I'm always adding something. Just made curtains for the girlzz cause they like privacy. Good luck and btw there is no wrong way to build a coop! Just go for it! All are like snowflakes...no one is the same!!