post your chicken coop pictures here!



Yuk it up joker... I told him to leave the wood and tools and I would figure out the frame... He rolled his eyes, said 'ill do it' and then left without leaving anything... I've noticed that my mind is consumed with the building of that bigger coop... He's getting mad...

Btw... Any idea if adding a second lv, even half floor lv, would add to my sq footage ? I am trying to get close to 3.5 per...
 
Has anyone here expanded their current coop significantly?  I have a garden coop and and debating whether I expand via build a second coop, enclose in our run, or build an addition to the coop/run set up.


We orginally had a 3x5 coop built, once I got my girls inside I realized it was just to small for a long winter so my husband added on a 4x5 lean to with metal roof. So now it's a 7x5 coop with interior nest boxes. It really wasn't that hard but the current addition wasn't to add new chickens but to give my girls more room.
 
We used one of the coop designs on BackYard Chickens and modified it a bit. We were also building a shed - so we combined the two with a shared back wall. The coop part is 7 1/2 feet by 9 feet with a raised floor and 3 nest boxes. We recently added a "dog kennel" run that is 15 ft by 5 ft with added chicken wire at the bottom 2 feet and covered by a tarp. The chickens seem to be very happy with both the coop and run.










 
Read my post #4878 in this thread and that will explain why I offer the following suggestions.  Cover that cheap 1-inch poultry wire under the coop with some 1/2 inch hardwire.  Poultry wire is not interlinked and comes apart from itself with the predator's slightest pressure.  Critters will seek the easiest entrance and that poultry wire is it.  Nearly lost my flock to cheap poultry wire so never again!

To keep out digging critters I suggest paver stones or property boulders around the base of your pen's fence and under the gate if your fence wire is not buried in the ground to keep out digging wildlife.  You've got a lot of trees around you where the climbing and aerial predators hide out.  Rural areas have aerial predators, weasels, wild rabbits, snakes, foxes, coyotes, wild pigs, skunks, bobcats, raccoons, oppossums, stray dogs and cats, rodents, besides the usual deer and occasional bears or mountain lions.  My daughter's city property butts up against a wildlife preserve and bobcats and coyotes are regular visitors with some years having a mountain lion or bear trot through.  You never knew you had such wildlife surrounding you until the chickens bring them out of hiding.

Love the recycled materials coop.  Just secure the fencing sturdier/more secure from predators and I'll breathe easier for your chickens' safety :)


400

Like this ? The first pic was still under construction. It seems like it is always an on going project. Thanks for the advice.
 
even if they get in the yard the chickens are locked in coop at night, but this friends came around before dark, we had just closed things up when guy from next door called to say one was on deck, you beleave he chewed he baby/s playset, and toys in the yard just like a dog would
he was a jump the fence into the play yard guy, we do had things I HOPE to keep him out but the people 2 doors done just put a chicken fence up, so if they go for any easy it should be that one, but I hope we have him not sure what the guy is going to do with it.
 


Ours is simple - but is a good size for our 7 chickens. It used to be a dog kennel that we've since converted.
 

I still have to put down the pavers around it. The top is a double layer of chicken wire.
Just adding my 2 cents worth in addition to @Sylvester017 .. that 2x4(?) welded wire you've got on your run area will not deter raccoons. They will easily reach in and grab a chicken by the head/neck and rip them off. You need to also at the very least 'wrap' some 1/2" hardware cloth all around about 2-3 feet up from the bottom...just thinkin' ...
 
@Sylvester017. that 2x4(?) welded wire you've got on your run area will not deter raccoons. They will easily reach in and grab a chicken by the head/neck and rip them off. You need to also at the very least wrap' some 1/2" hardware cloth all around about 2-3 feet up from the bottom...just thinkin' ...


Have a question.....................I am trying to get a chicken run done. Today, I got one posthole dug.. putting them down 2' with quickcrete and I'm going to splay the hardware cloth wiring out ...like an L from the base of the run and post. I know this along with my paving stones will deter the diggers............what about snakes? I have a couple of residential black racers in the treeline right beside the run/coop. Hate to kill them....although when one came at me in a challenging way,,,,I almost took a shovel to him. Instead I took the dirt I had on my shovel and threw at him. I like having them around for the rodent population, in fact, my mole population has decreased since they took up residence. ! How can I keep out the snakes????


Hope this gets thru,,,my BYC is not working right now.....anyone else having problems...
 

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