post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Sylvester017]

Sorry, that last sentence there made me think of rule #34 of the internet and that how there's probably some sort of website dedicated to the fetish of chewing through pantyhose.

I think that fetish only applies if there is an ACTUAL leg in the pantyhose!

 

[LindaB220]

Good to know... Ok now here's a question for everyone... How best to CLEAN a coop... And should I use lye or lime around my chickens? I need something to put down as an added SNAKE proofing idea... I'm still going to get the hardware cloth but I don't want them around MY KIDS lol... I just chased another snake out of the chicken yard itself this morning... Once again only a corn snake but I know we have cotton mouths, corals and rattlers here in good old southern Alabama... Lol

This I can answer you on.

Either pour ammonia around the area that you don't want snakes ( We put a couple of gallons around the whole yard.) or buy a bag of mothballs. They hate the smell of both. Get a knee hi pantyhose and fill it with mothballs and hand outside the coop. We've been really diligent because my DD owns a dog grooming and boarding shop in front of the house and we don't want snakes. Haven't had any since we moved in and ran over a 5 ft rattler in the driveway. Freaked my daughter out.

The neighbors didn't put out either of these and ended up shooting 2 last week. Do some research on deep litter about the coop. Ask the search at the top of the page "ways to clean coop". It's gonna pull up any sites that are talking about it on here. Good luck

Edited: Oops just saw that someone else thought of the pantyhose and mothballs It really does work and won't be down close to the chicks so they won't eat them.

 

[Sylvester017]

This I can answer you on.

Either pour ammonia around the area that you don't want snakes ( We put a couple of gallons around the whole yard.) or buy a bag of mothballs. They hate the smell of both. Get a knee hi pantyhose and fill it with mothballs and hand outside the coop. We've been really diligent because my DD owns a dog grooming and boarding shop in front of the house and we don't want snakes. Haven't had any since we moved in and ran over a 5 ft rattler in the driveway. Freaked my daughter out.

The neighbors didn't put out either of these and ended up shooting 2 last week. Do some research on deep litter about the coop. Ask the search at the top of the page "ways to clean coop". It's gonna pull up any sites that are talking about it on here. Good luck

LindaB220 - you must've been the chickeneer I was referring to on this thread about putting mothballs inside pantyhose to hang around the coop. Glad I brought up the subject again to get your expertise on the snake subject! My DD's city property butts up against a little wildlife preserve and unfortunately she gets deer, skunks, oppossums, hawks, coyotes, rabbits, rats, raccoons, bobcats, once a bear and once a mountain lion (cougar) and many rattlesnakes every year. Because of her big loopy kooky Pitbull mix she can't set up any mothballs around her fence - the dog is just too dang curious. I bet the ammonia treatment would work at the perimeter dirt base of her iron bars fencing in the backyard because the dog would probably be repelled by the smell.

How often do you do the ammonia treatment and how does it affect the chickens who forage in the treated areas? Rattlesnakes are plentiful during Spring and hot weather and seem to disappear to hibernate in the Winter. So I imagine treatments would only be in Spring and Summer months - but how often?

 

[Chipper Chicken]

As most regulars on this thread have quite vivid imaginations and are good at coming up with ways of misusing something for chicken coop builds, I have a little winterization issue that I would appreciate some feedback and ideas on.

I'm going to be covering the run to keep out snow in the winter. My original plan was to use see through plastic panels, but they apparently cost a bit. Wrapping some thinner plastic around the run would be affordable, but I'm a bit worried about how it would hold up in the wind. Corrugated see through roof panels were also something that I considered, but I sort of don't want the wave profile on the panels, even though it would stiffen them. So does anyone have any ideas for something cheap that would let through light, and still be a large flat and stiff surface, that can withstand freezing temperatures? I need something in the 3x7 foot range.

Can you get access to something like this? http://www.fiberglasssheets.com/Gre...ss/1-16-x-48-X-96-Flat-Clear-Fiberglass-Sheet
I used this on my original greenhouse to make the end walls, but although we get snow and high winds it's lasted about 20 years. Mine is mounted vertical, not horizontal BTW.

 

[moss farm]

LindaB220 - you must've been the chickeneer I was referring to on this thread about putting mothballs inside pantyhose to hang around the coop.  Glad I brought up the subject again to get your expertise on the snake subject!  My DD's city property butts up against a little wildlife preserve and unfortunately she gets deer, skunks, oppossums, hawks, coyotes, rabbits, rats, raccoons, bobcats, once a bear and once a mountain lion (cougar) and many rattlesnakes every year.  Because of her big loopy kooky Pitbull mix she can't set up any mothballs around her fence - the dog is just too dang curious.  I bet the ammonia treatment would work at the perimeter dirt base of her iron bars fencing in the backyard because the dog would probably be repelled by the smell.

How often do you do the ammonia treatment and how does it affect the chickens who forage in the treated areas?  Rattlesnakes are plentiful during Spring and hot weather and seem to disappear to hibernate in the Winter.  So I imagine treatments would only be in Spring and Summer months - but how often?

Just don't know about pouring chemicals on the ground. The ammonia will kill all the grass. Wonder if dilute it with water would be ok and not be so bad

 

[jtbass2756]

Just don't know about pouring chemicals on the ground. The ammonia will kill all the grass. Wonder if dilute it with water would be ok and not be so bad

Don't mind it killing the grass that I'm constantly having to have weed eated....LOL...funny sounding ! But does it effect the animals?

 

[LindaB220]

LindaB220 - you must've been the chickeneer I was referring to on this thread about putting mothballs inside pantyhose to hang around the coop. Glad I brought up the subject again to get your expertise on the snake subject! My DD's city property butts up against a little wildlife preserve and unfortunately she gets deer, skunks, oppossums, hawks, coyotes, rabbits, rats, raccoons, bobcats, once a bear and once a mountain lion (cougar) and many rattlesnakes every year. Because of her big loopy kooky Pitbull mix she can't set up any mothballs around her fence - the dog is just too dang curious. I bet the ammonia treatment would work at the perimeter dirt base of her iron bars fencing in the backyard because the dog would probably be repelled by the smell.

How often do you do the ammonia treatment and how does it affect the chickens who forage in the treated areas? Rattlesnakes are plentiful during Spring and hot weather and seem to disappear to hibernate in the Winter. So I imagine treatments would only be in Spring and Summer months - but how often?

We do it at spring and again in mid summer. If we have a lot of rain like we have this year, we will do it again. I just bought it again. It's high in nitrogen and will probably kill the grass but won't hurt the ground. They dilute it and use it as a fertilizer.

 

[moss farm]

I

We do it at spring and again in   mid summer.   If we have a lot of rain like we have this year, we will do it again.  I just bought it again.  It's high in nitrogen and will probably kill the grass but won't hurt the ground.   They dilute it and use it as a fertilizer. 

Is it like cleaning ammonia ? Or is it something else ?

 

[Peggy O]

I cannot count on one finger how many eggs in 3 years were ever layed in a nestbox overnight. Now early mornings a hen will stay in a nestbox to lay her egg after the others have left the box. I've also had hens lay as late as late afternoon. They lay eggs at all times of the day but I've never had one lay during the night.

Some people claim they find eggs under the roosting bars. If a hen stays on the roost after the other hens leave in the morning she could possibly stay lazily perched until she lays her early morning egg rather than moving to a nestbox. I have never had any problems with my hens using the nestboxes to sleep. The only time I ever had a broken egg was when a Silkie layed a soft-shell, or when a young inexperienced Ameraucana pullet layed her first egg and clumsily stepped on it on her way out of the nestbox. Many times I've had two chickens sitting in the same nestbox on one egg and it's never been broken. The shells are pretty sturdy to withstand brooding and experienced chickens are instinctively gentle with eggs. Have you ever seen all those photos of nestboxes with 5 or 6 eggs in them? Well, each hen that enters that box to lay her egg never damages the previous layed eggs in that nest.

I wouldn't worry about where your chickens want to roost. The climate may be dictating where they sleep. During winter you might find them all huddled in one nestbox or one perch together for warmth LOL

Oh cool. I really didn't know they were not big on night laying. This is our first time being chicken owners. I should probably open up the boxes soon, just in case. I think all the breeds we have (Wyandottes/Australorpe/Orphington) will lay at about 26 weeks though. We'll see. I am in there looking for eggs every day, haha.
Just in case

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

As most regulars on this thread have quite vivid imaginations and are good at coming up with ways of misusing something for chicken coop builds, I have a little winterization issue that I would appreciate some feedback and ideas on.

I'm going to be covering the run to keep out snow in the winter. My original plan was to use see through plastic panels, but they apparently cost a bit. Wrapping some thinner plastic around the run would be affordable, but I'm a bit worried about how it would hold up in the wind. Corrugated see through roof panels were also something that I considered, but I sort of don't want the wave profile on the panels, even though it would stiffen them. So does anyone have any ideas for something cheap that would let through light, and still be a large flat and stiff surface, that can withstand freezing temperatures? I need something in the 3x7 foot range.

How about using cheap (clear shower curtains) and free (pallets). You would get the sturdiness off the pallets, and you could attach to the top or simply lay the shower curtain below the pallet. I think perhaps below, and then you get added benefit of curtain is contained by weight of pallet, withstands the winds and allows filtered lighting through the pallet below.

Perhaps a run of straw bales as walls, then pallets and curtain as the "roof."

I use same principle in winter but use plywood or siding picked up at new home construction sites, creating sheltered area inside my run.