post your chicken coop pictures here!

[TJordan]

I think we all have been married too long  
My DH doesn't interfere any more and just comes running when I need a second pair of hands or need his strength on a heavy part of a build.  I have pounds more patience than he does for projects or DIY assemblies so he's perfectly amenable to this arrangement - 18 years and counting!

You have almost 10 years on us... My husband is just starting to see that YES I did work construction for 7 YEARS before I meet him and I'm not going to cut my let off with the saw... One day he will figure it out..

 

[Sylvester017]

Lol... I know what you mean... We have been getting supplies a little at a time and going to a near by construction area and they happily give me a few items here and there... We just got a full sheet of plywood for it...

That is way too cool! Unfortunately we live in a 3/4 century old neighborhood so not much new building going on. However trash day has a lot of neat broken furniture, old doors, etc at the curbs for us to scavenge! That's how we got a nice big rectangle headboard to set on cinderblocks for a yard shelter for the chickens to snooze under. It's weighty enough not to para-sail away in a strong wind. Just needs a coat of sealer and good to go!

 

[HighStreetCoop]

. Maybe we can use one of our house contractor's handymen to build us a custom coop so we don't have to pay shipping on an Amish. I can dream, can't I?

Have you looked for custom coop builders on Craigslist? That's where I found the guy who's making mine.

 

[Chooks n Kids]

Thanks for the input Sylvester, Just so you know, I have no desire to get turkeys, never liked them much except when they are on the table. I already have goats, and yes they have broken into my hen house 3 times already, I now have that problem taken care of. As they say, if your fences will hold water then and only then will they hold goats. I love my goats, they are almost as funny and entertaining as my chickens. Made them a play ground in my round pen yesterday....the horses don't seem too put out. All the neighbours around here free range their hens and all of us lose a few in the spring to the eagles no matter how many hiding places we give them. I usually try to keep them in their run more during the spring when the eagles have offspring to feed and only let them out when I have time to keep an eye on them. Out of my original 5 hens I still have 4 and they now stay pretty close to the barn, there was a time they would be free ranging across the road at the neighbours, after the first eagle attack they seemed to realize the dangers. Their favorite place to hang out is under one of my overhangs where they have a roost and a lovely dust bath, the roo keeps watch from the top of the wall, it has mainly been roosters that I have lost. Although it is upsetting to lose any bird, roosters are usually free and abundant in this area, so if I am going to lose birds I appreciate the roosters doing their job and protecting their hens. I also do my best to chase off the predator and bury the chicken hoping that they will give up hunting my field if they don't get a free meal.
With my new coop I hope to install a covered run not only to protect the chickens but also to separate my buck goat pen from the does so I don't end up with kids born out of season. I do find it interesting that you called your goats hornery, I do not find mine that way at all, they are sweet natured and all love to be cuddled. I do spend a lot of time with them, they get groomed daily and are all trained to walk on a leash. That being said, I do not have a buck on the property at this time. All this good behaviour could change next spring when my future buck shows up, I will keep you posted...lol!
I will post some pictures of the new coop when I get it done. And also post some pics of the goats having fun in their playground. Cheers, Sheila

 

[TJordan]

That is way too cool!  Unfortunately we live in a 3/4 century old neighborhood so not much new building going on.  However trash day has a lot of neat broken furniture, old doors, etc at the curbs for us to scavenge!  That's how we got a nice big rectangle headboard to set on cinderblocks for a yard shelter for the chickens to snooze under.  It's weighty enough not to para-sail away in a strong wind.  Just needs a coat of sealer and good to go!

Once we get it built.. Or should I say MY HUSBAND gets it built, paint is the least of our worries... My husband works as a paint tint specialist.... Any 'oops' paint is marked down to next to nothing.... He also works with sealants, varnishes and protectants... Paints covered...

 

[jtbass2756]

Haha. I had to sell my reciprocating saw at the garage sale just for that reason. When I cut post now I make measured marks in a continuous line all the way around the post. Then I put the post on saw horses and use my jig saw and cut four times from each side as far as I can and it meets in the middle. A guy at Lowe's told me about that. For things that don't come out quite right, I go to Lowe's and get trim. Trim is cheap and hides a multitude of mistakes. (No, I do NOT have an interest in Lowe's, it just become my store of choice bec I know where everything is and sometimes I can find things there I can't find in other places. )

That's why I need to buy stock in Lowe's !! These were the posts for my run....already in the ground/quickcrete and we wanted to wait until the fencing was up to trim them... The bad thing is that I can measure it to have them level.....and still make a bad cut!!!

I think I need some building classes at the community college!! I think I could have gone to Pennsylvania and had the Amish make me a custom coop and come out cheaper!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Have you looked for custom coop builders on Craigslist? That's where I found the guy who's making mine.

My house contractor has a lot of sub-contractors that he will recommend to me and reasonable. I don't want to bash people who use Craigslist but I personally prefer not to use it and rather go with people I know. But thanks for the input!

 

[iwiw60]

DONE.........................!!

I had to laugh out loud when I read your original post about the reciprocating saw! I call it the sword saw from hell !!! When I borrowed my BIL sword saw to cut my pophole I couldn't believe how fast it gets out of control! My pop hole is a tad "curvy" but the wood trims covered most of it...aaack!!

When it came time to cut the window opening I told BIL "you gotta make that cut...no way am I going to attempt to cut that big a hole and hope it's straight!!" He came over and did it for me...thank God!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the input Sylvester, Just so you know, I have no desire to get turkeys, never liked them much except when they are on the table. I already have goats, and yes they have broken into my hen house 3 times already, I now have that problem taken care of. As they say, if your fences will hold water then and only then will they hold goats. I love my goats, they are almost as funny and entertaining as my chickens. Made them a play ground in my round pen yesterday....the horses don't seem too put out. All the neighbours around here free range their hens and all of us lose a few in the spring to the eagles no matter how many hiding places we give them. I usually try to keep them in their run more during the spring when the eagles have offspring to feed and only let them out when I have time to keep an eye on them. Out of my original 5 hens I still have 4 and they now stay pretty close to the barn, there was a time they would be free ranging across the road at the neighbours, after the first eagle attack they seemed to realize the dangers. Their favorite place to hang out is under one of my overhangs where they have a roost and a lovely dust bath, the roo keeps watch from the top of the wall, it has mainly been roosters that I have lost. Although it is upsetting to lose any bird, roosters are usually free and abundant in this area, so if I am going to lose birds I appreciate the roosters doing their job and protecting their hens. I also do my best to chase off the predator and bury the chicken hoping that they will give up hunting my field if they don't get a free meal.
With my new coop I hope to install a covered run not only to protect the chickens but also to separate my buck goat pen from the does so I don't end up with kids born out of season. I do find it interesting that you called your goats hornery, I do not find mine that way at all, they are sweet natured and all love to be cuddled. I do spend a lot of time with them, they get groomed daily and are all trained to walk on a leash. That being said, I do not have a buck on the property at this time. All this good behaviour could change next spring when my future buck shows up, I will keep you posted...lol!
I will post some pictures of the new coop when I get it done. And also post some pics of the goats having fun in their playground. Cheers, Sheila

Goats are great pets if that's all you have to deal with and only one or two at best. A flock is unmanageable. Kids are too rambunctious. We had the large variety females and already milking so we didn't raise ours from kids. They are curious and constantly chewing on anything their teeth can reach. Getting butted from behind by either sheep or goats is always a surprise when you least expect it. Like I said ours were utility livestock and not pets so that might've made a difference. Dwarf goats were not practical on a large acreage but some people have them in small backyards today!

I noticed Spring brings the Cooper's Hawk around more often then I care to see her. She's larger than the male. We saw her again last week but she didn't stay long with the Crows chasing her off. Those Crows seem to keep the aerial predators away. I didn't used to like Crows but now that I've seen them actually chasing Hawks I don't mind their noisy presence. They don't bother our adult hens either but I still wouldn't trust leaving chicks in an open yard. I've seen Crows go after ducklings so definitely would not leave chicks outdoors. I wish we were zoned for roos because I would love to have one but don't want neighbor's complaining. The hens make enough noise with their egg songs!

Goats are cute but I'm so glad that they belong to somebody else

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the input Sylvester, Just so you know, I have no desire to get turkeys, never liked them much except when they are on the table. I already have goats, and yes they have broken into my hen house 3 times already, I now have that problem taken care of. As they say, if your fences will hold water then and only then will they hold goats. I love my goats, they are almost as funny and entertaining as my chickens. Made them a play ground in my round pen yesterday....the horses don't seem too put out. All the neighbours around here free range their hens and all of us lose a few in the spring to the eagles no matter how many hiding places we give them. I usually try to keep them in their run more during the spring when the eagles have offspring to feed and only let them out when I have time to keep an eye on them. Out of my original 5 hens I still have 4 and they now stay pretty close to the barn, there was a time they would be free ranging across the road at the neighbours, after the first eagle attack they seemed to realize the dangers. Their favorite place to hang out is under one of my overhangs where they have a roost and a lovely dust bath, the roo keeps watch from the top of the wall, it has mainly been roosters that I have lost. Although it is upsetting to lose any bird, roosters are usually free and abundant in this area, so if I am going to lose birds I appreciate the roosters doing their job and protecting their hens. I also do my best to chase off the predator and bury the chicken hoping that they will give up hunting my field if they don't get a free meal.
With my new coop I hope to install a covered run not only to protect the chickens but also to separate my buck goat pen from the does so I don't end up with kids born out of season. I do find it interesting that you called your goats hornery, I do not find mine that way at all, they are sweet natured and all love to be cuddled. I do spend a lot of time with them, they get groomed daily and are all trained to walk on a leash. That being said, I do not have a buck on the property at this time. All this good behaviour could change next spring when my future buck shows up, I will keep you posted...lol!
I will post some pictures of the new coop when I get it done. And also post some pics of the goats having fun in their playground. Cheers, Sheila

Goats are great pets if that's all you have to deal with and only one or two at best. A flock is unmanageable. Kids are too rambunctious. We had the large variety females and already milking so we didn't raise ours from kids. They are curious and constantly chewing on anything their teeth can reach. Getting butted from behind by either sheep or goats is always a surprise when you least expect it. Like I said ours were utility livestock and not pets so that might've made a difference. Dwarf goats were not practical on a large acreage but some people have them in small backyards today!

I noticed Spring brings the Cooper's Hawk around more often then I care to see her. She's larger than the male. We saw her again last week but she didn't stay long with the Crows chasing her off. Those Crows seem to keep the aerial predators away. I didn't used to like Crows but now that I've seen them actually chasing Hawks I don't mind their noisy presence. They don't bother our adult hens either but I still wouldn't trust leaving chicks in an open yard. I've seen Crows go after ducklings so definitely would not leave chicks outdoors. I wish we were zoned for roos because I would love to have one but don't want neighbor's complaining. The hens make enough noise with their egg songs!

Goats are cute but I'm so glad that they belong to somebody else