post your chicken coop pictures here!

[PrimroseMom1]

Absolutely beautiful!!

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Ameraucanas and their EE cousins are slow to mature and when younger people think they are scared or crazy or dumb because they run into things.  These birds only fight as a last resort.  They are high-strung and non-combative which is what makes them skittish, jittery, alert, jumpy, and quick so sometimes they will run into things trying to get away.  These very actions are what make them so very predator-savvy and the wary sentinels of the flock.  They aren't interested in flock politics but they will be great guardians watching for predators.  They are also very sweet and non-combative and accept orphaned chicks or injured birds without incidents where other breeds are not so willing.  My friend put an EE with two new hens and it was a peaceful transition - no pecking order squabbles and these birds had never seen each other before.

People assume they can add EEs/Amers to mixed flocks because they think they are LF.  However tall and statuesque they stand, they are a lighter-weight bird.  All their fluffy downy feathers just make them look heavier then they really are.  They average about 5 to 5.5 lbs only whereas the dual-purpose breeds weigh from 6 to 7.5 lbs.

Sexlinks can become assertive as they get older.  RIRs are usually bossy from their youth and want to be in charge.  It will be interesting to see if a Sexlink or a RIR turns out to be your alpha hen.

Dang. You nailed those birds on the head. Exactly how they are. The Black Sex Link is the boss. She is 2 1/2 years old. One RIR is tha same age and 1 is about 7 months old. The young one is fiesty and fast and usually graps the best treats and zig zags away bthe others can't catch her. Haha

 

[jasonquinnryan]

Very nice Vader!!

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Our coop!

Omg. That's my dream house! I want to move in.

 

[jasonquinnryan]

Absolutely beautiful!!

Super nice!

 

[jasonquinnryan]

Omg. That's my dream house! I want to move in.

hahahaha. Thank you. You are welcome to move in any time!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Ask LOTS of questions.... Take what fits and file the rest for reference. Many people have opinions, and lifestyles that may or may not fit.... I by nature am a researcher.... while I have had chickens for a good 25 years my practical knowledge only extends to issues experienced in my own hobby keeping.... Fortunately for me I have never had a sick chicken.... Nor have I vaccinated or medicated.... But I have treated Boo boos and buried my share of predator kills.

there is always something more to learn. Always.

deb

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Ask LOTS of questions....  Take what fits and file the rest for reference.  Many people have opinions, and lifestyles that may or may not fit....  I by nature am a researcher.... while I have had chickens for a good 25 years my practical knowledge only extends to issues experienced in my own hobby keeping....  Fortunately for me I have never had a sick chicken.... Nor have I vaccinated or medicated....  But I have treated Boo boos and buried my share of predator kills.

there is always something more to learn.  Always.

deb 

Good words. I originally bought chicken wire for mine and my friends on the LA thread gave me the riot act. It overwhelmed me at the time to start over with hardware cloth, but not long after two separate large possums got into the chicken yard (I killed them in the same week) but my girls are alive because of the hardware cloth. We have all seen the huge tragedies from a failure to use hardware cloth. So, from one chicken lover to others, I speak strongly about that in hopes to save grief.

 

[jtbass2756]

Good words. I originally bought chicken wire for mine and my friends on the LA thread gave me the riot act. It overwhelmed me at the time to start over with hardware cloth, but not long after two separate large possums got into the chicken yard (I killed them in the same week) but my girls are alive because of the hardware cloth. We have all seen the huge tragedies from a failure to use hardware cloth. So, from one chicken lover to others, I speak strongly about that in hopes to save grief.

I have to agree.,,.,I had read a lot about the differences in the wiring so before I even got chickens, I bought some 1/4" hardware wire and did another layer of wire. (the coop itself was a mother's it had chicken wire!

I did6n't it off, I just put the new wire over the other..also buried it about a ft into the ground.. It was like a little 4'x10" Ft Knox. my dh accused me of being a little OCD about it. But I also did not want to start out by having to go out in the mornings, wondering how many I lost or picking up the pieces. So when I started the new bigger coop, I knew it was going to be a big investment to get the hardware wire. I had been at my son's place when his kids had gone out to feed/water the chickens before school, only to come back in to let me know that 6-8 of their young pullets were destroyed, Something had torn the chicken wire and was small enough to slide thru the hogwire which was his 2nd defense.

I vowed right then that I would Never have chicken wire around where we were building....less someone just pick it up and use it. The great thing was that both my granddaughter and my grandson came down this summer and helped me with the coop. I had them doing it my way and we talked a lot about the "whys" of everything. Wanted them to one day build a coop with safety in mind and not shortcuts..

 

[PrimroseMom1]

[COLOR=800080]I have to agree.,,.,I had read a lot about the differences in the wiring so before I even got chickens, I  bought some 1/4" hardware wire and did another layer of wire. (the coop itself was a mother's[/COLOR] [COLOR=800080]it had chicken wire! I did6n't it off, I just put the new wire over the other..also buried it about a ft into the ground.. It was like a little 4'x10" Ft Knox. my dh accused me of being a little OCD about it. But I also did not want to start out by having to go out in the mornings, wondering how many I lost or picking up the pieces. So when I started the new bigger coop, I knew it was going to be a big investment to get the hardware wire.  I had been at my son's place when his kids had gone out to feed/water the chickens before school, only to come back in to let me know that  6-8 of their young pullets were destroyed, Something had torn the chicken wire and was small enough to slide thru the hogwire  which was his 2nd defense. I vowed right then that I would Never have chicken wire around where we were building....less someone just pick it up and use it.  The great thing was that both my granddaughter and my grandson came down this summer and helped me with the coop. I had them doing it my way and we talked a lot about the "whys" of everything. Wanted them to one day build a coop with safety in mind and not shortcuts..[/COLOR]

Yes! It is said that chicken wire keeps the chickens in but won't keep anything out. I kept my chicken wire. I use it around my gardens to keep the cat out and use as a temporary barrier in the chicken yard if I was to isolate a chicken in one part of the yard.