post your chicken coop pictures here!

[ozexpat]

Hi Rob

Welcome to BYC

I love the coop. It looks a lot like mine. Amacan is a good wall.

The nylon mesh will start to crack in a year so watch for that. If you can get bamboo split into thin strips to replace it in a year or so. Citi Hardware also self a PVC coated thin gauge hardware cloth for about 3000pesos fit a hundred foot roll. I have nylon mesh on walls and fish nets on the tops of my runs. The nylon gets decimated on the top in direct sunlight. I will be changing to bamboo this year on all 19 coops.

I have all sorts of breeds.

I am leaving fire USA this week but will be back before Christmas. By then I should have Jersey Giants, BBS Orps, Easter Eggers and RIR available.

I am in Negros - a ferry ride to Dumaguete then over the mountain.

 

[CliffB]

So i forgot to take a before picture but this used to be a super ugly wooden table with a tile top. Now it's a food storage bin so i don't have to walk back and forth to the house.

 

[Sylvester017]

She's an Olive Egger and she's not normally hyper. She just runs in wrong direction if she's trying to get away from what's making the noise. I have 4 EEs, one is a few days older than her and he's downright panicky. The others were never as spastic as he is...even the youngest pullet. I have a Golden Spangled Hamburg pullet whom I adore and everything I'd read about them, they're insanely flighty but not mine. She's bold and alert and she sounds the alarm when there's legitimate danger and when they all hide, she picks the best spots (I can't even find her when I know I'm looking in the area she's hidden herself). All the EE's except my 4 year old hen make themselves such easy targets; they pick the worst hiding places (like under a branch that just covers their head) and they make a lot of chatter instead of being silent. I have one who's super friendly but she gets separated from the flock a lot and stands on my front porch screeching until go out and I actually have to lead her back to the rest of them. Sometimes I wonder if they ditch her on purpose.

I'll be phasing out EE's from my flock and sticking to GS Hamburgs and Silver Laced and/or Penciled Wyandottes. I just love the heritage breeds. The girls who are here now will stay as they are pets but when it comes time to add again...I may keep only one or two EEs/OEs for the sake of a colorful egg basket.

No doubt the EEs, Ameraucanas, and OEs (if they have blue egg genetics) will have the hyper personality. The blue-egg birds are kooky spooky jittery birds but I love them because they are non-combative gentle breeds to have in a flock. In fact, they are so sweet that I won't put them with heritage dual-purpose breeds that are assertive or aggressive which contributes to stress for egg-laying breeds like the gentle EEs/Amers - I've rehomed my Marans and Leghorns because they were too aggressive toward my gentle-tempered breeds. Our Ameraucana is so gentle she never challenges even the Silkies that are half her size - Amers defend themselves only as a last resort and prefer to evade flock politics. I also like the Ameraucanas for their nice-sized eggs at 2.25 oz (same as our Legs), 5-6 eggs/week, with powder blue egg shells. OurFlyBabies.com keeps an Ameraucana flock because they will accept orphaned chicks or injured birds where other breeds are not so willing. We find it true with our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana - she never challenges new flockmates and is very patient around chicks - she lets them explore. She really missed the Dominique chick we lost to a sudden seizure and she puzzled for a couple days looking for it after it was gone - so sad. We were hoping they would grow old together since they were developing a bond.

Two sleepy chicks. The Ameraucana was so relaxed I had to hold her from slipping off my lap.


You have a feather out of place!

 

[Sylvester017]

So i forgot to take a before picture but this used to be a super ugly wooden table with a tile top. Now it's a food storage bin so i don't have to walk back and forth to the house.

If you use it as feed storage put the feed in metal locking storage pails to deter chewing critters and insects. It looks roomy enough to accommodate two medium pails!

 

[islandgirl82]

No doubt the EEs, Ameraucanas, and OEs (if they have blue egg genetics) will have the hyper personality. The blue-egg birds are kooky spooky jittery birds but I love them because they are non-combative gentle breeds to have in a flock. In fact, they are so sweet that I won't put them with heritage dual-purpose breeds that are assertive or aggressive which contributes to stress for egg-laying breeds like the gentle EEs/Amers - I've rehomed my Marans and Leghorns because they were too aggressive toward my gentle-tempered breeds. Our Ameraucana is so gentle she never challenges even the Silkies that are half her size - Amers defend themselves only as a last resort and prefer to evade flock politics. I also like the Ameraucanas for their nice-sized eggs at 2.25 oz (same as our Legs), 5-6 eggs/week, with powder blue egg shells. OurFlyBabies.com keeps an Ameraucana flock because they will accept orphaned chicks or injured birds where other breeds are not so willing. We find it true with our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana - she never challenges new flockmates and is very patient around chicks - she lets them explore. She really missed the Dominique chick we lost to a sudden seizure and she puzzled for a couple days looking for it after it was gone - so sad. We were hoping they would grow old together since they were developing a bond. Two sleepy chicks. The Ameraucana was so relaxed I had to hold her from slipping off my lap. You have a feather out of place!

Wow... your EE's are much different than mine. My top hen is an ee and two out of three 7 month old pullets are as well. Then I have my two 4 month olds; the oe and an ee cockerel. The two older ee pullets are constantly chasing and challenging the cockerel, especially when he goes after my oe. They are extremely protective of her. My top hen, SLW (second hen) and GSH ignore him unless he's muscling his way through the flock to eat first.

 

[KatinIN]

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!

 

[Sylvester017]

Wow... your EE's are much different than mine. My top hen is an ee and two out of three 7 month old pullets are as well. Then I have my two 4 month olds; the oe and an ee cockerel. The two older ee pullets are constantly chasing and challenging the cockerel, especially when he goes after my oe. They are extremely protective of her. My top hen, SLW (second hen) and GSH ignore him unless he's muscling his way through the flock to eat first.

Two sleepy chicks. The Ameraucana was so relaxed I had to hold her from slipping off my lap.

Hi islandgirl - my hen is actually not an EE - she is an APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana from a breeder. I paid $$$ to get a guaranteed blue-egg layer with full muffs/beards. My friend has an Ameraucana and 3 EEs and though similar in temperaments the Amers lay only blue eggs and not the bluish-green, mint, cream, brown, white or pink that the EEs can lay. Also, not all EEs have a generous muff/beard so again I paid $$$ to get fluffy-cheeked Amer birds. However, in comparing notes with my friend, we find the personalities of the Amers and EEs almost identical. It's just that I wanted guaranteed blue eggs so I ordered actual Amers (my avatar). Next time around I'll try an EE for fun because I love both the Amer and EE flock temperaments.

As for EE cockerels, they are so sweet they can be mercilessly chased by a gang of pullets/hens. If you want to breed your Amer cockerel put him in a separate pen with one pullet/hen at a time to avoid him getting ganged up on - it may take some rotation to find which pullet/hen and cockerel like each other - they pick favourites just like humans. My friend had to separate her EE cockerel because he was being picked on by the big hens. Cockerels - like pullets - are still maturing and it's not until about 18 months to age two that chickens reach maturity. Give your boy some time separated from the main flock but where they can still see each other so there's no pecking order lost for him. Amers/EEs are gentle creatures and their nature is to run rather than be confrontational so your sweet boy needs to grow up a bit before he's free to find mates without older or aggressive gang hens preventing him from doing his thing. I'm not surprised your SLW is top hen - this breed is a dominant personality and will be confrontational toward non-combative EEs/Amers. This is one of many reasons I don't mix confrontational breeds in a flock with non-combative gentle breeds. There are always exceptions to the rule but from experience in my own backyard I find it the best way to go to keep peace in my flock. Had to rehome nice egg-laying Leghorns and Marans because they were just too aggressive toward my gentle Silkies and Amers.

 

[Sylvester017]

Quote: This "post your chicken coop pictures here" BYC thread is loaded with photos and some even have links to their plans. Start at page one and have fun looking at all the basic to very elaborate coops to get your ideas. Just from these photos I've latched on to some ideas for myself!

 

[islandgirl82]

Two sleepy chicks. The Ameraucana was so relaxed I had to hold her from slipping off my lap.

Hi islandgirl - my hen is actually not an EE - she is an APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana from a breeder. I paid $$$ to get a guaranteed blue-egg layer with full muffs/beards. My friend has an Ameraucana and 3 EEs and though similar in temperaments the Amers lay only blue eggs and not the bluish-green, mint, cream, brown, white or pink that the EEs can lay. Also, not all EEs have a generous muff/beard so again I paid $$$ to get fluffy-cheeked Amer birds. However, in comparing notes with my friend, we find the personalities of the Amers and EEs almost identical. It's just that I wanted guaranteed blue eggs so I ordered actual Amers (my avatar). Next time around I'll try an EE for fun because I love both the Amer and EE flock temperaments.

As for EE cockerels, they are so sweet they can be mercilessly chased by a gang of pullets/hens. If you want to breed your Amer cockerel put him in a separate pen with one pullet/hen at a time to avoid him getting ganged up on - it may take some rotation to find which pullet/hen and cockerel like each other - they pick favourites just like humans. My friend had to separate her EE cockerel because he was being picked on by the big hens. Cockerels - like pullets - are still maturing and it's not until about 18 months to age two that chickens reach maturity. Give your boy some time separated from the main flock but where they can still see each other so there's no pecking order lost for him. Amers/EEs are gentle creatures and their nature is to run rather than be confrontational so your sweet boy needs to grow up a bit before he's free to find mates without older or aggressive gang hens preventing him from doing his thing. I'm not surprised your SLW is top hen - this breed is a dominant personality and will be confrontational toward non-combative EEs/Amers. This is one of many reasons I don't mix confrontational breeds in a flock with non-combative gentle breeds. There are always exceptions to the rule but from experience in my own backyard I find it the best way to go to keep peace in my flock. Had to rehome nice egg-laying Leghorns and Marans because they were just too aggressive toward my gentle Silkies and Amers.

Hi, sorry I misunderstood, when you mentioned EEs, I thought you had some. My SLW is my second hen (she was a rescue) and my top hen is an EE. As for my cockerel, he's my third EE boy. I loved my first and was devastated when I lost him to a fox (a window blew out in my barn during a blizzard and the fox took the opportunity to raid the barn, got all my ducks, my rooster and my barred rock hen, leaving me with just two girls; my EE and SLW).

My second rooster was another EE and he wouldn't leave my girls alone, particularly my SLW. He had them so stressed out that they stopped laying. They had begun laying again after their molt and were steady for a couple of months until I added him. He was also a liability for their safety. He would continuously chase them away from me and actually started chasing them right into traffic so I culled him.

I brought the first egg we got after he was gone to my son's kindergarten class this past spring to place in an incubator along with eggs from another chicken enthusiast and some duck eggs. I didn't expect it to be fertile but low and behold, we have our third and final EE rooster. When I brought him home, the other woman who had brought in chicken eggs sent my son and me home with our little OE as well as she didn't want our boy to be lonely. I do not intend to breed him as I will be phasing out EE's from my flock. He is, for now, my son's pet. We've made every effort we can to tame him and make sure that he's respectful but not afraid of us to try to prevent him from chasing my flock away from us and become another liability to my girls. However, my children fully understand that he will not be staying here if he becomes a danger to anyone's safety and/or well being. He's been testing me and my dog (180lb Newfoundland). He has asserted himself to my dog though the dog ignored him but he almost lost his head when he bit me. Literally. My dog didn't take kindly to it and if I hadn't called him off, he would have had a chicken dinner (and no, he never got ahold of him...just snapped at him from the other side of a bench). We haven't had any issues since though.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi, sorry I misunderstood, when you mentioned EEs, I thought you had some. My SLW is my second hen (she was a rescue) and my top hen is an EE. As for my cockerel, he's my third EE boy. I loved my first and was devastated when I lost him to a fox (a window blew out in my barn during a blizzard and the fox took the opportunity to raid the barn, got all my ducks, my rooster and my barred rock hen, leaving me with just two girls; my EE and SLW).

My second rooster was another EE and he wouldn't leave my girls alone, particularly my SLW. He had them so stressed out that they stopped laying. They had begun laying again after their molt and were steady for a couple of months until I added him. He was also a liability for their safety. He would continuously chase them away from me and actually started chasing them right into traffic so I culled him.

I brought the first egg we got after he was gone to my son's kindergarten class this past spring to place in an incubator along with eggs from another chicken enthusiast and some duck eggs. I didn't expect it to be fertile but low and behold, we have our third and final EE rooster. When I brought him home, the other woman who had brought in chicken eggs sent my son and me home with our little OE as well as she didn't want our boy to be lonely. I do not intend to breed him as I will be phasing out EE's from my flock. He is, for now, my son's pet. We've made every effort we can to tame him and make sure that he's respectful but not afraid of us to try to prevent him from chasing my flock away from us and become another liability to my girls. However, my children fully understand that he will not be staying here if he becomes a danger to anyone's safety and/or well being. He's been testing me and my dog (180lb Newfoundland). He has asserted himself to my dog though the dog ignored him but he almost lost his head when he bit me. Literally. My dog didn't take kindly to it and if I hadn't called him off, he would have had a chicken dinner (and no, he never got ahold of him...just snapped at him from the other side of a bench). We haven't had any issues since though.

How interesting about your hens, cockerels, and dog. I LUV Newfies! I won't have a breed with long fur though because of our hot climate. I've had Pomeranian, Border Collie, Old Boston Bulldogge (Boston Terriers were bred originally from the OBBD), Rottweilers, and my DD has had Rhodesian Ridgeback, Shepherd mix, and now a Pitbull mix (Pits are sweet with humans and family but they seem to hate other animals!) We currently opted to have chickens rather than any more dogs/cats. The chickens are more independent yet still are a joy as pets.

Everyone has their favourite breeds or particular favourite individual within a breed. So far we've been delighted with the Ameraucana and my friend has picked Amers and EEs as her favourites as far as temperament and outstanding egg-laying - she sells eggs so needs a flock that produces well plus gets along with each other. We are phasing out and not replacing any Marans varieties because their temperaments can be so varied and unpredictable and the Leghorn is a wonderful layer but too assertive in a gentle flock. We don't get Wyans because it's 50/50 about how nice they'll be in a flock - MyPetChicken.com lists them as having a "dominanat" personality and I know a couple people who rehomed their aggressive Wyans. We've had both BRs and Doms and prefer the easy-going feed-efficient lightweight Doms.

Other than our one little Silkie roo who was supposed to be a "pullet" I've not had experience with cockerels. Hens without roos will establish an alpha who at times can behave like a male, jumping other hens, sounding yard alerts, calling to and dropping food purposely for the lesser hens to eat - fascinating animals.

Currently with our little backyard coop we want only easy-going breeds to share the small space. They free-range all day and put themselves away in the evening sometimes following single file into the coop - so fun to watch.