post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Rayelene]

Not yet. They have just turned 20 weeks so I look every day now. My grandkids came and chose one chick each when they were just 5 days old and named them. They love to come out. They are all very tame and will happily climb up onto my knee for snuggles when I go out there. Quite the little characters You will hear me hooting and hollering from Auckland when I get that first egg. I've memorised who lays what colour so I"ll have an idea of who laid it lol

 

[peastix]

One of mine has been laying for several weeks now but it never gets old. Another orp just did the egg squat for me today.So not long now for her.I see you have an aracauna which lay lovely blue eggs.That will be exciting.I have an aracauna x Rhode Island Red.Her eggs will probably be green- blue.My daughter has barnvelders they lay dark brown eggs sometimes with speckles[very pretty]What a pretty egg basket you will have.

 

[Rayelene]

One of mine has been laying for several weeks now but it never gets old. Another orp just did the egg squat for me today.So not long now for her.I see you have an aracauna which lay lovely blue eggs.That will be exciting.I have an aracauna x Rhode Island Red.Her eggs will probably be green- blue.My daughter has barnvelders they lay dark brown eggs sometimes with speckles[very pretty]What a pretty egg basket you will have.

Yep my Araucana is black. Love her little high-top hair do lol. She is the only blue/green egg layer in the bunch so hers will be easy to spot.

I'm curious about what your RIR x Araucana looks like? And is your profile pic the white Orpington? Shes gorgeous

 

[peastix]

My profile picture is my splash orpington.She's a lot fatter and fluffier now.She's just got little bits of darker patches.Mostly just pale grey.The aracauna x RIR seems to have thrown mostly to the araucana side in size and colour apart from some red gold feathers on her chest she's black.Looks pretty much like yours with same hairdo! Hope your Barred rock lays before mine who is 7 months old.I keep telling her it's time for her to start earning her keep LOL.You have a great mix of breeds.How lovely to be able to get them all from 1 breeder.

 

[chicchic25]

Predators and night critters usually establish a route they constantly use. Sometimes a property is in their route and suddenly someone with chickens causes the predators to review or alter their established route if the pickin's are EASY. We have city Raccoons and Oppossums that easily climb stucco, drain gutters, block walls, chainlink, trees, etc etc etc. All us neighbors chopped down our old and dying trees, cleaned out sheds/garages, and moved or dismantled old woodpiles and abandoned equipment to discourage Rats, Skunks, loose neighborhood Pet Snakes, feral Cats, loose stray Mutts - Chiququas can squeeze through small slits in gates/fences, etc. The more secure a coop the less likely the digging or clever predators (especially 'Coons) can enter a coop. 'Coons have rubbery spines and manipulative claws for squeezing through small openings or tearing open loose wire. That's why everyone on this thread will recommend 1/2" hardwire and burying it or skirting it around the coop/pen. We didn't have to bury wire because our coop is on top of a paver stone patio and the girls are fairly safe free-foraging during the day. We have a Cooper's Hawk (chicken hawk) that will visit from time to time and can be 5 feet away from a hiding hen but won't go after it. Our Hawk only likes open range birds to swoop on as we've seen him go after the Mourning Doves mid-air. We have 3 large doghouse, a couple low lean-to's, a pop-up canopy for shade, and plants for the hens to dive into when the barnyard alert is sounded by one of the girls - we have no roo so the hens have their own warning calls. I wish the Hawk wasn't so skittish so I could catch a picture of him hanging around a hiding hen. I wouldn't leave chicks or ducklings out in an open yard until they were at least 4 or 5 months old and as big as the adult hens. I love the security you are contemplating for your flock - you'll be happy you planned for security after finding the first predator tracks around one of your pens.

Wow, very grateful for your advice, I feel we better ramp up our security a notch or 2 even more. You've given me definite food for thought here. Not sure why but I never considered a cat, that seems like such an obvious one I should've considered. Apparently, I like to live in my own blissful world where every human and animal live in perfect harmony. YIKES! Thank you again!

 

[0die]

 

[DianaMallory]

Still a work in progress but just needs some finishing touches done to it. Love my poo boards! I don't think I will ever have another coop without one!

 

[howell2510]

Built my first chicken coop this week! It took me about 5 full days to complete.

 

[Sylvester017]

Here is my first coop. The bottom is fenced in and has a lift able ramp so I can close the girls out when cleaning. I built a tray that I slide out for cleaning as well. Size is 24x48 and 2ft off the ground.

Cute little coop! It's little but chickens only use it for roosting or laying eggs. Did you add a perch? I assume you will free-range or attach a larger run?

I was reading a Scottish website that said they had customers complain about the noise of rain hitting the tin roofs scaring the hens so they started insulating the inside of the roofs. If I'm not mistaken it looks like you've got your ceiling in plywood. Nice job.

 

[Sylvester017]

Wow, very grateful for your advice, I feel we better ramp up our security a notch or 2 even more. You've given me definite food for thought here. Not sure why but I never considered a cat, that seems like such an obvious one I should've considered. Apparently, I like to live in my own blissful world where every human and animal live in perfect harmony. YIKES! Thank you again!

Predators can be anything. By cats it can also mean Lynx or Cougars as well. My DD lives in the city but her property butts up against a small nature preserve with deer, rabbits, rattlesnakes, coyotes, lynx, cougar or bear occasionally, skunks, oppossums, raccoons, rats, weasels, etc etc. I was eye to eye with a sneaky coyote one day staring at me through her iron-bar fence!