post your chicken coop pictures here!

[perchie.girl]

Here's ours so far. Sorry for the crappy night picture

Its a wonderful night picture.... Actually the quality shows the hardware cloth and allows the detail to be seen on the inside.

Good job on the Coop by the way

deb

 

[bruceha2000]

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!

Looks nice, love the little "chicken alley"

I would guess the cleats on the inside ramp are a bit far apart given the slope of the board but since your chickens are older, I imagine they have figured out the best way to use it. Also, I can't tell for sure but is that roost a 2x2? I can't see how a 2x4 would be supported the way the board is installed. If it is a 2x2, you might want to consider screwing a 2x4 flat side up to the top of it. Chicken toes aren't designed to grip, they are much better for standing on and scratching for insects and worms.

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

Nice. I see you have BA's. I have two, one is my best layer and favorite chicken.

Here Is mine made from a shipping crate .They freerange a section of the back yard.

What a transformation! Any inside shots?

Our Coop

Beautifully done (though *I* wouldn't give my chickens power tools!

). What are the openings behind the roost area? Not nests since I see the external nest box on the side.
A couple of things to consider.
- Looks like the roost board is a bit saggy in the middle, might want to put a support post under the middle, even if it is just a removable crutch. Boards have a way of permanently warping over time.
- If you haven't done so, a couple of feet of 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom perimeter of the run will keep critters from reaching through the chain link and killing your birds. They like to nap against a vertical surface for some reason.

My flat-pack coop assembled. It's supposed to be for 6-9 birds, but that would seem to be a bit crowded, so it's a good job I'm only getting 4 chickens.

I'm a bit concerned about that sliding door, there is a bolt for it, but the plywood is thin and has started to bend, making a gap that a fox could exploit to rip off the door.

I think you are wise to be concerned about the sliding door, especially if it is already warping. Do you have the skills (or a friend with them

) to make a proper door? I made one out of a leftover double pane window replacement (I found several brand new in the barn workshop after we bought the place, none the size of ANY windows we have) for my girls just by cutting a groove in the edge of a 2x2. I originally hinged it on the bottom so it was also a ramp since they were only 1 month old at the time but they kept pooping on it so it is now hinged on the side. The nice thing about the window (other that it was "free") is they can see out, no wire in the way.



I assume there is 1/2" hardware cloth covering the upper sliding vent door??

The ramp looks kind of steep for just the one cleat, you might want to prop the end up on a cinder block. Or get rid of the ramp entirely and put the cinderblock under the door as a step. Even young chicks can get up pretty well. We brooded ours in an unused bathtub, by 3 weeks were finding them on the bathroom floor. They couldn't get high enough to get back in the tub but had no problem getting from the bottom of the tub to the upper edge, less distance than from the ground to your coop's chicken door.

Well it's moving day for the chicks! Decided I was tired of hearing them in the house and the dust they make was really making the room a mess lol. Temps are in the 70s during the day and 40-50 at night. I put the heat lamp in and have it turned on for night time as my youngest chicks(red sex links) are just about 3 weeks and my oldest (Rhode Island reds) are 4 and a half weeks. Have the big vent in back cracked open and front window is slightly from the power cord of the heat lamp is being run out of it. So far they seem to love it. They were scared at first but have some around. None of them wanted to try walking down the ramp to go out into the run. I took 3 of them and put them outside to see what they would do and let them see some nice sunlight and bare dirt. They ended up staying under the coop pecking around down there. Maybe because the light breeze that was blowing? It was almost 80 here today so it was pretty warm out. I'm sure they will get used to it.

I have a couple more things to wire up tomorrow and I'll be done with enclosing the run and the door I made. I ran out of staples or it would already be done! Back to lowes tomorrow after opening day of turkey hunting in the morning

. Overall I don't think the run came out too bad. For using almost all scrap wood and regular chicken wire (I know not a fan favorite around here, but the coop is secure and will be shut in every night). I only bought about $25 worth of lumber. $95 worth of chicken wire. $12 in tip ties to pull the upper and lower length of wire together. $5 in staples. And a $6 screen door hardware kit. Overall dimensions of the run is about 32 ft long 26ft wide. Roughly 830 sq ft. Hopefully that's enough room?

Mine were the same way at first. WHOA TOO MUCH SCARY SPACE!!! The coop looks good and 32 x 26 is a lot more room than many chicken have but IMO you are going to want to rethink that run in the long term unless you are outside when they are. Staple gun staples will rip right out with little pressure. Any dog or coyote that hits your fence will be through in seconds.

As you noted, chicken wire isn't favored for predator proofing though a chicken wire fence will slow down the smaller ones like foxes and coons, at least until they have dug themselves an access tunnel. It is "kit season" for foxes up here I think and their "normal menu items" have not shown up yet so they hit inattentive chickens. We lost one just after 6 PM Sunday, nearly lost 2 but the second one set up a racket and we got outside before the fox did damage. All that was left of the other was several piles of feathers, no sign of her or the fox that got her. They were NOT in any sort of run however. Sad that I didn't remember that we lost one about the same time last year RIGHT behind the little barn. I am in the process of repairing the ~4' chicken wire fence the prior owner put up around the barnyard area which has deteriorated substantially (time and his design has a few structural "issues"). It won't keep the girls in, no 4' high fence will, but they might choose to stay in especially in the evening when they tend to stay closer to the buildings anyway. At least a fox won't be able to saunter over the field and snag one without first making it through the fence. I will have to be vigilant in making sure there are no entry points created. I am also considering an electro-net for next spring. It won't be nearly as much space but it will keep the foxes out and I can (I THINK) safely let them in that area even if I'm not outside or even home. They are not at all happy right now about being stuck in the barn when I can't be out playing Livestock Guardian Dad.

 

[adkhunter1590]

Thanks Bruce. Ya I know staple gun staples aren't the best to use but I hammered in a butt load of them to help that lol. Plus we are outside a lot. My wife stays home with our 3 boys and the coop and run is only about 30 ft away from the house. And my workshop/shed is only 8 ft to the right of the coop. Between kids and the German Shepard running around here all day predators stay away from the house.

I have a half mile long driveway so I'm usually piling up about 3 garbage bags outside next to the shed before I drag my butt down to the road and put it away in the garbage cans. Even sitting for a couple days (wife hates when I forget and leave them sitting lol) I never have anything tear into them.
So since I'm not too concerned with the daytime predators I chose the regular chicken wire to just keep the chicks in there more than keep predators out. We are also talking about buying a new house so there's a possibility I'm gonna have to tear this all down and start over again someplace else lol.

 

[Adorkable]

Quote:
Our Jack Russel terrier (outdoor dog) was barking like mad a few days ago and we ran out to see what it was. It was a skunk right by my largest chicken coop... it was in the afternoon some time and the girls were free ranging. So glad it didn't go and hide in the coop or kill a hen in a nest box. We tend to dispatch any predators we find lurking and let me tell ya it left a nice little smell for a couple of days

 

[rides2far]

We have tons of skunks here, I live near a large river. So far, the dogs have kept the critters from our coop. Fingers crossed!

 

[adkhunter1590]

Noticed my little ones aren't quite big enough to get up on the roost bar. So after finishing up all the wire on the run I chopped a few pieces of scrap up to make a mini roost bar/ step ladder for them. They are loving it. Jumping up and down it.

 

[Adorkable]

We have tons of skunks here, I live near a large river. So far, the dogs have kept the critters from our coop. Fingers crossed!

Eeek, we have tons of skunks too. We've shot about half a dozen this past winter that have been lurking around the coops at night. I may try and get a pyrenese puppy if the jack russel ever passes. I hear they are amazing at protecting livestock!

 

[Steve P]

Here's mine

 

[peastix]

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!

Love it! Excellent work.

 

[Red Star Hens]

One of my friends hobo looking chicken shacks.