post your chicken coop pictures here!

[perchie.girl]

Thanks for all of these great ideas! We're in Baltimore and our coop has to be moved frequently. This is a challenge because we happen to be in a wooded area where there are foxes, hawks, owls, snakes, and raccoons, never mind dogs and cats. Still trying to figure out how to make it mobile but really secure. From my understanding the hardware cloth for a pen needs to be dug into the ground to keep critters from digging under and nabbing my birds, but I don't see that it is possible... So our coop is done, but the run, not so much....

Portable coops or chicken tractors come in a WIDE variety of sizes.... from just big enough for one or two hens to one I saw that could handle 100. (towed along by a tractor to weed an orchard).

There is a way to step around having to do hadware coth dug into the ground. Its calld a skirt or apron. around the base of the coop you wire in a flap of hardware cloth just along the base of the coop... When you roll your tractor into its next spot you drop the flaps down.... Dogs or other digging creatures tend to go up against the coop to start their digging.... nails catch on the apron and they give up.

Another thing you can do is string hot wire around the base of the coop about three to six inches off the ground Then use a solar charger for that hotwire.... the solar charger stores up energy as well as providing a shock during the day will provide a shock at night.

Me in my neck if the world I would run both. yOud think there werent very many predators here in the desert... I have mountain lion, Bobcat, Coyotes, Owls, Redtailed hawk, Raccons,... About the only thing we dont have is bears...

Oh and the wild life is only half as bad as feral dogs or dogs allowed to run in packs....

If you have a dog of your own and they are good being around chickens they are probably the best defense because they mark their territory.

This illustration was shared by @aart on another list at

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/861183/making-a-coop-skirt



the illustration shows hex... but its easier to see in a sketch than hardwarecloth.

Hope this helps.

deb

 

[Tomhusker]

Built and installed the pop door today. Here is the door assembly (yes, that's a cutting board) :

We wanted to make the door heavier so my son went to work carving this piece that holds 8 five ounce sinkers from my tackle box :

 

[HollyBchicken]

Thanks Deb! We'll give that a try. They spent their first night out in their coop last night. I didn't sleep a wink

 

[yolksonus]

This is such a beautiful set up!!!!!! I love how you have the coop and covered run so neatly enclosed in an uncovered run area.

 

[bruceha2000]

Portable coops or chicken tractors come in a WIDE variety of sizes.... from just big enough for one or two hens to one I saw that could handle 100. (towed along by a tractor to weed an orchard).

There is a way to step around having to do hadware coth dug into the ground. Its calld a skirt or apron. around the base of the coop you wire in a flap of hardware cloth just along the base of the coop... When you roll your tractor into its next spot you drop the flaps down.... Dogs or other digging creatures tend to go up against the coop to start their digging.... nails catch on the apron and they give up.

Another thing you can do is string hot wire around the base of the coop about three to six inches off the ground Then use a solar charger for that hotwire.... the solar charger stores up energy as well as providing a shock during the day will provide a shock at night.

Me in my neck if the world I would run both. yOud think there werent very many predators here in the desert... I have mountain lion, Bobcat, Coyotes, Owls, Redtailed hawk, Raccons,... About the only thing we dont have is bears...

Oh and the wild life is only half as bad as feral dogs or dogs allowed to run in packs....

If you have a dog of your own and they are good being around chickens they are probably the best defense because they mark their territory.

This illustration was shared by @aart on another list at

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/861183/making-a-coop-skirt



the illustration shows hex... but its easier to see in a sketch than hardwarecloth.

Hope this helps.

deb

I don't recall exactly where I saw it on the internet yesterday but someone makes a fence roll that has a hinged bottom panel specifically for this purpose.

Built and installed the pop door today. Here is the door assembly (yes, that's a cutting board) :
We wanted to make the door heavier so my son went to work carving this piece that holds 8 five ounce sinkers from my tackle box :

NICE - love the cutting board repurpose

 

[Ilene]

Hi Deb,

Thanks for that very informative response and your funny stories.
I actually don't have any roosters, only hens. That could be why I'm not dealing with any major dominance issues?
There is definitely a pecking order among the hens but nothing aggressive.

Ilene

 

[Ilene]

Great information. Thank you so much.
Considering most of mine are of the breeds that you said were mostly non-combative (Ameracauna, Favorolle, Brahman),
I'm hoping I'll be ok. So far my Orpington's seem quite passive, although they're only 1 year old (you said one of yours
suddenly became very aggressive at 3 years old). And I'll have 3 Wynadottes, hopefully they'll be ok too.
Thanks again.

 

[diggergal]

Here is mine. Established 2011. 8 ft x 20 coop with an 8 x 8 ft area inside for the chickens and the rest storage.

It has an attached covered run 8 x 36 ft. On the back of the coop under the roof eve is a screened vent.

 

[Mims]

Here is mine. Established 2011. 8 ft x 20 coop with an 8 x 8 ft area inside for the chickens and the rest storage. It has an attached covered run 8 x 36 ft. On the back of the coop under the roof eve is a screened vent.

Oh no you don't!! We need more pics than that! Your coop looks great!

 

[nordicacres]

Here is mine. Established 2011. 8 ft x 20 coop with an 8 x 8 ft area inside for the chickens and the rest storage.

It has an attached covered run 8 x 36 ft. On the back of the coop under the roof eve is a screened vent.

I love this, great job! Would love to see more pics