post your chicken coop pictures here!

[jennlynn]

Yes! We have a couple windows on that west facing wall, up top.  And the door has a couple windows we can open, too.  If I've learned anything from all my research, it's the importance of ventilation and dryness.  Thank you and I welcome any and all suggestions!

 

[jennlynn]

It's pretty shaded by trees in this part of our yard, but what would you suggest we put on top of the run for shade?

 

[lynnehd]

It's pretty shaded by trees in this part of our yard, but what would you suggest we put on top of the run for shade?

One option during the warmer months is shade cloth, over the top and perhaps 2 feet down the long sides?

 

[DanDeb]

That is one of the "works in progress" things we still have to do! Within the next couple of weeks we are going to cover half of the run with some translucent polycarbonate panels.

 

[Latestarter]

EEEEEKK!! I'm so excited to pick up our day old baby chicks in exactly 2 weeks from Ideal Poultry in Cameron, TX!
We've repurposed this metal shed with insulation and plywood walls to house our 6 new hens. I'm planning on using the "heating pad/cave method", aka mama heating pad, to keep them cozy in our house for a couple days before moving them outside here. I'm also planning to seal the floor of the coop with Blackjack #57 and using the deep litter method on top of that, which is also something I learned about researching info on this site. Thank you, people of Backyard Chickens for all the advise!

Congrats on your new chicks and

! Lots of great folks and great info here for you.

You said mama heating pad for in the house... You do know that they need to be kept at ~95F for the first week, then a 5-10 degree drop every week to 10 days over the next 3-4 weeks or so before you can "safely" put them out on their own, right? I know it's not "that cold" where you are in Austin, but it will get right chilly at night, and you folks have been down near freezing in the past I believe... The chicks can't be on their own without a broody to cover them until they are fully feathered. Maybe after you move them out you can run an extension cord to have the heat pad out in the coop for them... especially at night?

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
plain old shade cloth is a good one.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
actually the heating pad works just like the brinsea brooder both can be kept out in ambient temperatures year round in the coop. The deal is they only need enough room to come and go and nap under the brooder. Being able to get out and adjust to the temperature outside of the brooder works pretty well. Same as a broody hen. Chicks run about the hen climb about ontop of her then snuggle underneath to warm up.

I am going to build a heating pad brooder myself for Guinea Fowl.

deb

 

[jennlynn]

I should've mentioned we have electricity out there. So, yes I'm planning on moving the heating pad with them.

Congrats on your new chicks and ! Lots of great folks and great info here for you.

You said mama heating pad for in the house... You do know that they need to be kept at ~95F for the first week, then a 5-10 degree drop every week to 10 days over the next 3-4 weeks or so before you can "safely" put them out on their own, right?  I know it's not "that cold" where you are in Austin, but it will get right chilly at night, and you folks have been down near freezing in the past I believe... The chicks can't be on their own without a broody to cover them until they are fully feathered. Maybe after you move them out you can run an extension cord to have the heat pad out in the coop for them... especially at night?

 

[bruceha2000]

....

In fact, for all the room I have in the coop, all the chickens would consistently sleep on just one perch, shoulder-to-shoulder. And the rest of the time they were out and about from sunup to sundown.

My coop is a converted horse stall in an old bank barn, the "run" is the rest of the lower part of the barn. My 16 girls have 28' of roost (24' is 2 parallel 12' roosts) plus bracing at 4' high and 8' at 2' high. They generally sleep in groups, being against a wall seems to be a preferred spot. They never use the 2' high roost except to access the 4' ones. And they almost never spend any time in the coop except to roost at night, eat, drink or lay eggs during the day. If they didn't have run space far in excess of the "minimum" I suspect they would use the coop during the day as well.

Though chickens can be just about as complicated as you'd like to make them, they can also be pretty danged simple... Give them a place out of the wet and wind to roost at night. Give them some shade in the heat of the day. Give them a place to dig pits to dust bathe in. Give them some protection against predators. Make sure they have fresh (unfrozen) water every day. Give them some nutritious feed daily unless you can fully free range them.
....

Yep. Some people spend a lot more time than others. My minimum is about 5 minutes in the morning and 5 in the evening. I open the barn, give them whatever kitchen scraps I have (if not much of that, some BOSS), rake the coop (deep bedding, not real deep litter), check for eggs. At night I count them if they have been ranging outside the barn, dump in the ~1/2 gallon of feed (so they have food in the morning until I open the barn and through the day in the winter when they don't forage outside) and give them some scratch grains and close up the barn. The auto chicken door is connected to a photo cell and opens and closes the door to the coop automatically. I have chicken nipples in a pipe connected to 5 gallon drink "cooler" so about once a week I add water to it. If it is not below freezing I may or may not check for eggs during the day but when it is colder I go out every couple of hours unless I know there won't be any more that day.

Yea it is 4×8.

Heres a picture of the wellhouse i could use but its pretty old so i figured i could use parts like the roof. What do you guys think about it?

Given you live in Florida, I would cut BIG openings in the side of the coop (leaving a couple of feet at the rear so there isn't wind over the birds on the roost you will put back there) and cover them with hardware cloth on the inside. DO NOT use Arrow style staple gun staples, use poultry/fence staples or screws with washers. Make awning style windows (hinged at the top) that swing up outside the coop. If you can find some at reuse places, so much the better as far as ease of construction. I suspect they will be open most of the year where you live.

You can make an external nest box and attach it to the back so you don't need to go into the coop to collect. Make sure the roost is higher than the nests. They feel safer sleeping up high.

And you DO have weasels, you just haven't seen them because you haven't put out a buffet yet:
http://www.nsis.org/wildlife/mamm/weasel.html

I'd live in that!

You might want to use the "quote" button rather than the "reply" button. I'm not sure which coop you are willing to live in.

Congrats on your new chicks and

! Lots of great folks and great info here for you.

You said mama heating pad for in the house... You do know that they need to be kept at ~95F for the first week, then a 5-10 degree drop every week to 10 days over the next 3-4 weeks or so before you can "safely" put them out on their own, right? I know it's not "that cold" where you are in Austin, but it will get right chilly at night, and you folks have been down near freezing in the past I believe... The chicks can't be on their own without a broody to cover them until they are fully feathered. Maybe after you move them out you can run an extension cord to have the heat pad out in the coop for them... especially at night?

I am VERY surprised that you posted this Joe! The whole 24x7 95F -> 90F -> 85F thing is a crock. Yes they need a heat source. Yes they go under it (be it MHP or a brooding hen) less every day. Yes if you are using a heat lamp, it must heat the entire space 24x7 because the chicks need heat when they need it, not on a set schedule. But they do NOT need constant high temp 24x7. I watched the chicks I got on June 10th being raised by a broody. They spent more of their awake day time out from under her in 50s and 60s temps in the barn than they spent under even at 4 days of age (I got them at 3 days old). MHP mimics a brooding hen - a small warm space. They go under when they get cold, they come out when they get warm.

@Deleon98 - read through this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

 

[Latestarter]

@bruceha2000 I was kinda in a hurry and wanted to get a point across... wasn't saying they should be strapped down under a heat source... just saying something (a heat source) needs to be available for them for the first 3-4 weeks so if they DO get chilled, they can warm up. The main point being a nice warm area at first that can be adjusted down in temp over time till removed. Shouldn't have said "kept at..." Should have saidsomething more like; temp of ## "should be available" Ahhhhhhhhh I think you know what I mean.