post your chicken coop pictures here!

[perchie.girl]

Takes alot of tomato leaves to be toxic...

Dawn dish soap is also a good flea shampoo. I used to buy INsecticidal soap at the feed store for flea control on the dog.

Just be aware to look up the dilution because plants require a certain amount of natural oils to protect them.

deb

 

[TJordan]

some times its just odd symptoms nothing to connect to a stroke.       I went through this my self about six weeks ago.  Thought I was having a stroke and they zoomed me to the ER.  For me it was Bells Palsy.  My smile was a half a smile six weeks ago now I have 7/8 of a smile...    Bells is a parilization of the facial nerves caused by a viral infection you get over it eventually.... scary none the less.

deb

Prayers for you.
As for my dad the doctor told my mom the stroke was clearly evident from the MRI that they faxed to him. It was even in a small side note. Hence Critical but not critical enough for the other doctor to do anything comment.

 

[lynnehd]

Quite proud...1st thing we have ever built!!

You should be proud!
Your coop looks quite secure depending on the locks/hasps you are using on the doors, etc. Do you close the 'pop' door at night?

If the dog run is only used in the day, it might be fine the way it is.
But some predators like raccoons can reach through chain link and kill chickens that get too close. So having 1/2" hardware mesh esh about 2-3 feet up the sides can help prevent this. And fanning that hardware mesh out the sides and back filling with gravel can help thwart digging predators.
It just kind of depends on where you live, and how you are using your set up.
Well done!

 

[MeepBeep]

But some predators like raccoons can reach through chain link and kill chickens that get too close. So having 1/2" hardware mesh esh about 2-3 feet up the sides can help prevent this.

IMO the run is a supervised daytime use only as built... With no roof/lid on the run skirting the lower area up 2-3 feet isn't going to stop a raccoon that will simply climb over, while coyote, fox and/or bobcat depending on location can jump a 6 foot fence... It does offer a barrier and if closed at the bottom would deter domestic dogs...

 

[gpeters3]

IMO the run is a supervised daytime use only as built... With no roof/lid on the run skirting the lower area up 2-3 feet isn't going to stop a raccoon that will simply climb over, while coyote, fox and/or bobcat depending on location can jump a 6 foot fence... It does offer a barrier and if closed at the bottom would deter domestic dogs...

IMNSHO, building any fence for chickens without a roof is pointless. Any predator can and will get in and the chickens often can fly out. My first attempt was to keep my high flying bantams in but after my friend lost 30 in one night with no top i decided the top was mandatory. Hawks and others dont care if you are home or even in the yard. Turn your back for 30 seconds and they will make a try for them. I lost 3 while outside in the yard and had no clue til i counted them at night when i locked them up. They ranged all over my property so were out of sight much of the time. I will never fence chickens without a top. The run im working on will be completely covered in 1 inch chicken wire then covered strategically with stronger wire and will have a concrete footer along the fence to prevend digging. All my projects have a long range plan. If the chickens dont use the space i will be able to covert it to a shed with little material or effort because the pole barn post structure will already be in place supporting the wire. My point is that we can not be focused on the chickens every minute we are in the yard and even if we are some predators are willing to risk it. Ive had racoons on my back porch who didnt care if i came out, they just kept poking around in my stuff and skunks arent afraid of anyone.

 

[perchie.girl]

IMNSHO, building any fence for chickens without a roof is pointless. Any predator can and will get in and the chickens often can fly out. My first attempt was to keep my high flying bantams in but after my friend lost 30 in one night with no top i decided the top was mandatory. Hawks and others dont care if you are home or even in the yard. Turn your back for 30 seconds and they will make a try for them. I lost 3 while outside in the yard and had no clue til i counted them at night when i locked them up. They ranged all over my property so were out of sight much of the time. I will never fence chickens without a top. The run im working on will be completely covered in 1 inch chicken wire then covered strategically with stronger wire and will have a concrete footer along the fence to prevend digging. All my projects have a long range plan. If the chickens dont use the space i will be able to covert it to a shed with little material or effort because the pole barn post structure will already be in place supporting the wire. My point is that we can not be focused on the chickens every minute we are in the yard and even if we are some predators are willing to risk it. Ive had racoons on my back porch who didnt care if i came out, they just kept poking around in my stuff and skunks arent afraid of anyone.

I had my last hen taken by a coyote not twenty feet from me..... she was happily digging in the horse poo and the coyote ran through the pen and grabbed her on the way. I screamed and yelled he stopped to look at me just for a moment then continued on the path he was going.

If I had had the dog with me the out come may have been different but I dont know. At any rate my next run will be 24 x 50 to start and completely fortified. a roof is out of the question but I will have Aviary netting over it. Only the Guineas will be allowed to free range. Maybe not even them.

I have Mountain lions and Bob cat along with Coyotes and All the desert predators.... raccon, fox, weasel, Owls, Hawks, even the occasional falcon. Bears are extinct here but there have been some reports...

Feral dogs are the worst.

But the best deterrent is having a good Dog to mark territory and alert when something isn't right.

deb

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

We have mountain lions, bob cats, bears, coyotes,raccoon, fox, hawk, eagles, and instead of feral dogs we have feral cats all over the place and I never had a any problems with any of those but the Hawks, every time I let them out there is a hawk circleing and the chickens go a runnin making cover for the chicken pen since there run is completely covered. It's mostly covered in chicken wire but on the other side it's tin and it used to be all tin but we made it bigger plus the wind would pick up and blew it off so I can't do that so I got some chicken wire

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

And which just yesterday I let them out and they were only out for literally a few minutes and there was a hawk circleing above them when they were in e woods and they made a run for it

 

[lynnehd]

IMO the run is a supervised daytime use only as built... With no roof/lid on the run skirting the lower area up 2-3 feet isn't going to stop a raccoon that will simply climb over, while coyote, fox and/or bobcat depending on location can jump a 6 foot fence... It does offer a barrier and if closed at the bottom would deter domestic dogs...

Yes, once the coop owner elaborates on their situation and how the run is used, you'd definitely need to do more to make it very secure.
I was trying to ease into the process. They might have dogs outside the run during the day, etc. If not, then electric wire + netting, or other options could be added.

 

[Ajensen2713]

Just finished my chicken coop/run!


Ok it is a run, there is not an actual enclosed coop section but it is completely wrapped in hardware cloth and the hardware cloth extends out on the sides at least 1 foot below the concrete block and the 3 sides of the coop are also covered with wooden lattice panels for shade, privacy and extra security.

They have a home-made gravity feeder (that I hope is weather proof) and a temporary waterer until I get the rain barrel set up.


Their roost area is protected on 3 sides from wind and rain with Suntuff's clear polycarbonante panels and the roosts, droppings board, and ramp up to the roosts are removable for cleaning.



The run is 6x10 and 7 foot at the front and 6 foot in the back so my husband and I don't have to worry about hitting our heads on anything while cleaning out the run.

They have two nest boxes which are accessible from the outside for convenient egg collection and the front lip is removable for easier cleaning.

It took about 5 weeks to complete from start to finish since I could only do so much by myself and since my husband and I are both teachers we don't always have weekends "off" if we have papers to grade and such. It could probably have been built in two solid days (one for foundation and frame, another for roof and all the hardware cloth and siding) but I liked having time to pre-paint everything and work on little things in the evenings when I had time. Overall we are very satisfied with the way it looks and the girls love it so much better than the brooder I had set up in the garage.