post your chicken coop pictures here!

[Chicken Egg 17]

Ok ya I see looks good but ur weather don't look to good in the back round looks like rain

 

[timothyyoung]

The new residents have moved in to their new home.

 

[MeepBeep]

 
One problem. You are going to have to keep your chickens well fenced at all times, or that garden needs to be well fenced.

The 8x8x20 covered run will extend from the side of the coop behind the garden so they won't have access to the garden itself.

Make sure to skirt that coop to the ground, or else you are bound to have a collection of very hard to reach eggs under it...

 

[TerryH]

Make sure to skirt that coop to the ground, or else you are bound to have a collection of very hard to reach eggs under it...

Thanks. I plan to extend the siding with a cedar skit board to the ground. That's why the corner boards are long.

 

[peastix]

Some plants that aren't good for them might just be ignored. I think chickens pretty much know what they shouldn't eat. For example, hostas are supposed to be bad. We have several (been there before we owned the place) but the chickens have never touched them (other than to use them for shade). On the other hand there are two variegated ones in the front of the house that the woodchucks chew to the ground. They don't eat the all green ones though.

Unfortunately not eating them doesn't mean they won't trample them or dig up the roots.That's why I suggested baskets and pots for a start off. Planting a shrub or rose in a large pot with a chicken wire ''skirt'' also works.A pot with a wire ''cloche'' also.Just go slowly to start to avoid frustration and disappointment LOL. My chickens for instance didn't read that they weren't supposed to eat agapanthus.

 

[Sylvester017]

Unfortunately not eating them doesn't mean they won't trample them or dig up the roots.That's why I suggested baskets and pots for a start off. Planting a shrub or rose in a large pot with a chicken wire ''skirt'' also works.A pot with a wire ''cloche'' also.Just go slowly to start to avoid frustration and disappointment LOL. My chickens for instance didn't read that they weren't supposed to eat agapanthus.

I use a 2-foot roll of rubberized rabbit fencing around my potted plants and raised garden beds so the chickens can't reach the toxic tomato leaves/vines. The younger birds fly over the fence easily but after a couple times of gently picking them up or ushering them out of the area they caught on quickly that they were to stay on "their" side of the rabbit fence. It's amazing that chickens can learn so quickly. I had a new Leghorn and jittery Ameraucana that both liked to fly onto the roof of the coop but after taking them down gently a couple times, they caught on that they weren't supposed to be up there. Had a Breda that liked to follow me into the garage to lay her egg but a couple times of putting a barrier across the garage door and now she knows to stop at the open threshold when I go into the garage. Chickens do silly things but are more trainable than some dogs I've had.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Well mine must be mentally challenged because I chase them out of the flower beds like 20 times a day and as soon as u let them out they go for them

 

[lynnehd]

Well mine must be mentally challenged because I chase them out of the flower beds like 20 times a day and as soon as u let them out they go for them

They'll need some kind of 'boundry' or barrier, to help them learn.
I think the best idea is to fence them off, as mentioned by @Sylvester017

 

[Sylvester017]

Well mine must be mentally challenged because I chase them out of the flower beds like 20 times a day and as soon as u let them out they go for them

The trick might be that I use a 2-foot tall and 50-foot long roll of rabbit fencing as a fence/barrier that reminds my hens to stay on "their" side. Sometimes one of the younger hens will try to fly over the barrier or gets spooked and jumps over it but then realizes she's on the "wrong" side and tries desperately to figure how to get back on her own side. I'll gently usher her out or pick her up and put her back on the other side. I usually won't ever have the problem again as the younger hens get accustomed to the barrier. I mean, if you think about it, most chickens can just fly over our backyard fences to get out but they get trained to stay inside the yard by learning from the older hens where the parameters are for foraging. But the little fence roll is something I learned by accident when I saw how the hens came to eventually respect it. My potted containers and raised garden beds are loaded with tempting cucumbers, zucchinis, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, and melons, but the chickens respect the 2-foot rabbit fencing and don't cross it. The only chickens that had a problem respecting the barrier were the new juveniles who learned fairly quickly to stay on their own side.

 

[gpeters3]

Last shot of run in progress

Deer wire i got at lowes. Dont know if deer eat chickens but this will keep them out Decided on this since the chicken wire is 6' so i can use the same nailers for both. Deer wire is going on over the chicken wire at the bottom.

Next phase, throw the wire on. Should be fun with the overhang Probably cut holes for the rafters to keep it neat.

Didn't get an updated pic but its all cleaned up and ready for grading. Should be putting wire on tomorrow. Soon as i put the chicks in I'll post some pics. I'm pretty happy with it so far. Resolved the sewer pipe issue, all posts are perfectly plumb, dimensions are within 1/2" everywhere, I'm a happy camper finally got the back of the barn cleaned up so i can grade it to prevent water from getting under the wall and making puddles in the barn every time it rains. (Had something piled up there since i built it so couldn't get at it to grade) After all the wire is on I'll debate how to add a sliding barn door somewhere for cleaning etc.. For now it will double as a summer green house for my wife's Texas fruit trees so will need a better access door. Later i plan to close it in and heat it so i don't have to move the trees in and out of the house every season. Probably just use visqueen. (Now called "Consumer Sheeting" ?????) Wonder if chickens can harm trees planted in large pots. They might try to dig in them? I assumed they would be safe in there but maybe not?