post your chicken coop pictures here!

[canehdianchick]

I tossed one of the kids balls in to see if they would play with it. No action yet. Mirrors are ok as long as they are not Cardinals. They will kill themselves flying into the mirror thinking their reflection is a rival. I witnessed that on a school bus with convex mirrors. Im surprised he didnt kill himself.

I am thinking hanging a mirror will be an easier way to extend the lighting in our coop than installing another window. There is just one small window and the run access plus one bulb to add lighting to the coop. Will monitor how they do without! Tonight they are out of their original brooder, and into the coop!!! Eeeee!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

At least I'm not alone.

Tell me about it I have been trying to get he breeding pen built for my silkies I just got but with this rain and then the 80 degree heat flash after the rain stops and now all weekend it's to rain so I don't think I am getting much done unless I move it under the tin in the chicken pen idk well see.

 

[bruceha2000]

Mine are all still pullets I think? So I wonder if that accounts for that? Some of the eggs have gotten bigger but not the EEs really. I haven't officially measured any on a digital scale but have the incredible egg scale and the one EE eggs are consistently off the scale so XL/Jumbo. Sometimes she lays normal sized ones but even those are big. I might try a digital scale soon

That is why I got the digital scale rather than the Incredible Egg scale. It doesn't have the needed range. How do you know that your girl laid a 114g egg if anything over 71g is OFF the scale? And how about the TINY 4g egg I got some weeks back or the 16g egg 2 days ago?

Yes, my girls all started with pullet eggs that got bigger as the girls got bigger. That can easily take 3-4 months.

here's our homemade one.. dog kennel and dog house repurposed. we live in Arizona so put up a mister for those really hot days for the girls.

Given your climate, I would make sure that coop has a TON of ventilation. Otherwise it will be roast chicken, they can't take off their down coats. And create out of the coop shade spots, my girls spend ALL their time in the shade other than early and late in the day.

This has been playing on my mind since we built the new coop so I am going to share.

For the three years I have had chickens and they have had a kit coop onto which another kit coop was added, multiple renovations and extensions etc over time, providing enough room for nesting and roosting without being cramped, I have been telling people that because of our sub tropical climate “the gals do not spend any time in the coop except to lay an egg or roost and the rest of the time they are out and about in the run” or supervised free ranging.

I honestly thought that this was what they preferred to do and they could have hung around in the coop if they chose to.

Now they have had their new beaut, super sized, high coop I have to admit I was wrong and apparently it was not the climate that was the reason for them not spending time in the coop.

Every morning they wander down the ramp and wait for me to deliver breakfast, then they all wander back up again and have what I call their mothers’ meeting and many times throughout the day I can look out the window and no chickens in the run .. they are hanging around in the coop, having a roost, having a natter, nanna nap etc.

I love the fact that they love their new coop but feel bad that I had it wrong for three years.

I remember reading in here, someone said something along the lines of just because the chickens tolerate it, does not mean that it is the best thing for them or what they actually want … so True!

Depends on where it is hotter I think. If it is cooler in the new big coop than it is out in the run, yes they will go in the coop. My coop is a converted horse stall in an old barn so they have all day indoor shade if they want it. Thus, they never go in the coop during the day except to lay or eat chicken feed. They either hang in the indoor run or in some shady spot outside the barn.

I still have a few more things to do and it isn't done yet... We have a second run just across from the main coop/run and I'm thinking of extending the size of our main coop.

First time chicken owner... We were going to order 12, then the minimum was 25 so we thought...why not? And ended up with 26 chicks!

I've been putting a lot of elbow grease in to the coop from its original condition.




I ended up painted the whole inside, hanging stairs, new perches etc etc. You can see a few of the upgrades inside in the one picture.

And here is our outside of the coop as of today! More to come

So happy with it so far!!! 2 weeks of chipping away! The run needs netting over the top as we deal with a lot of birds of prey. We also installed a new gate and need a new window still as a grizzly ruined the last window.

Wish us luck. Coyotes, wolves, bears, birds, and more for our ladies to worry about.


F

Looks like you did a lot of work, but I think I see a ventilation problem. The window is right in front of the roost. No way to get air moving through the coop without it blowing on the birds.

And I know a lot of work went into building those steps to the roost but don't be surprised to find them covered with poop. Chickens are really good at pooping, wherever they happen to be when the urge strikes.

BTW: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update
Far better way to raise the chicks than a 24x7 heat lamp.

I am thinking hanging a mirror will be an easier way to extend the lighting in our coop than installing another window. There is just one small window and the run access plus one bulb to add lighting to the coop. Will monitor how they do without! Tonight they are out of their original brooder, and into the coop!!! Eeeee!

If they have other chicks to play with, not sure why they would care about a mirror. Then again, my girls don't have a mirror so I don't know if they would look in it or not.

 

[canehdianchick]

That is why I got the digital scale rather than the Incredible Egg scale. It doesn't have the needed range. How do you know that your girl laid a 114g egg if anything over 71g is OFF the scale? And how about the TINY 4g egg I got some weeks back or the 16g egg 2 days ago? 

Yes, my girls all started with pullet eggs that got bigger as the girls got bigger. That can easily take 3-4 months.


Given your climate, I would make sure that coop has a TON of ventilation. Otherwise it will be roast chicken, they can't take off their down coats. And create out of the coop shade spots, my girls spend ALL their time in the shade other than early and late in the day.


Depends on where it is hotter I think. If it is cooler in the new big coop than it is out in the run, yes they will go in the coop. My coop is a converted horse stall in an old barn so they have all day indoor shade if they want it. Thus, they never go in the coop during the day except to lay or eat chicken feed. They either hang in the indoor run or in some shady spot outside the barn.


Looks like you did a lot of work, but I think I see a ventilation problem. The window is right in front of the roost. No way to get air moving through the coop without it blowing on the birds. 

And I know a lot of work went into building those steps to the roost but don't be surprised to find them covered with poop. Chickens are really good at pooping, wherever they happen to be when the urge strikes.

BTW: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update
Far better way to raise the chicks than a 24x7 heat lamp.


If they have other chicks to play with, not sure why they would care about a mirror. Then again, my girls don't have a mirror so I don't know if they would look in it or not.

Thank you for all your input! Definitely a beginner!!!

I was a little worried about ventilation and have been watching it as we've had some warmer days up here in North West Canada and it's already feeling like its gonna be a warm summer!!! There are a few holes to outside in the ceiling space that gets a lot circulation as we tend to always have a bit of coastal wind here-- with the window open and those gaps there is better movement for sure but it's still something I'm going to watch and maybe grab a hole saw and add some holes. fThere is also a gap between the nesting boxes into the store room and another window in there and during the day I've had the door to the storage space open while working in the coop and we have had good air flow doing that. In hot days I have to go open the door in the green house to keep it from getting too hot in there and figured I could do the same with the girls --- they will have access to the run too during those hot days. Definitely a concern I had already and will watch.

Love the heat pad huts idea!!!! Will be better than the worry of the heat lamp. We are almost done with the lamp for these chicks ... By the time I got a pad they'd be without.. But for winter time it may be perfect.

I may play the mirror by ear.. Was more for light than anything but it could increase heat too.

I expected the steps to be a cleaning pain but they are super nice for sitting out and hanging with the girls... As well as working around the coop and reaching everything. They are easily removable if they end up too gross all the time.

Thank you so much again! Gonna do the play it by ear and see what works and alter when it doesn't feel right. Definitely want a heat pad now.

 

[bruceha2000]

They may not be as nice for sitting on once the birds get done "redecorating" them

Guess you can always bring a towel to sit on while visiting them.

They need good ventilation in the winter and that is when the airflow over the birds will be the biggest problem. Hard to stay warm if your "blanket" keeps getting ruffled. If you have gaps (covered with 1/2" hardware cloth of course) up high and down lower such that the air moving up and out is NOT directly over the birds that would be ideal. Poor ventilation in winter is bad because of humidity (think frostbite) and ammonia buildup (think chicken poop). Both need to be moved out. The chickens' permanent down coats will keep them warm.

 

[canehdianchick]

Thank you!! I will start patching. The ones in the nesting box open to another closed off room (unless the window / door are open) but the ones in the ceiling we can definitely handle. I'm a bit of a helicopter chicken parent so I'm hoping I will be monitoring enough to see how they are handling the climate as it goes.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Had a big huge response typed up then my phone died

Anyways, interesting discussion on egg color!! Now I eventually want all those lol

As for chickens, we actually already have Buff Orps. We got our chicks in October, 9 of them (2 of each breed and a free one). One Barred Rock died at 6 days old so now we have 8 but yeah. We love them. We have 1 Barred Rock, 2 Black Australorps, 3 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Easter Eggers. I was more just thinking about next year if and/or when we add more chicks. I have heard mixed things about the Wyandottes. Some say they're really nice and others say they can be mean. Some say they are only mean or bossy when adding new chicks. So I wonder if being the new additions themselves they wouldn't be bossy? They are gorgeous so that's why I wanted to add them but not if it will cause drama. The Australorps can be mean to the Orpingtons but seem to have settled down some. I may just add more Barred Rocks, some different colored Orpingtons, and Speckled Sussex. Maybe the Dominique or Breda you mention. Those seem like nice, calm, fairly gentle breeds yet still gorgeous.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh and for the scale i was just curious and didn't need exact measurements but you're right that it's nice to know so I'll start measuring. I got a bathroom scale a couple weeks ago but also got a kitchen scale at the same time that i haven't opened yet so I will open it and use it if it's safe to put eggs directly on it if I'm putting other stuff on it. Should probably use containers anyways. But I'm running between 195 and 200 when I used to be 165 and have only gained since late last summer/this past fall till now so I really need to lose so gonna need to start using it anyway. Don't even really necessarily need it though. Just need to stop with the sugar and junk food lol

 

[gpeters3]

Got the horizontal nipples today. The water level is going down and I can't see any leaks so they must be drinking. I put a hanging drinker in the run to be safe and they are also using it. After I get the new nipples installed I will remove the drinker and see how they do. According to the data in the package you can put the nipples as low as 8" from the floor but they also state what common sense tells you. that it is better at neck level. I've watched the turkeys squat down and crane their necks to drink from the vertical ones so it's probably not as big a deal as I thought but the horizontal nipples will give them a higher level so they won't have to crouch.

These nipples have 2 channels, a short one and a longer one. I'm thinking the longer one should be on the bottom to hold a little puddle of water. They should work the same as the vertical ones by dripping a drop at a time into their mouth but the extra puddle can't hurt Interestingly, the data doesn't specify any rotary position. You would think that might be important, eh? I'll get some close up's after I get them installed so you can see how I oriented them.

 

[Rimdozer]

Wow lots of awesome coops in this thread I enjoyed the pictures. I am new to BYC and just posted my coop design feel free to take a look any feedback would be nice. The kids would love to hear what people have to say

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1105807/our-chicken-coop