Ribh's D'Coopage

[Shadrach]

I will do you a sketch & try & get a picture that shows the layout better, Bob. It only looks complicated because of the angles I take my pictures from.

I have visions of you hanging off the coop roof with a camera in your hand now.

 

[Shadrach]

Here is a rough coop layout @BY Bob.
Basically it is in an L shape.
The coop is the blue square. It is raised about 4' off the ground so the girls can use the space under it & have extra shelter if needed. I have put sand @ this end for dustbathing. It is a favourite area with all the girls.
The red is raised garden beds. I have a passionfruit @ the end opposite the coop. This area is fully covered. The passionfruit is doing well & should be shading the roof area come summer, when it is really needed.
The gate leads into the run with the trees & bushes. The green is roughly where the run extension will go.

View attachment 2257523
This was the coop in the building process.
The coop run goes to the edge of the drop off on our hill & that is as far as our run extension can go too.
View attachment 2257541
It's almost impossible to show the entire layout in one shot.
We could do with more space, as Shad pointed out ~ but that is almost always the case with backyard chickens.
We've done the best we can with space & terrain limitations & tried to keep the run as interesting as possible. I will be adding some low roosts when the extension is done.

The coop could easily take another 15 chickens but there is not the run space. I really can't squeeze any more room out of what we have. We did consider enclosing under the verandah but if a chicken died under there I'd have terrible trouble retrieving her so we ditched that idea.
View attachment 2257569​

For me the great thing about your run, apart from the various bits of ground decoration is the trees and bushes in the run, or close enough to provide shelter to some degree. I was reading a coop build page here on BYC a while ago and it showed a before and after pic. Before there was uneven ground, some serious looking robust shrubs and a couple of small trees. They ripped the lot out!
In places where temperatures regularly reach above 30C trees with bushes below make better shade than just about any man made structure I can think of. I would have chickens staggering about from heat stroke here for months if it wasn't for the topography and the prevalence of trees and bushes.
Even the humble thyme bush can make excellent cover and give decent shade when large enough. The rosemary bushes that grow here are virtually indestructible and have saved a few chickens from hawk attacks over the years.

 

[Ribh]

For me the great thing about your run, apart from the various bits of ground decoration is the trees and bushes in the run, or close enough to provide shelter to some degree. I was reading a coop build page here on BYC a while ago and it showed a before and after pic. Before there was uneven ground, some serious looking robust shrubs and a couple of small trees. They ripped the lot out!
In places where temperatures regularly reach above 30C trees with bushes below make better shade than just about any man made structure I can think of. I would have chickens staggering about from heat stroke here for months if it wasn't for the topography and the prevalence of trees and bushes.
Even the humble thyme bush can make excellent cover and give decent shade when large enough. The rosemary bushes that grow here are virtually indestructible and have saved a few chickens from hawk attacks over the years.

The trees & bushes are one reason for putting the run where we did ~ plus it gets the sea breeze in summer. A few of the native things died. They don't like chicken poop. I have planted some shell ginger in one corner of the extension in the hope it will be well established before the chickens grub around it. I've covered the root system with bricks so I might be lucky. I hope so. They love the big one under my kitchen window & it will grow fast once the roots are established. It will provide a cool dark shelter from the summer heat too. I've got some elkhorns establishing too & once the man has finished with the structure I can put orchids & elks or stags on the posts where digging chickens can't uproot them.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[Ribh]

Good evening folks

Hey there, Bob. And a hug for Sue...

 

[rjohns39]

Hey there, Bob. And a hug for Sue...

How's your day been?

 

[Grammy60]

Good evening everyone

Thanks for the hug Jeannie

 

[Ribh]

How's your day been?

Noisy. The little ones weren't having a good day & it was too miserable for outside stuff. We have a few wet days coming up.

 

[rjohns39]

Noisy seems to be a constant when little ones are stuck inside.

 

[Ribh]

PICTURES FROM TODAY.

Mhari is over being broody & out of jail.

Aoife showing some attitude

Medb enjoying her dust bath.

All together now...