Ribh's D'Coopage

[WhoDatChick]

The wire is done! Love how the green blends into the garden ~ & we DO NOT have predators! The wire is there to keep the chooks in, not other things out. I'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully the girls will be too.
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A determined snake could get in I suppose, but not a carpet snake ~ the only ones I've ever known to try~ mice perhaps, but not a rat, & I have a treadle feeder for just that contingency. We do have raptors, which is why it is roofed, but not foxes or the like. Other people's dogs would be more of a concern but I don't think they could either as the slabs are set in the ground.

Looking great! What is that you used to attach the wire?

I so wish we didn’t have to worry about preds.. as I would just use chicken wire.. that looks so much better than hardware cloth! My coop looks great UNTIL we attach the hardware cloth ... I’ll admit.. we do not do a very attractive job at applying it! But it’s fine cuz all I really care about is how it’ll hold up against preds of any kind... my neighbor gets rats and snakes in hers.. that’s why I did mine so secure!

 

[Ribh]

Looking great! What is that you used to attach the wire?

I so wish we didn’t have to worry about preds.. as I would just use chicken wire.. that looks so much better than hardware cloth! My coop looks great UNTIL we attach the hardware cloth ... I’ll admit.. we do not do a very attractive job at applying it! But it’s fine cuz all I really care about is how it’ll hold up against preds of any kind... my neighbor gets rats and snakes in hers.. that’s why I did mine so secure!

They are called timber fasteners. We get them @ our local hardware & use them for everything. They just hammer in & are very strong.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/coolaroo-timber-fasteners-shade-cloth-accessory-green-50-pack_p3301445

In all honesty I'm not expecting trouble even from mice. The wire gauge is small [1/2~3/4"] I think & plastic coated to prevent rust [BIG issue with our salt air]. It's also pretty strong though I haven't tested it on cockatoos, which are massively destructive & have been known to eat through entire houses. All our gaps are sealed & there's no food lying around. My storage bins are really secure too & I've never seen anything @ all round the coop apart from the stray pigeon hoping for a free handout.

Admittedly John isn't the tidiest builder around but a lot of those clips will eventually be hidden by shrubbery.

 

[Ribh]

We are done~ well, done enough to bring 8 chickens home tomorrow. The gate is hung, the nesting boxes have a lid, the windows are in & the girls have some way to get up into the coop. How well that works we will have to wait & see. It may get changed yet.

I have sand @ the back for dust bathing, logs up the front for roosting & admiring the view. Water & feed ready. The only thing we haven't done is hang the coop doors but unless the weather is really wild the coop stays warm & dry so not stressing about that. That we can do tomorrow when I get home.

Carriers in the car. Water bottles cooling. Sugar supply ready. Counting down...

 

[WhoDatChick]

We are done~ well, done enough to bring 8 chickens home tomorrow. The gate is hung, the nesting boxes have a lid, the windows are in & the girls have some way to get up into the coop. How well that works we will have to wait & see. It may get changed yet.

View attachment 1725667
I have sand @ the back for dust bathing, logs up the front for roosting & admiring the view. Water & feed ready. The only thing we haven't done is hang the coop doors but unless the weather is really wild the coop stays warm & dry so not stressing about that. That we can do tomorrow when I get home.
View attachment 1725668

Carriers in the car. Water bottles cooling. Sugar supply ready. Counting down...

YAY ... it looks fabulous!! And I CANNOT wait to see the new birds!!

I’m glad we didn’t bet

 

[Ribh]

YAY ... it looks fabulous!! And I CANNOT wait to see the new birds!!

I’m glad we didn’t bet

TY. lol I'm glad we didn't bet too. Way too stressful in this weather. The drive for my birds could be stressful ~ @ least until we're through Brisbane~ as rain is reducing visibility. *sigh* Glad I'll have my daughter along. She is supremely calm. Very little fazes her. And she knows Brisbane pretty well these days.

 

[WhoDatChick]

TY. lol I'm glad we didn't bet too. Way too stressful in this weather. The drive for my birds could be stressful ~ @ least until we're through Brisbane~ as rain is reducing visibility. *sigh* Glad I'll have my daughter along. She is supremely calm. Very little fazes her. And she knows Brisbane pretty well these days.

Well that’s good you have her.. I’ve got hubs for that.. we joke that “he’s so laid back.. he’s asleep”
Well, I knew we would get a bunch done really fast and then now we have to wait for forever to actually finish.. this is today.. and Sunday will be worse .... the shed in front of my coop (it’s actually next to it) is my pump shed.. and the ones behind are my neighbors... ignore the chair sitting in the pile of leaves .. it belongs in the coop!

 

[Ribh]

Well that’s good you have her.. I’ve got hubs for that.. we joke that “he’s so laid back.. he’s asleep”
Well, I knew we would get a bunch done really fast and then now we have to wait for forever to actually finish.. this is today.. and Sunday will be worse .... the shed in front of my coop (it’s actually next to it) is my pump shed.. and the ones behind are my neighbors... ignore the chair sitting in the pile of leaves .. it belongs in the coop!
View attachment 1726299

Ooooooh! Yep. We've had those puddles this week. Ours runs off pretty fast thankfully. That is looking soo good though! We aren't painting everything ~ one less job for me, yay! The timber is weatherproof & will blend in better left unpainted. The coop is another matter. I think the outside needs a 3rd coat but that won't be happening in this weather.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Thanks!
Ours will stay a mud hole... and that’s the yard I’m fencing for the chooks ... hoping to add dirt! Definitely adding some to the addition! I’d like to hurry cuz I moved the middles out to the big run in “see no touch” cage... and I’ll be letting them out soon and I’d like to have the addition open so they have more room to run and hide...

 

[Ribh]

They are here! Exhausted but everyone has arrived in one piece & integration going smoothly.​

 

[MaryJanet]

They're so cuuuuute! What breeds do you have there?