The Front Porch Swing

[Blooie]

Oh, Blooie, you are a hoot! Every coop has its own charm...even my little hodge podge hoop coop will never and could never look like some of the nice coops out there....but I built it myself and of that I can be proud. You go ahead and be proud of your little coop for that reason...no telling what it will look like by the time you get done tweaking things here and there!

Could you take some close up pics of the places you are debating and where they are on the coop so we can understand your dilemma? Could be someone here would have a good idea that will help you make the needed changes.

Okay, but promise you won't laugh!


We had about an hour and half of sunshine - when we were almost finished! LOL Originally the pop door would have come in almost at the corner on the left as you're looking at it. The run will attach between the people door and the pop door.

The roost...see why we moved the heat lamp? That's an remote thermometer under there. The unpainted area to the left is where the nest boxes might be.


The rest of the nest box is on the right, the pop door on the left. See what I mean about the proximity to the incoming ramp? That's my concern. The ladder will practically block one nest, unless I can have there be a platform landing and then have the ramp jog to the left of the door, which is a possibility.


The people door! It has two latches - an upper one and then a lower one which is a locking gate latch. No critter's gonna be able to pull the bottom open and sneak in - unless he wants Jane - them I might let him in.


The roost and my ever present "baby bobble". It's what Katie started calling my cup and it's stuck ever since.


Where we decided to put the lamp until they get acclimated. It's not as low as it looks....I was looking down at it from the ladder when took it.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks Bee. The lady selling these dogs says that their temperament is not bad too. I tell ya what, last year it would have been nice to have one with all the break-ins happening all around us - and I mean right next door and several just down the road! And you are so right about the hair and the heat here, and I really don't care for dogs with a lot of hair anyhow.

The GPs will shed about 3 dogs per year...seriously. My sister used to breed GPs and she made actual garments out of their hair. They have an amazing coat of hair that is a double coat...many shave them in the summer but they are only making the dog hotter when they do so, as that double coat actually insulates them from the heat as well as the cold. In this pic someone has not only clipped their GP but they've also groomed out the fine coat underneath the guard hairs. You can see how much hair the dog retains even with all that gone.



Their undercoat of hair is fine, silky and blow away and needs combed out frequently or it will mat and form big balls of tangled mess. Most farmers don't even bother to comb this out and the dogs will bit them out and such.

When spring came it seemed like I would comb Lucy for hours and never really get to the bottom of her spring blow out...there would be piles of white fluff and I'd be sneezing by the time it was all done...and then it was never really done. And she was only half GP!

That's another thing I'm thinking of when getting this dog....all the coat maintenance that will be needed. And they have this sour dog smell from that double coat that you can wash away all you want but it will come right back, post haste.

 

[rrrmamma]

Bee, We brought the Mom and pup GP's home yesterday. I took Mamma
Katy in to my vet today. I had her micro chipped because they do like to roam. I am going to have her spayed as soon as her milk dries up.
My only issue is the night-time barking. I did not sleep well last
night. Today on a leash she helped me put the chickens away. Very
calmly and efficiently herded them to their coop. We really got her
for the cattle. I just wanted to see how well she worked. I was
impressed. She is sweet and loving and everything I expected from a
Great Pyr. I got a new camera today so tomorrow I should have pics of Mom and pup. If it is supposed to be,you will get the dog. They are a little hard headed about discipline, but if anyone can train them
you can do it. I found the pup on CL and had my doubts about getting it. When we met the owners we were convinced. Mom and Dad were on the property. They were raised with goats, alpacas, and chickens. The
owners were homesteaders like us with about 6 months more experience. We shared resources and they gave us info on how to get grants to
develop the farm and how to register as a farm for tax purposes. I
am going to go to some bee meetings with her as we both belong to the same bee club. They are going to let us use there sawmill and they
are going to use our chicken plucker. We not only gained two working dogs but made two new friends.
God works in mysterious ways.

 

[Triple Willow]

That's really great rrrmama. Sounds like you got some great dogs and made some great friends. It's nice to have like minded friends. I bet in days to come y'all will help each other out a lot.

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, but promise you won't laugh!


We had about an hour and half of sunshine - when we were almost finished! LOL Originally the pop door would have come in almost at the corner on the left as you're looking at it. The run will attach between the people door and the pop door.

The roost...see why we moved the heat lamp? That's an remote thermometer under there. The unpainted area to the right is where the nest boxes might be.


The rest of the nest box is on the left, the pop door on the right. See what I mean about the proximity to the incoming ramp? That's my concern. The ladder will practically block one nest, unless I can have there be a platform landing and then have the ramp jog to the left of the door, which is a possibility.


The people door! It has two latches - an upper one and then a lower one which is a locking gate latch. No critter's gonna be able to pull the bottom open and sneak in - unless he wants Jane - them I might let him in.


The roost and my ever present "baby bobble". It's what Katie started calling my cup and it's stuck ever since.


Where we decided to put the lamp until they get acclimated. It's not as low as it looks....I was looking down at it from the ladder when took it.

May I make a few suggestions that may help you in the long run? You will want those roosts higher....about a foot higher than your nest box height. Where they are both currently located you will have birds sleeping in your nest boxes and pooping there. Always keep roosting higher than the nest boxes by a foot or more if you can get it. The walk bars you place in front of your nest will help your chickens mount up to the roosts above, so you won't have to worry about them getting up to the higher roosts. Chickens LOVE looking out the window as they sit on the roosts, so this will make them most content.

I'm not sure why you are having a ramp UP to a pop door from the inside of your coop, but why not locate your pop down at the floor level and right beside the people door so that it's easier to open and close and no ramp is needed. As long as you have a lip on that pop door you'll be able to keep your bedding inside and if you place it low you won't need a ramp for going out or coming in.

Another thing I think you will want before long is MUCH more light and air in that coop. You really cannot have too much of either one and it looks very closed up, which is a recipe for disaster. That huge expanse of wall next to your people door? That would be an excellent place to open up a huge, wire covered window/hole and you won't regret it....the chickens will be healthier for it and you will love it too along about mid summer and things start to smell. A whole section between your braces about 2 ft up from the base and extending to the height of the door oughta do it, about smack dab in the middle of that wall would be the place I'd choose. You think you can get hubby to take a sawsall to that and cut a hole?

I guarantee you won't regret it.

 

[Triple Willow]

The GPs will shed about 3 dogs per year...seriously. My sister used to breed GPs and she made actual garments out of their hair. They have an amazing coat of hair that is a double coat...many shave them in the summer but they are only making the dog hotter when they do so, as that double coat actually insulates them from the heat as well as the cold. In this pic someone has not only clipped their GP but they've also groomed out the fine coat underneath the guard hairs. You can see how much hair the dog retains even with all that gone. Their undercoat of hair is fine, silky and blow away and needs combed out frequently or it will mat and form big balls of tangled mess. Most farmers don't even bother to comb this out and the dogs will bit them out and such. When spring came it seemed like I would comb Lucy for hours and never really get to the bottom of her spring blow out...there would be piles of white fluff and I'd be sneezing by the time it was all done...and then it was never really done. And she was only half GP! That's another thing I'm thinking of when getting this dog....all the coat maintenance that will be needed. And they have this sour dog smell from that double coat that you can wash away all you want but it will come right back, post haste.

Holy cow! And I thought my little AussieXLab mix was bad! LOL When I start pulling out his winter coat it looks like dead rabbits laying in the yard! lol He gets those matts too. I have to cut them off.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee, We brought the Mom and pup GP's home yesterday. I took Mamma Katy in to my vet today. I had her micro chipped because they do like to roam. I am going to have her spayed as soon as her milk dries up. My only issue is the night-time barking. I did not sleep well last night. Today on a leash she helped me put the chickens away. Very calmly and efficiently herded them to their coop. We really got her for the cattle. I just wanted to see how well she worked. I was impressed. She is sweet and loving and everything I expected from a Great Pyr. I got a new camera today so tomorrow I should have pics of Mom and pup. If it is supposed to be,you will get the dog. They are a little hard headed about discipline, but if anyone can train them you can do it. I found the pup on CL and had my doubts about getting it. When we met the owners we were convinced. Mom and Dad were on the property. They were raised with goats, alpacas, and chickens. The owners were homesteaders like us with about 6 months more experience. We shared resources and they gave us info on how to get grants to develop the farm and how to register as a farm for tax purposes. I am going to go to some bee meetings with her as we both belong to the same bee club. They are going to let us use there sawmill and they are going to use our chicken plucker. We not only gained two working dogs but made two new friends. God works in mysterious ways.

I love this!!! What a great barter! Don't you just love those kinds of encounters? Such an intricate way that God works out things and so much more interesting than we ever could imagine.

That is why I'm always looking for His handiwork....it's exciting following Christ and I think the world misses out on that when they think it's all about what you cannot do. They miss how exciting it is to see the Creator direct your pathways into new and interesting avenues you would have never gone on your own and following a Guide you can trust with your life, heart and soul.

That's how this thing with the GP dog worked today...strange that I would see the ad(circumstances led up to it), strange that many were interested in the dog but never followed through, strange that the man will be out of town for the rest of the week and so will we, so it's not likely that anyone else will get this dog before we can see him, strange that Mom would agree to it.

And it may not even be the dog or getting the dog that is the purpose for meeting this man...we've had such things happen in just that way and we always shake our heads at the mysterious ways that God will work to get us at a certain place, at a certain time, to meet a certain person. It may only be for the few words we exchange that planted a seed that we didn't even know we were sent to plant and we may never know the long reaching results of just those few words~on them, on us, or even on both parties.

I love living life according to what God wants because I never know what wonderful thing He is going to do next that thrills me with wonder and causes me to respect Him all the more.

And such is the excitement of following the Holy Spirit's promptings in such things, even when they seem very mundane...like going to see about a dog that one doesn't really need.

 

[luvblues7]

I love this!!! What a great barter!  Don't you just love those kinds of encounters?  Such an intricate way that God works out things and so much more interesting than we ever could imagine. 

That is why I'm always looking for His handiwork....it's exciting following Christ and I think the world misses out on that when they think it's all about what you cannot do.  They miss how exciting it is to see the Creator direct your pathways into new and interesting avenues you would have never gone on your own and following a Guide you can trust with your life, heart and soul. 

That's how this thing with the GP dog worked today...strange that I would see the ad(circumstances led up to it), strange that many were interested in the dog but never followed through, strange that the man will be out of town for the rest of the week and so will we, so it's not likely that anyone else will get this dog before we can see him, strange that Mom would agree to it. 

And it may not even be the dog or getting the dog that is the purpose for meeting this man...we've had such things happen in just that way and we always shake our heads at the mysterious ways that God will work to get us at a certain place, at a certain time, to meet a certain person.   It may only be for the few words we exchange that planted a seed that we didn't even know we were sent to plant and we may never know the long reaching results of just those few words~on them, on us, or even on both parties.

I love living life according to what God wants because I never know what wonderful thing He is going to do next that thrills me with wonder and causes me to respect Him all the more.  e

And such is the excitement of following the Holy Spirit's promptings in such things, even when they seem very mundane...like going to see about a dog that one doesn't really need.   

And all God's people said......
AMEN!

 

[Triple Willow]

TW, here is a link to an incredibly nice lady who breeds these two breeds in question and might put your mind at ease about the Ani's.  She is an excellent breeder that socializes and trains her pups to livestock and people...and I mean she actually has several tests she puts them through and they have to pass before she ever lets them leave her possession.  She is dedicated and knowledgeable about these dogs and I've not seen too many others who have her insight into them....think about picking her brain before making a decision and take a look at her wonderful dogs~they are amazing! 

http://www.backyardherds.com/members/southern-by-choice.6771/

Thank you for the link and the info.

 

[Blooie]

May I make a few suggestions that may help you in the long run? You will want those roosts higher....about a foot higher than your nest box height. Where they are both currently located you will have birds sleeping in your nest boxes and pooping there. Always keep roosting higher than the nest boxes by a foot or more if you can get it. The walk bars you place in front of your nest will help your chickens mount up to the roosts above, so you won't have to worry about them getting up to the higher roosts. Chickens LOVE looking out the window as they sit on the roosts, so this will make them most content.

I'm not sure why you are having a ramp UP to a pop door from the inside of your coop, but why not locate your pop down at the floor level and right beside the people door so that it's easier to open and close and no ramp is needed. As long as you have a lip on that pop door you'll be able to keep your bedding inside and if you place it low you won't need a ramp for going out or coming in.

Another thing I think you will want before long is MUCH more light and air in that coop. You really cannot have too much of either one and it looks very closed up, which is a recipe for disaster. That huge expanse of wall next to your people door? That would be an excellent place to open up a huge, wire covered window/hole and you won't regret it....the chickens will be healthier for it and you will love it too along about mid summer and things start to smell. A whole section between your braces about 2 ft up from the base and extending to the height of the door oughta do it, about smack dab in the middle of that wall would be the place I'd choose. You think you can get hubby to take a sawsall to that and cut a hole?

I guarantee you won't regret it.

You're right, the roost is too low and we knew it was when we put it up. But it's just screwed in that spot temporarily because we weren't sure they'd use it yet as high as it will finally be. It will be moved up as soon as we know they're using it. I plan on having a poop board under it, and it made more sense to only have to install that once, after the roost is in its final position. We assumed that for the first few days they are outside, and with the weather being so doggone cold yet, they'd be more likely to huddle together in the litter than use the roost at night anyway. We can move it up anytime, then install the poop board. The pop door height was a suggestion from the deep litter forum where they talked about having it elevated above the level of the litter at it's deepest. He just got it a little too high. <sigh> When I saw how high off the ground he had it framed, I just bit my tongue. He was so tired and cold I didn't have the heart to ask him to do it over and figured I would just find a way to make it work. It's all about compromise sometimes, ain't it? Teehee

I'd wanted another window all along. Ken said we didn't need another one, but I just now had him read your post and he's agreed that you're right. (Bless you - we've argued about that second window for days!) Our strongest blizzard winds come from the north and northwest - the huge expanse of wall you were talking about - and they'll slam into that north side especially hard and drive every snowflake through any crevice there like a fleet of Mac trucks. It's not unusual to have 4 inch snow drifts inside the garage from wind driving it in under the door, which also faces north. I can see the benefit in a huge wire covered hole on that side, but we'll really need the ventilation in the winter as well, when they are spending more time inside, and that's the time I worry about - finding that balance between good ventilation and dangerous winds howling through. I suppose we could block it off in winter, but then that kind of defeats the purpose.

Could we maybe put a second window on the west wall - the wall where the roost runs across now, and then move the roost across the solid north wall, without any opening there for winds to come through? You can see how thick the lilacs will be to the west, so there would be plenty of shade against the hot late afternoon sun. The vent we bought to install is 24"x24". It's going on the highest point of the east wall - at the top between the pop door and the people door. So the west window would be directly facing and lower than the new vent, which should create cross ventilation. We'd leave the window open or partially open most of the time, closing it only on the worst days. Do you think that would work? We're also drilling 2.5 inch holes every few inches into the soffit, covered with screening to keep out nasties and prevent wild birds from deciding to set up house. We hadn't done that yet in these pictures.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help!