The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Ms Jellybean]

I built my 6'w x 8'd x 8'h coop by myself. I used standard 2x4 and plywood construction, built each wall seperately, then hauled them up the hill on my back one at a time. Propped up one wall, lined up the second, attached them and so on for the remaining walls. I built the roof that way, too (I originally designed it to be easily taken apart because I'm renting where I live) but it was too heavy for me to get up over the walls and in place so I had to borrow my husband for a minute for that part.

I would love to build mine, but I don't have any tools, except a drill. I also am fond of my fingers, toes, arms and legs....

I got the nick name Grace in college and many people call me an accident waiting to happen. Sooooo, I won't be doing it myself. I don't have a husband to help me.

It's awesome you could build your own.

 

[Phoenixxx]

I would love to build mine, but I don't have any tools, except a drill.  I also am fond of my fingers, toes, arms and legs....  

I got the nick name Grace in college and many people call me an accident waiting to happen.  Sooooo, I won't be doing it myself. I don't have a husband to help me. 

It's awesome you could build your own.  

Thanks and at least you've still got lots of time. My chicks didn't go in the big coop until they were about 6-8 weeks. They slept in the house and, during the day, went outside into a pen I made out of netting, plumbing line and tent poles until they were big enough.

 

[lalaland]

Rooster question, please weigh in! Buster and Booster problems:

You know I just pulled Booster, jr roo, out of the coop this morning and put him in a small coop by himself because he first dragged a tiny hen around by the comb, ripping it, and then jumped a sulmtaler while I was pulling her out of the nest (broody) and she was already missing lots of feathers at the neck.

Two sulmtalers are broody, I keep pulling them off the nest. ( I usually can break the broodiness by doing this over a few days). After Booster was banished to the other coop, I spent some time with the flock. I was clipping nails and was ready to do one of the broodies. I sat down next to the nest box, pulled one out , had her on my lap, when Buster, alpha roo jumped up on top of her and flogged her.

Buster harasses the sulmtalers - they see him coming and they move. He chases them off food, and off the roost. They are a crested breed, don't know if that gets him or what. Now that it has been warming up, and the flock has been spending time outside, I have noticed that the sulmtalers usually hang out in the coop on the roost. I figured they were avoiding Buster.

After he flogged the sulmtaler on my lap, I spent about an hour watching the interactions and finally took two of the three sulmtalers and popped them in the other coop with Booster, who I thought was going to be soup this weekend. I don't want them constantly stressed.

Bootster greeted the two sulmtalers, and he went into a wood box that was laying on its side, stuffed tight with hay. He burrowed in, clucking to the hens, pulled some hay out, and called the hens. One went in the box and he stood inside the box in front of her - he stayed there for a half hour kind of chuckling to her.

1. Am I interpreting Buster's harassing behavior correctly? that he just wants them out of the way - he runs them off food, off the roost, etc. Is it normal for a rooster to behave this way? does it make a difference if he thinks of them as Booster's hens?

2. Or, is it just that these broody hens are upset that I am the one bothering them by pulling them out of the nest, and both roosters are actually trying to protect them by jumping in between them and me- even though I think they are flogging the hens, and pulling feathers?

it is soo much easier to keep a flock without roosters!

 

[Brookshire11]

Thanks

and

at least you've still got lots of time. My chicks didn't go in the big coop until they were about 6-8 weeks. They slept in the house and, during the day, went outside into a pen I made out of netting, plumbing line and tent poles until they were big enough.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's done that! Lol

 

[TeaChick]

Is this the thread that had the automatic door opener w/ water buckets????


My husband and I were brainstorming on that idea, and if you made the system closed (hoses connecting the buckets and lids on the buckets) added one more bucket and one pump and timer using pet friendly antifreeze it would be usable in the winter too. When the liquid makes it to the bottom bucket have a pump to pump it up to a holding bucket on top to start the process all over in the morning.

Yes it was, some of those in the ice and snow were having trouble with giving their chickens water instead of ice blocks. lol
Brilliant idea!!!

 

[Jewelwing]

I built my 6'w x 8'd x 8'h coop by myself. I used standard 2x4 and plywood construction, built each wall seperately, then hauled them up the hill on my back one at a time. Propped up one wall, lined up the second, attached them and so on for the remaining walls. I built the roof that way, too (I originally designed it to be easily taken apart because I'm renting where I live) but it was too heavy for me to get up over the walls and in place so I had to borrow my husband for a minute for that part.

Yay, you! I also built my own coop, in much the same way. I assembled all the walls (2x4's) on the ground and then propped them in place with two semi-willing kids (11 & 17) while I screwed them in place. I use screws instead of nails for pretty much everything because they're so much easier for me to do. I can only take so much hammering before my arthritis makes me quit, but I can use an electric drill to drive screws. Yeah, I should probably just get a nail gun... But this way, I can easily change mistakes, too!

I built the roof in place, though, instead of hauling it up completed, because my roof is extremely substantial. I built it to support 5" of soil and plants on top, so there are three 10' 4x6 beams supporting 2x6 t&g planks. No way we could have lifted that!

 

[Ms Jellybean]

We need photos of the coops that you two wonder women built.

 

[RedRidge]

These are combination breeding pens and grow out pens I built last fall.
QED - quite easily done.

Here they are with the removable vinyl on for the winter

And here in the snow. ..

I designed the partitions to be removable for larger pens for grow out and smaller pens for trios.
All 2x4s were 16' long to start with. .. I purposely designed it using 16' lumber for fewer cuts and consistency.
The height in back is 4' and the bottom 2' is a flip down access for egg gathering.
The height in front is 5'.
Total cost not including the roll of vinyl and Velcro for winterizing was under $200

 

[mlowen]

See "my coop" link for the 10 by 20 foot combo coop and run built by me and my friend, both women in our late (LATE) 50's. It's rough cut hemlock, so very heavy wood. We had "manly" help for one day, to get the rafters up, but otherwise just us. Me more than she, as is only right. I also screwed everything. Easier on my body and easier to take apart if, god forbid, I ever have to.

 

[armorfirelady]

Red ridge where did you find the vinyl? I would love to use that on the ends of the coop (north & south ends) for the winter to let in all the light.

Lala good luck with the roosters. I don't have any but the big girls pick on the tots like they are roosters at time.,

It made it up to 50 today with the sun out all day. Girls were outside all day soaking up the sun. It's a good thing I don't show my girls. They all look like they were rolling in the muddy garden today.

Edie used to have white muffs and beard

Stella is mud from head to toe. I swear she took a bath in the mud puddles

Stella and a big girl digging thru the mud and leaves looking for goodies before the snow comes back tomorrow