The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[RedRidge]

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.

http://www.mytarp.com/clear-plastic-fabrics.aspx

 

[Phoenixxx]

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!

Nice! I was planning on screwing my panels together for quick and easy dismantling, but I had a bucket of free nails and screws aren't cheap

 

[Phoenixxx]

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

I designed it to sit level on a hill. I recently added a small addition for breeding/quarantine/just extra space. Yes, they can all escape the saggy fencing - but I don't care

 

[armorfirelady]

http://www.mytarp.com/clear-plastic-fabrics.aspx

Thank you !!!

Remember a week or so Lucy had frost bite on her toes?

I just checked on her tonight & you can't tell which toes had it. They all look normal I did nothing but watch her and the swelling went down on its own.

Stella on the other hand is sporting some Nustock on her head again. The feathers are growing back in slowly but the big girls are still pecking at her head at feeding time. If she doesn't shake it all off tonight perhaps tomorrow when the big girls try again they will get a taste of Nustock and decide to stop

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
is that the guys that have the billboard vinyl?

 

[misbhaven]

RedRidge I love your pen maybe some more info..I might have my hubby copy it but he is construction challenged he can build stuff but need detailed plans..

 

[TeaChick]

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

Awesome!!!!!
Thanks for sharing!
I'm copying.
Imitation is the highest form of compliment.

 

[armorfirelady]

 

http://www.mytarp.com/clear-plastic-fabrics.aspx

is that the guys that have the billboard vinyl?

I don't know about that. The billboard vinyl I looked at was on a different site. But I scored a free billboard being given away

 

[lalaland]

I designed it to sit level on a hill. I recently added a small addition for breeding/quarantine/just extra space. Yes, they can all escape the saggy fencing - but I don't care

are the shelves "nesting shelves"? what a great idea!

this is my starter coop I built years back. moved it 3xs. used it as a tool shed but just this fall I repainted and moved it close to the big coop, and it is where booster and his girls are staying tonight. first time in years it has chickens in it . has ventilation on the east side where you can't see, besides the window. shoveled it out this morning, and the sun melted it down to bare grass by the coop edge.



armorfire, loved the mud pictures!

 

[Phoenixxx]

are the shelves "nesting shelves"?  what a great idea!

Yup. Well, the top one is hay storage, half of the rest seem to be nest/roost. All the coops I saw growing up were done like that, with shelves and sometimes shelves built into cubbies. My girls do prefer the spot closest to the corner for nesting. I also messed up on the height... I started out going 12" high and then started second-guessing myself; I wanted large breeds and thought I'd best switch to 15" high.