The Saga of the Chicken Mansion UPDATE 6/14: Runs added.

[SimplyForties]

Wow, that's fantastic! Lucky chickens

.

 

[damselfish]

Well, we epoxied our concrete shower floor, and it's holding up well. So I would think it will probably be fine with a couple of coats on it.

It would probably be good to paint all the outside-exposed wood if you can (not necessarily with epoxy, just exterior latex), to protect it just like house paint protects a house.

Nice coop! Love those pics of the annoyed-looking chickens in the dog crate...Aww, please, Mom, Dad, let us back in our new house!!!

 

[fledgling]

Thanks, everyone! We bought the exterior paint but I don't think the meat chickens are happy right now in their brooder so we will wait until they are finished growing out. Then we can shuffle the laying hens between the two areas and paint each one. Definitely want to paint it. We'll also add a second coat of epoxy on the floor after we get done painting.

Waiting for hubby to get home now and we'll add the roosts and hooks to hang the feed and water for the meat chickens. Then, finally, it'll be homecoming day!

I'll be back with happy chicken pictures.

Next weekend we'll do the runs.

 

[fledgling]

The lucky egg chickens and not-so-lucky meat chickens are home, finally.

Lessons learned:

1) Coops always take about a month longer than planned to build.

2) Feather dust is yucky in the house.

3) Chickens can be cute.

4) It feels really good to know that your chickens are in a nice big, comfy, home.

Here is an overall look at the finished coop:

A closer look:

The meat chickens checking out their roosting area:

The layers in their new home:

You can see the nesting boxes and the roost at the top of the picture:

The names of our hens are: Henrietta and Maude (Barred Rocks) and Buttercup, Daffodil, and little Blossom (Orpingtons). The rooster is Peter.

Henrietta and Maude:

You can see they still have their plastic cat toys. Peter the rooster:

 

[fledgling]

Oops, I forgot....

HI TIM!!!

 

[fledgling]

The runs are almost finished. The big one is done so we let out the big group but the little run for our layers is not quite finished.

Here ya' go:

 

[cameldairy]

GREAT coop guys!!! I had a similar coop and run design years ago and I found it impossible to keep my chickens from flying into the tree and then out of the pen. I tried to keep one of their wings clipped but they always seemed to grow out before I would remember to do so.

 

[Q9]

That... is... AWESOME!!!

 

[chaoschicken]

Wow, nice design.

Lovely job done.

 

[lilbitlibra]

Anyone have plastic coops?