Very first foray into keeping chickens. Pics of new coop! Update pg2!

[GardeNerd]

Hey, we're probably neighbors! I'm on the Eastside of town.

Did you find your laying hens?

I love your coop. I used a dog crate too in the house for a while for my chicks! It worked well. The cat was so frustrated that she couldn't get in. I will use it to tractor in the veggie garden when I get it back next month. My neighbor is using it now that my 6 have gotten too big for it and she has 5 chicks, but no coop yet. I figure it will be fine for 2 or 3 at a time.

My coop is on my BYC page.

 

[NJbirdlover]

nice garden too!

 

[undertheradar]

Wow...thanks for all the great responses! I'll try to answer all the questions:

Your set-up is lovely. Our 'California' coop was much the same only I went overboard and built a coop big enough for 10 chickens and only had 3. But the shape and layout were the same.

I found that my girls didn't roost up in the 'triangle area' ..... maybe they felt cramped, with their heads and tails being so close to the walls.

Is your coop moveable? If it is, you can forgo the shavings and just move it every day or so. That cuts down on the cleaning a lot, and you won't have to worry about odor.

Good luck.

It is moveable, once I remove the outside run section. However, because our yard is so small, and quite uneven, the spot its in is really the best. We do plan to have a quite a bit of supervised outside roaming time for them, and cleaning their coop will be a once weekly thing I'll do along with weeding, mowing the lawn etc. My son is almost 7, my daughter almost 4 pluse we have a new baby on the way, so I plan on putting the kids to work.

I'm a stay at home dad so the hens will get plenty of attention too.

As for the roosts, I'm going to remove that upper one. They were there for when that let hand side was going to be their coop area and the right side was their run. Now I'm hoping that the 2x4 that bisects the right hand side will work as a perch when I fill the area below it with shavings. That will give them plenty of room too.

I love your coop & I am sure you will enjoy your chickens!

First I would suggest 3 chickens! they are very social so, it is better having an extra! stuff does happen!

Second I would take the high roost out not enough head space!

Nest box looks good thumbsup you might just have to add a piece of wood ((what are the measurements for the box?))

you might want to make a screen (covered in hardware cloth) so in warm weather you can leave 1 of your access doors open!

you also might want to cover part of the run with something so the food doesn't get wet! (I just used plastic they sell for weather proofing)

thumbsup I agree with moving the coop! You will cut down on smell, cleaning, & less chance of getting mites!

love your yard!!!

I'd love to have three, but do you think thats enough room for them? I want them to be happy and healthy, just like the other various pet members of our family.

The nest box is about 12x12x10" . I installed it lower than the opening in the wall, so there is a 2" lip to keep any eggs from rolling back in.

One ste ahead of you on the screens. I have the frames already built.

I alo plan on putting some shade cloth on the rood of the run, and I have a big tarp to put up on the rare occasion that we get rain.

Hey, we're probably neighbors! I'm on the Eastside of town.

Did you find your laying hens?

I love your coop. I used a dog crate too in the house for a while for my chicks! It worked well. The cat was so frustrated that she couldn't get in. I will use it to tractor in the veggie garden when I get it back next month. My neighbor is using it now that my 6 have gotten too big for it and she has 5 chicks, but no coop yet. I figure it will be fine for 2 or 3 at a time.

My coop is on my BYC page.

Howdy neighbor! We're off 14th and Termino. We're getting our hens from Blacksmiths Corner on Lakewood. We really like the place so far.

nice garden too!

Thanks! Last year was the first time we put the beds in and they all did great. Corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, strawberries, herbs, lettuce, pole beans and bell peppers. Hopefully this year will be as good!​

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Great coop design! I love the color, too.

I agree with others who suggest that the top roost might be a bit high.

Are you planning to use the coop like a tractor that you can tow around to different parts of your yard?

 

[undertheradar]

Quote:
I puled that roost out today in preparation of the hens coming home tomorrow.

It is light enough tp pull around the yard, but I do believe it will stay put. Our yard is just too small to offer more than a few locations, and all of those are on too uneven ground.

We do plan on having quite a bit of outside playtime for the girls though.

 

[undertheradar]

Okay, so here are some updated pictures with the girls home with us. Their names are Clementine (the name I've wanted to use for our daughter, but have been repeatedly shot down) and Chicken Mary (my 3 year old named her...she said "you know, like Jesus' mom). They seem to be very gentle and they tolerate being handled really well. I pulled out the kiddie pool and gave them a bath since they were pretty dirty and smelly.

They did have quite a bit of gunky buildup on their beaks and around their nostrils, which I was able to clean off pretty easily. Is it normal for them to have a little mucous coming out of their noses? It was hard to pick and choose them from all of those that were in the pen, so we just went with it. They both seemed very lively and healthy otherwise. Ones upper beak seems to be ground down a bit, but she's eating fine and doesn't seem any worse for the wear.

They started eating their mash right away, and after about 20 minutes they hopped in their coop and started snoozing.

So far so good.

 

[R@ndy]

Nice set up you have, Congrats

 

[chick'n'run]

i probably missed it somewhere but what type of chooks do you have?

 

[stormylady]

Nice setup and cute chicks are they Golden sexlinks they look like my girls. They look very sweet. Sandy

 

[undertheradar]

The kid just said they were Rhode Island Reds, so thats all I know.