Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Amberjem]

Thanks! What's your coop like?

 

[Amberjem]

alright five days in a row, violet is doing awesome with her biggest egg yet today a side by side comparison with a large white store bought egg such a good wyandotte

 

[Aliciahess]

Good for her! Did you get enough eggs for the hatch? alright five days in a row, violet is doing awesome with her biggest egg yet today a side by side comparison with a large white store bought egg such a good wyandotte

 

[Amberjem]

unfortunately they arent fertile my roo is still to young

 

[DaveOmak]

READ THIS !!!!!!!



https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/940415/my-chickens-are-dying

 

[CharterChick]

30!?!?!  You looked no more than 25 when I met you.      Congrats on finding the fountain of youth...and happy birthday too!

Why thank you! Tortured the kid this morning... She's not happy I took this lol

 

[kevandtara]

So Amberjem, sorry I keep harassing you with questions, but I am most certainly a newbie. I see you've got a little chicken condo-type structure that's well protected from weather, but the rest (the run?) looks like it's subject to wind, plus rain if it's blowing that direction. Is it the general idea that I've got to have some space that's protected, however small?
And how many chickens can you keep in your coop?

 

[Ashley Stroud]

Why thank you! Tortured the kid this morning... She's not happy I took this lol

Ha! Priceless! lol
Love your wreaths by the way! Wish I were closer--got a few folks that would love the horse ones!

 

[Amberjem]

So Amberjem, sorry I keep harassing you with questions, but I am most certainly a newbie. I see you've got a little chicken condo-type structure that's well protected from weather, but the rest (the run?) looks like it's subject to wind, plus rain if it's blowing that direction. Is it the general idea that I've got to have some space that's protected, however small?
And how many chickens can you keep in your coop?

thats why I have a tarp on it to cutt back on the winter wind n rain..I will put the roof on the run in the spring just so they have a sheltered area outside out of the rain, behind that is free range area along two sides of my backyard thats sloped..also under the henhouse I have three walls boarded off with cedar planks to give them a more wind protected area....I am no chicken expert by any stretch of the imagination I have very very sandy soil so the rain doesnt puddle up horribly however one of the things I disliked about the chickens my grandmother kept is the run got sooooo incredibly muddy it was ridiculous . The structure is just on the begining of the slope leveled it out and set it up the gate is for my access to the free range area so can open the free range door to let them out. this picture is a better shot of the tarp the first one I showed it was just laying on there.. it's not secured and in place.. I put the longer end on the side the wind hits more and the other side is partly sheltered by my house and the overhang of the tarp, this set up works for me as I have some mobility issues so I can just put the wheel barrow to the cleanout doors rake the soiled bedding into it and done without having to bend over break back or anything. I have a clean out door on both sides so if I want to take a hose and spray out the henhouse I can do so easily.. the floor of the coop is covered in flooring so it's water resistant and a easy cleanup.. (I got a remnant from my local flooring company for like 5 bucks). My roof vents north n south which is mostly the direction we get the wind at there and I have two west and east vent windows that can be open or closed ..This area also gets some fairly decent winter sun and during the summer gets sun but partially shaded as well. .. with how I leveled eventually I will beable to set up a rain barrel system using the roof and run off for my garden.

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
For your coop/house the rule of thumb is 3 sq ft per bird. It should be kept dry, without big drafts, and with lots of ventilation preferably at the roof line. Their outdoor area should be a minimum 10 sq. ft. per bird. If they don't have enough space they can start pecking at each other and start bullying. Having a place they can get out of the rain is an excellent idea. Also to keep their feed dry. Birds that are kept in muddy areas all the time are more prone to issues. If they don't have some place to get out of the constant rain they will tend to go inside the coop, not really what you want.

Something similar to T-111 that's already primed is relatively inexpensive and easy to use for siding a coop. Planning the dimensions to use the 4 x 8 sheets to their full advantage is beneficial, too.