What are your coop regrets?

[65browneyes]

My only regret is that mine isn't MissPrissy's! LOL I LOVE hers!

Actually, in all seriousness, my henhouse is an old, old, OLD building that really needs a new floor and nest boxes. I am seriously considering bumping the wall that separates the 'feed room' from the actual henhouse out a bit to give the girls a little more room in their half.

I also would like to add yet another expansion on. I would put a solid 'roof' on it to offer shade in the summer, but the walls would be wire, so it would be totally open with exception of the roof. I would also put a more permanent cover on the current expansion (permanent meaning wire fencing or hardware cloth rather than the plastic garden netting). These are all things that we can easily do any time.

Like many, many others here at BYC, what started out as a small flock has grown to over 30 as of today.

 

[coffeelady3]

My regret? That I haven't built the darned thing yet!

 

[palabeco]

BIGGER BIGGER BIGGER !!!!!!

 

[SewingDiva]

Quote:
I jsut looked at your page and I love it! I jsut about fell off my chair laughing! Great photos and commentary.

Our chicks are still little and we have an EE named Hippy Chick who looks quite a bit like yours, she has that same adorable chipmunk coloring.

The pix of yours farther along is really interesting because we're wondering what she might look like when she's full grown.

~Phyllis

 

[coffeelady3]

Picking the first 90+ degree weekend to build the darned thing. Man was it hot!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Our first was 8x8', and I really thought hard about the new coop for the breeders. I have to say, hands down, that the best thing about it so far is the automatic waterers. They're in-line water cups for each pen, all gravity-fed by one large container at one end of the coop. We're going to put the heat-tape along it to keep it from freezing in the winter, but I know it's going to save me a ton of time filling all the different waterers.

One regret on the first coop was that the nests were above the roosts... they tend to sleep in there, and I spend some time every morning cleaning them out so the girls can lay in there. The worst offenders are gone now, so it's not so bad, but I've noticed that the girls like to roost as high as possible.

 

[Sulteric]

I don't have many to be honest. Right now it's a lack of a door to their run so I don't have to deal with it. I plan on fixing that issue this week.

 

[fullhouse]

bigger! It's 8x10.

 

[scrapmom5]

Before I started to build ours I had read all the threads where every one said to build it bigger. We had the seven girls at the time so we did 8 X 10 with a huge run. More than enough room. Then I came down with the chicken bug...now I have 17 girls and have not yet recovered from the bug. My dh has finished our incredible hen house (I really need to post the pics of our Japanese pagoda style hen house) and there is still enough room........assuming I don't get more chicks......I hope we can find a cure soon.....before I move my family of seven to the hen house and the hens to the main home.

 

[Sulteric]

I don't have any size regrets because we used an existing shed and all the lumber was crap, even the door, etc. Cost me all of $5 for the latches for the door and the windows.