So we Started out with just a few chickens, and fell in, love. now i think it maybe a chicken obssession! will it ever stop i dont think so! here are some pictures of the building of our new silkie condo it is not done yet, we are still working on it! In the end thier will be 6 Breeding pens, 3 smaller pens, either for broody hens, babys, or cages for silkies waiting to go to show. It has Auto water system we are running in the walls to all the cages, and we are in process of running electric inside to. There will be a deep base Garage sink with its own water heater for chicken baths and care. We installed a wind turbine for ventalation on the roof,and decided to go with shingles since it is really hot here in texas because we used insulated solar boards that reflect heat, in summer and help retain in the winter. also putting up a Flush mont radient heater on the interioir wall, that will go on and off at temp's we set. The coop has 2 doors one that goes in to the area where my layin hens are, and one that goes into the new fenced area that will be free range area for silkies.We are going to cover it with bird net, and plant them raised bed gardens about 10inches deep covered with hardware cloth that we can seed with clover , alfalfa and such that way they have fresh greens but cant eat it down to the dirt and it can continuously grow. to water the beds. we bought gutter to put up on the roof of the coop & a rain barrel to funnel the rain water in and to a drip irrigation to the gardens. We ll so much talkinig here are some pictures we are still working at it.
these are pictures of the bases of the floors of cages
Wall frames, Been raining for days just beacuse we have time to work!
Getting the floor down and painting with outdoor porch paint! have to keep it covered because we keep getting rain
2 walls up the boards are laying on floor tile we put down, they will be under the cages we are putting in!
Yea! another wall
ok working on installing cages on one end the will be stacked 3 high with wire floors and removeable clean out trays, and nesting boxes access on the outside.
the space between the wires is where the removeable trays will be
nesting box
installed nest box, this is also where the access door will be
Nest boxes all in with access door
front of nest boxes
Tall door goes to nest boxes there are six 2 in every cage, the panels on the left open up to make the coop open air, they are covered with hardware cloth to protect from animals, and open at and angle to protect from wind, rain, and summer sun.
Fronts of cages, feeders are mounted from outside so the can be filled without going in cage, watering system is also running on out side of cage, no more dirty water bowls!!
Framing up of one side of coop and cages
we are gettign a roof
This on side of the building with all the windows and doors in stalled . the 2 doors on the ends are to nest boxes 6 in total the other door is into the coop, all of the windows ope like those on the left and have locks to look in place, since it gets kinda windy here we attached the sticks holding the windows ope with hinges so the wind cannot kick the slats out and slam window shut, Scaring the Silkies. all windows are coverd with 1/2/x1/2 inch hard ware cloth.
New resident waiting to get in the coop!!!
some of the occupants
Building there is gonna be a gutter attached to overhang spouted down to a rain barrel, this door will walk out to a fenced free range yard for the silkies to be in
Just wanted to share our new brooders, the slated doors raise up and thier are slide out clean out trays, 1/4x1/4 inch hardware cloth floors, for new born babies i put the rubber shelf liner down till the are bigger. these are going in the brooder room in our garage, top 2 are for babies under 2 weeks since they need more heat, bottom 2 for babies from 2-6 weeks. the room they are in is usually between 65-70 we also have our incubator 7 hatcher in the room.
There is a second set of these brooders in out shed/pump house that i use for isolation/ broody hens/ brooding babies in the summer time when it is hot/and as my hospital for anyone sick.
will update with some new pictures of the coop it is a work in progress and we still have more to do. We got 80% of the lumber for this coop Free off Craigslist. My hubby built it on skids and anchored a pair of those ties they use to stablize guy wires for telephone poles so if we ever have to move it can be easily wenched up on a flat bed trailer and moved. on the outside of the building is a box like you have on a camper so you can just plug it in for electric and hook up a garden hose for the water system.
so just wanted to share to get Thoughts and maybe some more ideas, as we are in process of designing a new Coop for our layers and breeding runs for Cooper Marans!!
brooder with babys, i give them that rubber shelf liner under food and water bowls and in corner for sleeping, have discovered they love to sleep in ceramic soap dishes and dont care if they come from dollar store, the dishes get nice and warm but not burning hot.
these are pictures of the bases of the floors of cages
Wall frames, Been raining for days just beacuse we have time to work!
Getting the floor down and painting with outdoor porch paint! have to keep it covered because we keep getting rain
2 walls up the boards are laying on floor tile we put down, they will be under the cages we are putting in!
Yea! another wall
ok working on installing cages on one end the will be stacked 3 high with wire floors and removeable clean out trays, and nesting boxes access on the outside.
the space between the wires is where the removeable trays will be
nesting box
installed nest box, this is also where the access door will be
Nest boxes all in with access door
front of nest boxes
Tall door goes to nest boxes there are six 2 in every cage, the panels on the left open up to make the coop open air, they are covered with hardware cloth to protect from animals, and open at and angle to protect from wind, rain, and summer sun.
Fronts of cages, feeders are mounted from outside so the can be filled without going in cage, watering system is also running on out side of cage, no more dirty water bowls!!
Framing up of one side of coop and cages
we are gettign a roof
This on side of the building with all the windows and doors in stalled . the 2 doors on the ends are to nest boxes 6 in total the other door is into the coop, all of the windows ope like those on the left and have locks to look in place, since it gets kinda windy here we attached the sticks holding the windows ope with hinges so the wind cannot kick the slats out and slam window shut, Scaring the Silkies. all windows are coverd with 1/2/x1/2 inch hard ware cloth.
New resident waiting to get in the coop!!!
some of the occupants
Building there is gonna be a gutter attached to overhang spouted down to a rain barrel, this door will walk out to a fenced free range yard for the silkies to be in
Just wanted to share our new brooders, the slated doors raise up and thier are slide out clean out trays, 1/4x1/4 inch hardware cloth floors, for new born babies i put the rubber shelf liner down till the are bigger. these are going in the brooder room in our garage, top 2 are for babies under 2 weeks since they need more heat, bottom 2 for babies from 2-6 weeks. the room they are in is usually between 65-70 we also have our incubator 7 hatcher in the room.
There is a second set of these brooders in out shed/pump house that i use for isolation/ broody hens/ brooding babies in the summer time when it is hot/and as my hospital for anyone sick.
will update with some new pictures of the coop it is a work in progress and we still have more to do. We got 80% of the lumber for this coop Free off Craigslist. My hubby built it on skids and anchored a pair of those ties they use to stablize guy wires for telephone poles so if we ever have to move it can be easily wenched up on a flat bed trailer and moved. on the outside of the building is a box like you have on a camper so you can just plug it in for electric and hook up a garden hose for the water system.
so just wanted to share to get Thoughts and maybe some more ideas, as we are in process of designing a new Coop for our layers and breeding runs for Cooper Marans!!
brooder with babys, i give them that rubber shelf liner under food and water bowls and in corner for sleeping, have discovered they love to sleep in ceramic soap dishes and dont care if they come from dollar store, the dishes get nice and warm but not burning hot.
