New Chicken Coop

[tractorshopper]

Finally getting around to posting this. I started this project in late Spring - maybe May/June timeframe.

We bought our first chicks right around Easter and I borrowed a brooder from a friend. While they were growing, I knew I had to get going on the chicken coop.

I went across the street to my neighbor's house and pretty much drew up what he had built and asked him what he would do differently. He told me to add a nesting box. That was a good idea. I guessed at the sizing and really ended up going bigger than I needed to and maybe 1/4 larger than his was. I'm attaching pictures of it. Luckily I had a friend help me with the initial framing since our ground was hard as a rock at the time and much digging had to take place for the posts. I actually watered the ground overnight after the first attempt to help soften it up.

 

[piller]

Looks nice! Let's see the finished pictures and some happy chickens.

 

[sseelhoff]

That looks awesome.

 

[tractorshopper]

So anything in ground contact was PT lumber as well as all finish materials including siding. Set siding flush so shrinkage would allow the breathability. My neighbor told me this too. He spaced his and said he wouldn't if he had it to do over.

Some of the resident turkeys in the last photo here. Usually see 20-48 at a time in my yard at certain times of year (not April though ) Last weekend counted 63 on both sides and back and couldn't see how many more behind my building and in woods.

 

[tractorshopper]

Finally after a while of use, I (and my daughters) got around to painting.

 

[tractorshopper]

Some interior and close ups. Nesting box is ~12" X 12" squares. Chickens knocked one step off already, but don't have any problems getting in the nesting box.

 

[tractorshopper]

Front area (shelter) is 8' X 8'; back area (for when I don't let them out as much) is 8' X 10'.

I try to let them out each afternoon, but sometimes can't. They always come back at night and fly up on the roosts. I may add one more higher still in case they would like it. I made the roosts by cutting oak saplings and sawing to fit the length/angles, then screwed them in.

Had never had chickens before, but they are the easiest animals ever and we love the fresh eggs. I empty and refill the water can once a week and top off the feed every other week or so (depending on which feed).

I muck the coop from time to time and refresh the straw in there. They love to pick at the seeds and I use the mucked stuff to throw on areas I don't have grass. Works nice.

Originally bought 6 chicks for laying hens, but one, Isabella, turned into Brian upon maturing. I gave him to the neighbor across the street. The flagging on the chicken wire in one of the photos has initials of each of them. My oldest daughter did that one day. I haven't pulled it down. No word to decipher there, just their first initial of each bird.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Very nice, I like it. :thumbsup:

It is also another project that is on my list...or rather in my project book.

 

[Short Game]

I and my neighbors are pretty well along with their new chicken coop. It sits on a slab and has a concrete block stub wall that I built for them. It is purposefully overbuilt. The idea was to build a coop that the raccoons won't have a chance with. That lasted until a couple of nights ago when the little buggers found the torn fabric window screen and got through it, pulling a chickenwire patch out of the way. We lost six or seven pullets. I have replaced the torn screen with 1/4" hardware cloth. I am not going to kid myself into believing that I am smarter than any pack of raccoons. Eternal vigilance when you live with raccoons.

 

[MotorSeven]

I and my neighbors are pretty well along with their new chicken coop. It sits on a slab and has a concrete block stub wall that I built for them. It is purposefully overbuilt. The idea was to build a coop that the raccoons won't have a chance with. That lasted until a couple of nights ago when the little buggers found the torn fabric window screen and got through it, pulling a chickenwire patch out of the way. We lost six or seven pullets. I have replaced the torn screen with 1/4" hardware cloth. I am not going to kid myself into believing that I am smarter than any pack of raccoons. Eternal vigilance when you live with raccoons.

Put an electric fence around the base of the coop. I have 4 strands going up 3.5 feet & a ground wire attached to the rat wire(don't use chicken wire the only thing it stops from getting through is a chicken). This was the only thing that I have found to stop predators(except lead, but running out there in the middle of the night half necked to apply lead is a pain in the arse).