Chicken Coop

[Joel]

Hi all! Thought I'd share one of my recent projects. Hope you who enjoy country living like we do enjoy. These are my wife's chickens. She raised them since chicks. They are a couple months old now. She gets chickens, I get a project!

http://photobucket.com/JoelsChickenCoop

[Rudi]

Joel:

Nicely done

[Joel]

Thanks! Next step is to add a metal roof. Maybe some electricity for the winter... running water would be nice. The well house is 10 ft away.

[Yogie]

That's first class, looks like it could be moved around if needed.

[Scrivet]

A#1 job! Took me a minute to figure out what the green wire was for. Did you think of it before you needed it?

[Joel]

That's first class, looks like it could be moved around if needed.

Actually it would be some work to move it. We have a lot of predators in the woods near by (the 4 legged type: foxes, possums, etc) so I've buried the wire. Had to rent a trencher for a plumbing repair job so I went ahead and used it to trench around the border of the chicken run too. The trencher was a fun tool to operate!

A#1 job! Took me a minute to figure out what the green wire was for. Did you think of it before you needed it?

Funny you should ask. I thought of it. We planned on implementing it but decided to take a break for some food. While I was in the house, my wife locked herself in. Good thing that green wire was inside the run with her. That part isn't quit done yet. I'll be running it through one whole above the top latch and connecting the wire to both latches on the outside. That way you only have to pull one wire to open both latches. (there are two in hopes the door will not warp with weather) The carabiner is so racoons don't open the latches.

[Bob Perry]

Very nice. I love to see them running around, and they're protected from predators.

I don't like it when I post something, and people start making critical negative comments, but I guess I will anyway! The only problem I see is that within 2 weeks, all that grass will be gone, and (I had similar) you end up with a mud/manure mess. Unfortunately chickens have to peck at the grass until its gone. Not much you can do, except keep moving it, but, depending on conditions, it takes a while for the grass to recover, if at all.

If it wasn't for that, I'd still have chickens.

[Joel]

The only problem I see is that within 2 weeks, all that grass will be gone, and (I had similar) you end up with a mud/manure mess.

Yeah. We're aware of that. We're hoping to let to be free range during the day. we're still training the dog. She's a hound and convinced they are fast food. Once she's calmed down around them hopefully that will help some with the mud. we may end up getting sand or gravel. They do like eating grass!

[Bob Perry]

We made a "chicken tractor" and moved it around the field, but to do it right, it took 3 people (2 to move it, 1 to make sure their legs don't get under it.)

I guess the best thing is if there's a good fence to keep predators out, a big area where they free range, of course then you still have the hawks from above.

But there were times when we'd let the chickens out of the chicken tractor, they are fun to watch, and they like being near people. Plus they always go back to their roost at dusk.

But then, like you said, dogs think they're fast food.

[Rudi]

Is the roost a prefab unit? If so - details?

IIRC we used to put down hay and straw bed on top of the mud .. chickens seem to like taking out anything green. add some scratch and cracked corn to the top and they seemed content to not scratch down to the mud. Made it a bit easier to manage.

[Joel]

Rudi,

Is the roost a prefab unit? If so - details?

The coop itself (the red building) was a prefab unit. We bought it on craigslist - cleaned it, sanitized it and painted it. The PO told us he bought it on ebay.. (i think). it shipped disassembled. I had to reinforce the roof because it is only connected with 4 screws at toward the peak and caused the edges to move around on the body. Just used some blocks like you would on furniture. the PO also added two extra nesting boxes. That's why they don't match. I was planing on making a coop too, but for the cost of wood and time this was cheaper.

IIRC we used to put down hay and straw bed on top of the mud .. chickens seem to like taking out anything green. add some scratch and cracked corn to the top and they seemed content to not scratch down to the mud. Made it a bit easier to manage.

This is my wife's arena. She's done all the research on what to do. I like the idea of putting the cracked corn on top. She's allergic to hay... so we may have to settle for pine straw or mulch... (disclaimer: don't know if those are safe for chickens... again, she's got all that covered)

[Rudi]

Joel:

Ok, sort of thought it might have been a pre-build. Neat though, I kinda like it. Good fix. Corner blocks do have many uses As far as Pine Needles and Mulch, I would suspect that would work fine. Certainly will help with the manure process ---- and I am assuming the manure will be one of your projects

[Scrivet]

We made a "chicken tractor" and moved it around the field, but to do it right, it took 3 people (2 to move it, 1 to make sure their legs don't get under it.)

Easily solved in two easy steps with a cub and a chain
1. Close door on house after chickens on roost for the night
2. Hook "tractor" to tractor with chain and take chickens for a Cub ride

[KETCHAM]

I'll see if I can find the picture of what a buddy of mine did on the grass in the coop...He built some frames with wire on top to keep the chickens from going to far down.They could only get the tops....Kevin ps nice job on the coop!!!!I had to use 1 x 2 wire,,,they got right through that "chicken wire"