# new chicken coop build...



## woodsman23 (Mar 26, 2012)

I am building a chicken coop with some free wood, we have 8 chicks. I hope to finish soon,any ideas would be a great help. It will have log siding and is 4x8x6h




















4


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## woodsman23 (Mar 26, 2012)




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## heat seeker (Mar 26, 2012)

Lookin' good! All I can suggest is plenty of ventilation, and make it critter-proof. Our chickens slop a lot of water on the floor, so we put a rubber mat under the waterer. Wet wood and chickens don't mix well. 

32 square feet should be enough for those birds - enjoy the eggs (when they get started)!

I assume you'll have several roosts for them, and some nesting boxes. Ours were breaking the eggs because we could not keep hay in the boxes - they'd scratch it out and drop the eggs onto the wood. Some Astro-turf like matting cured that.

Chickens are a blast to watch. We let ours out occasionally and enjoy watching them take dirt baths and chase bugs. Too many predators around here to leave them out. Several of our neighbors tried that, and lost every bird in short order.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 26, 2012)

Hey enjoy the chicks they are a barrel of laughs.   As for heat seekers advice please take it.  They need a secure place some of the predators are both very smart and strong.

I always have traps set and have lucked out so far, but have had a few close calls. 

The neighbors now know to keep their animals on their property.


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## Defiant (Mar 27, 2012)

Nice start, my buddy built one last year and put a linoleum floor in, he read it was easier to muck and maintain.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Mar 27, 2012)

When I built one in 2009 Home Depot had some ceramic tiles on sale for a reasonable amount (well under $1.00 per square foot)  so the girls got a ceramic tile floor.  My wife did the tile job.

The other coop built in 2010 just has pine flooring boards, I don't expect it to last but so far so good.  Second coop is basically a ranch on posts.   Make certain you can get at the mess that will be in the coop in quick order.


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## lukem (Mar 27, 2012)

That thing looks strudy.  True 2x4's and everything.

My FIL and I just got 43 cornish X and 15 rhode island reds....we have about 30 others that should start laying any day now.


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## woodsman23 (Mar 27, 2012)




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## woodsman23 (Apr 17, 2012)

here is the coop mostly done.


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## heat seeker (Apr 17, 2012)

Nice!


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## woodsman23 (Apr 19, 2012)

the chicks are in....


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## firefighterjake (Apr 19, 2012)

Looks good . . . heck, I think I could live in there and be happy.


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## Ncountry (Apr 19, 2012)

firefighterjake said:


> Looks good . . . heck, I think I could live in there and be happy.


 
  Nice job , move over girls I wanna take a nap.


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## heat seeker (Apr 19, 2012)

Both birds and coop are lookin' good!


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## davmor (Apr 19, 2012)

Good job, we have been thinking about building a coop too. We get alot of free eggs from my wife's freinds though. Nothing like fresh eggs .


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## Eatonpcat (Apr 20, 2012)

That's a real nice job!!


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## woodsman23 (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks...


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## SmokeyTheBear (Apr 22, 2012)

How many birds and how much ventilation is there in that coop?

The coop looks plenty sturdy.   The birds will be happy with it.


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## woodsman23 (Apr 22, 2012)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> How many birds and how much ventilation is there in that coop?
> 
> The coop looks plenty sturdy. The birds will be happy with it.


 
I have 8 birds and plenty of ventilation up top


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## SmokeyTheBear (Apr 22, 2012)

woodsman23 said:


> I have 8 birds and plenty of ventilation up top


 
I was wondering what you had done for ventilation they can produce a lot of moisture just being chickens.


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## heat seeker (Apr 22, 2012)

Agreed, ventilation is very important!

Smokey, what happened to the miscreant hen?


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## SmokeyTheBear (Apr 23, 2012)

heat seeker said:


> Agreed, ventilation is very important!
> 
> Smokey, what happened to the miscreant hen?


 

Miscreant hen is still doing her thing but I lost one of the 14 good hens so I gave her a promotion and shortened my sig a bit.

Between all of the moisture and ammonia ventilation is critical.

Since I mentioned losing a hen, it isn't unknown for a bird entering her heavy molt and exiting it to have trouble with egg shell formation, this can lead to loss of a bird.   The one I lost had just about gotten all of her feathers back and she went down due to egg laying issues.

I've noticed that the Gold Comets seem to go through a long slow molt which can be hard on them.


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## lukem (Apr 23, 2012)

Good looking birds.

Our Cornish X's should be ready in two weeks.  They are U-G-L-Y, but they sure do taste good.


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## Crane Stoves (Apr 23, 2012)

wow....talk about building something as strong a "brick shyt house" LOL.... this thing will be standing long after your family home, lucky chicks indeed! I feel sorry for the poor fox who has to live near you hahaha!


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## save$ (Apr 23, 2012)

Very nice,  We did that several years ago.  Was  a good thing until I got an idea in my head that more was better.  Then it all went bad.   Now that I have more options with my time, I would like to get back into it.  But my "other half" is objecting.   I am liking the idea of more products you have better control over.  These birds and eggs you raise won't have chemicals in them unless you feed it to them.  Good luck with the chicks and your eggs.


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## coaly (Apr 23, 2012)

The best thing about coops is the chickens don't care what they look like, and you can add on and build whatever you want. They are a fun thing to build with whatever you have.

   Here's my old wood shed built in three 8 foot sections, shingled roof for two rows stacked lengthwise. When I aquired chickens a few years ago, I used one section for their "house". Later I added a second outdoor cage / nesting box. They are free range all day, and only go into the small raised part with nesting box at night. It is fortified and built with 2 X 4's and a racoon proof double latching, gravity, overlaping door system. Light on timer.
  The old truck cap on the ground has chicken wire ends, and is where they hang out on rainy days or when the snow is deep until I get an area cleaned up for them.
The small coop holds 8 comfortably overnight, since they like to huddle together anyway. The piece of gray Ondura roofing (on the truck cap) is the front cover that we put on at night. It has steps to adjust the height across the front for temperature. The corrugated material allows good ventillation when closed tight, yet stops drafts. a piece of vinyl flooring scrap is the cleanable floor. The floor and roof is insulated.
No, the satellite dish isn't for the chickens. But I can use it if I'm sent to the center "dog house". That's fully insulated with operable RV windows.

The closed in middle section with old RV door can be used now for brooding, kittening, baby goats, or piglets until they are big enough to go out.

The old truck cap on the far left is going to a neighbor when I get it done for his incubators, and hatching equipment. I'm setting the fridge up for a controlled 55 to 60* for storage of hatching eggs, and running water. He hatches 3 to 4 hundred at a time, and sells ducks, quail, pheasant, and any chicken breed you can imagine. He had his own body shop business for years, and his bird hobby has taken now over.He is doing well with it.


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## woodsman23 (May 1, 2012)




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## Eatonpcat (May 1, 2012)

Sweet!!


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## heat seeker (May 1, 2012)

Really, really nice!

They may end up "bombing" the water dispenser, since it's under the roost. Ours sure would; they don't care where they mess.


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## woodsman23 (May 1, 2012)

I am installing apoop board under it today this help with that.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 1, 2012)

OK, where are your varmint traps located?

POPS says two things every chicken keeper must have.    Traps and a means of dispatching what is trapped (or otherwise seen) and a chicken menace.


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## Black Jaque Janaviac (May 1, 2012)

Hmmm.  Needs a heat source - Does Englander make something 'bout the right size for a chicken coop.  Dang if I wouldn't be tempted to buy one!

Hey I remember seeing an old cast iron child's-sized cookstove in a museum once.  Looking it over I could see no reason why it wouldn't be workable - kinda like a primordial Easy-bake.


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## heat seeker (May 1, 2012)

We have one of those little stoves, and I think it could actually work, too.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 1, 2012)

They really don't need much in the way of heat, what needs the heat is keeping the water liquid.

Keep the girls dry and out of the drafts, they'll do just fine.

I got a thermostatically controller waterer heater.   Works great.  I use that with a 5 gallon waterer.


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## save$ (May 1, 2012)

Like the whole set up.   The wife nags me every time I mention wanting to get chickens again.   She doesn't want me starting anymore projects until I get her projects completed.  Some I am just not too motivated to do!
How about that plug dangling out of the coup.  That set up with the extension cord on the ground could be an issue. Just say'in.


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## heat seeker (May 1, 2012)

Our hens have no heat at all, and they do fine. The water will freeze overnight, but we swap the waterer with a fresh one each morning, which stays liquid all day.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 1, 2012)

heat seeker said:


> Our hens have no heat at all, and they do fine. The water will freeze overnight, but we swap the waterer with a fresh one each morning, which stays liquid all day.


 

That is one way to do it I have two coops one with an auto heater and one without, I prefer the one with.  When things get to the point they will all fit in one coup guess which one it will be?

Basically once fully feathered they need no heaters just a lot of food.


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## heat seeker (May 1, 2012)

Our silly hens often molt in cold weather. Bad timing, but they have survived okay. A most important thing is to have them out of the wind, as with any animal (or person). Our coop is fairly airtight, and the sun warms it during the day.
During the winter, our egg production drops to zero, due to cold and lack of light, but that's okay. Our pole barn is a tinderbox, so I'm not at all anxious to run lights or heaters out there. The girls are mainly pets (not mine…), so as long as they are healthy, she's happy.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 1, 2012)

My gold comets seem to molt all of the time,  their output drops but they keep on laying,  Funny watching a bunch of half naked birds and then pincushions on legs running around squawking whenever anything gets close to them.   My White Rock and Black Jersey Giant both stop laying do the molt and start back up, they are three now, the Giant is a really laid back bird.   She also never gets her tail feathers back, had a run in with a dog when three months old.   My chickens survived and so did the dog, its owners now know enough to keep it home.


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## heat seeker (May 1, 2012)

Yeah, a half-naked bird is a comical sight! I need to find a use for the feathers they drop. Some of them are quite pretty, especially the red ones. Maybe some kid could use them to make an Indian headdress..hehe.
Also on the sill is a stuffed toy rooster, with an empty eggshell underneath it. Only one person has noticed the anomaly of an egg-laying rooster.


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## woodsman23 (May 1, 2012)

save$ said:


> Like the whole set up. The wife nags me every time I mention wanting to get chickens again. She doesn't want me starting anymore projects until I get her projects completed. Some I am just not too motivated to do!
> How about that plug dangling out of the coup. That set up with the extension cord on the ground could be an issue. Just say'in.


 

the cord is a temp thing runing 12/2 under ground this week for lighting and a water heater for the winter.


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## save$ (May 1, 2012)

woodsman23 said:


> the cord is a temp thing runing 12/2 under ground this week for lighting and a water heater for the winter.


Very good.  Should have known that with all that other planning you would have that issue protected!    GFP right!
When I did have hens, I fed them the laying mesh and lots of the bread from the bread distribution store that sold out dated / overstocked bread and desserts as animal feed.   That stuff was wicked cheap (and some of it wasn't half bad!)
Where I failed was in that, "a little is good, a lot is better" when I went to auction and brought home ducks, chickens, you name it, and then tried meat birds.   Went ok until it came to the chopping block.  Wife wouldn't touch the meat.  Didn't have issues when it was a few laying hens.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 2, 2012)

save$, I'll bet your wife has no trouble with the meat birds at the supermarket.

The first flock we raised was dual purpose and 80% was processed by us.  The ones we mostly have now really aren't worth processing, they are definitely egg machines, so we now have 14 birds with a forever home.


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## save$ (May 2, 2012)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> save$, I'll bet your wife has no trouble with the meat birds at the supermarket.


You know how it goes,  out of sight, out of mind.  (esp. the out of mind part!)    We have a lot of fish and foul on our menue,  very little red meat.   So many recalls and horror stories with red meat. Never knowingly eat imported meats. composite meats are also off the list. There are a few local butcher shops and a good one at the local IGA that we can get meats we trust from. 
  About the only thing those old laying hens are good for is the soup pot.  If you can let them out of their cage, they are good at cleaing up ticks from the yard.  I don't know from experience , but I have been told that they lay for couple of years.  Then at age 3, it is mostly over.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 2, 2012)

Maybe I'll raise a new small flock next spring.   I expect to loose a few during this next year.


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## heat seeker (May 2, 2012)

Ours will never see the soup pot. They're her pets. We give them a proper burial - but no marker. Ours are getting elderly, time for a few new ones.
She's talking goats, now, miniatures. I hope they're at least good for fertilizer. Anyone know if goat turds make good fertilizer?


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 2, 2012)

Well the stuff I got from next door worked fine, it was goat, donkey, horse, and pony poopy.


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## smoke show (May 3, 2012)

heat seeker said:


> She's talking goats, now, miniatures.


 
My folks had a couple pygmy goats a while back.

They eat everything they can and destroy anything they come in contact with.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 3, 2012)

Gee goats eat just about anything not nailed down or behind good stout fencing, those pygmy goats were just being (sorta like) goats.


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## save$ (May 3, 2012)

Goats!  Don't let them near anythig you value.   If you get a goat, consider one for milking.   You can make some quality cheese.   You can be sure any goat you get will end up a pet so dairy will be the most you can get from them.


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## heat seeker (May 3, 2012)

If and when we get goats, they would be spoiled, and never used for meat. I'm not exactly crazy about the idea, either. Just more work for me. If I want to see some goats, there are two farms around here that have about 100 or so of them out by the road. They sell the milk, soap, and cheese from the goats, so it's good advertising. That's about as close to goats as I care to get.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 3, 2012)

She who assigns the poop shoveling duties will decide, you have no say in the matter bub !! .


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## heat seeker (May 3, 2012)

Well, she does 99.9% of the work for the hens, I do my part by eating some of the eggs. Goats, however, could be a whole 'nother story…  - and it could get interesting having other creatures around here as ornery as I am.


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 3, 2012)

My wife was the one who wanted to try chickens, but I ended up with the duty.  Some how I've always got the shoveling end of things.


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## heat seeker (May 3, 2012)

Sounds like "skillet diplomacy" to me


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## Eatonpcat (May 4, 2012)

Well it's official...I am not the biggest Hillbilly on this site!


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## SmokeyTheBear (May 4, 2012)

Here ya go Eatonpcat  a forum on chickens with over 140,000 members http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/  plenty of us Hillbillies around, here is a forum on small herds http://www.backyardherds.com/  and one on gardening http://www.theeasygarden.com/  and one on being self sufficient  http://www.sufficientself.com/   I keep looking for the one on moonshining but it is against the law in a lot of countries including here in the US.  The tax man wanteth his $$$$.


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## Eatonpcat (May 4, 2012)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> Here ya go Eatonpcat a forum on chickens with over 140,000 members http://www.backyardchickens.com/f/ plenty of us Hillbillies around, here is a forum on small herds http://www.backyardherds.com/ and one on gardening http://www.theeasygarden.com/ and one on being self sufficient http://www.sufficientself.com/ I keep looking for the one on moonshining but it is against the law in a lot of countries including here in the US. The tax man wanteth his $$$$.


 
Now moonshine, I may be able to help you with this one. The wifey is from Elkins, WV where if you have a will, you have a still!


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## save$ (May 5, 2012)

"The tax man wanteth his $$$$."      
Even more an "oinker" than the creature itself!


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## woodsman23 (May 9, 2012)

s anyone setup a sand bath for the chickens, i am doing so now but how much Damascus earth do i add with the sand?.


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## heat seeker (May 9, 2012)

save$ said:


> "The tax man wanteth his $$$$."
> Even more an "oinker" than the creature itself!


 
Ever notice that if you put "THE" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS"?


On topic, we just let our chickens go outside, and they scratch up their own dirt, take dirt baths, and hunker down in the holes they've made. I don't know if it does them any good, but they do seem to enjoy it a lot. And, it's fun to watch them doing it!


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## save$ (May 9, 2012)

heat seeker said:


> Ever notice that if you put "THE" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS"?
> 
> 
> On topic, we just let our chickens go outside, and they scratch up their own dirt, take dirt baths, and hunker down in the holes they've made. I don't know if it does them any good, but they do seem to enjoy it a lot. And, it's fun to watch them doing it!


I was quoting Smokey.   You are sooooooo right putting those two  words together!  Very clever.


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## heat seeker (May 9, 2012)

Thanks! Wish I could take credit for it, but it's in a book I'm reading.


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## JDC1 (May 10, 2012)

I really like your setup.

We have 10 hens, 5 goats(pets maybe milk eventually) and right now about 30 meat chickens.  I use electric poultry netting for the goats to browse down our brush when the meat birds aren't in it.  They will clear an area about 40' by 50' in a day.  The hens have a space in the barn and are allowed to run outside.  They do a nice job of keeping the bugs in check.  For the meat birds, I take them to a poultry processor and am able to eat chicken again within a few days.  I usually do a small batch for the family every year.  

Good Luck, watch out for raccoons and neighbor dogs as they are the worst on a flock.


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