All-Season Chicken Coop in my garden - Ideas

[jardinier]

Hello friends,

To keep chicken all the seasons I built these chicken coops in my garden.

Ideas ---> My four seasons chicken coops

Post your chicken coops pics in this topic

 

[Thomas Gannon]

A family on my street had a few chickens for a while, but the home owner's association found out and did not approve. I've always wanted to have some fresh eggs every morning but chickens in the suburbs is frowned upon

 

[aquaticneko]

That looks like a very similar design to the one that my friend built for my mom. His was much bigger though with each little rooms for turkey's and chickens alike. She has a variety of breeds and likes to plant grass inside the cage so the chickens can peck away. I wish i had a picture. I'm heading home this weekend, maybe I could snap a few of them then.

 

[jardinier]

Thank you

 

[Esther Knapicius]

strange to title it "all season" it has to be all season for a chicken coop. Many folks around here keep chickens, also have lots of Amish. So it is easy for me to get fresh eggs. I pay ruffly $2.00 to $3.50 a dozen for them right out of the coop. My dad had chickens and a fenced in hug are for them. As far as planting grass, usually that does not stay long. Besides the normal chicken feed they like any sorts of green veggie matter, also left over corn on the cob.

 

[marlingardener]

Being in Texas, we don't have to worry much about keeping the hens warm. However, we do give the girls scratch on chilly evenings, and have two heat lamps for when the temperature goes to 20 or below. In summer there are two big box fans, one for each inside coop, and a constant supply of cool water (a pitcher of ice cubes in each waterer about noontime).
Both the outside and two inside coops get grass clippings, and we use pine shavings for the nest boxes. Trying to grow grass in the coop isn't possible. Chickens scratch constantly, and they can dig amazing craters.
Our hens are Black Australorps, a breed that can take heat. I'd like to have a few Rhodies, but fear our summertime would be too hot for them. I do love our Aussies though--calm, fairly friendly, and lay marvelous eggs!

 

[Autumn_Hearthwitch]

I've been trying to convince my husband to get some chickens and build a coop. It would be lovely to have fresh eggs in the mornings. So far it's a no go but I'll break him down eventually. I'd have to have in insulated coop because the snow and cold could be a problem in my neck of the woods. My main issue though would be making things secure enough so the coyotes don't get to them. I heard them again last night and they were close. There are a few rabbits out and about so that may be the reason the coyotes sounded close.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Wow, @Autumn_Hearthwitch you would have to really build a safe abode for them with coyotes near. Extra tough wire fence sunk a foot in the ground with cement around. and an extra tough wire fencing on top. do you have chicken hawks?
Talk about chickens brings back so many memories. When my dad retired he got them. We had moved to a small farm in Ohio. There was already a wooden chicken coop in really good shape, he fenced around it a huge area and then got the chickens. About that same time we rescued a GSD puppy. (long story). The GSD grew up around the chickens and he became their protector. No animal was safe who came near his chickens. You would find dead bodies every now and then. But, a coyote can be a real match for a dog, has to be a good dog that can deal with a coyote.

 

[marlingardener]

Autumn, we have to deal with heat, you with cold for chickens. Be sure to get a breed that is compatible with your climate. Here is a site that describes the different breeds, their laying capacity, and personalities (yes, chickens have personality!). http://www.idealpoultry.com/shoponline.html
We have coyotes also (we have a coyote chorus that serenades us nightly). We sank 4x4's over chicken wire, then built the coop on this foundation. The chicken wire discourages digging on either side of the coop (chickens are diggers!). We also put chicken wire over the top of the outside coop to discourage hawk predation.
You will need equipment to start out with--waterer, feed dispenser, and a bucket and shovel to pick up the result of the feed! If you have a compost pile, the shoveled out poop does wonders for your gardens after being composted for a few months.
I can attest that after having your own fresh eggs for breakfast, omelettes, and deviled eggs, you will be so happy you got hens!

 

[filmjunkie08]

Thank all of you so much for your information! I want to put a couple of chickens in my backyard (I live in hot as hell Texas) and am doing some research before I take the plunge. What can I realistically expect to spend in the beginning for the two chickens, food and water dispenser, a bag of food and modest coop?

 

[marlingardener]

Depending on where you get your chickens (and I'm assuming you are starting with chickens that are about 6 months old or older) you can spend between $10 and $20 per chicken. A modest coop, with inside roofed shelter and a nest box and an outside area that is wired all around and on top will cost about $100 if you buy all new lumber and chicken wire and some hardware for the doors. A water dispenser (3 gal. plastic) is about $15, and a food dispenser, the same. Food is an ongoing expense. A bag of Purina organic chicken food, which includes the grit the chickens need to digest food, is $15 for 50 lbs. We have 12 hens at present, and a bag of food lasts about two weeks, but they also get supplements in the form of kitchen scraps and lawn clippings.
Start-up isn't cheap, but the advantages of having fresh eggs and the "additives" for your compost pile are an added benefit. Also, hens lay well for about three to four years, then taper off in production. We keep our elderly gals because they are basically feathered pets, but you have to factor in the cost/benefit and refresh your flock about every three to four years.
If you decide to keep chickens, get hens from a reputable breeder or a farmer that has a healthy flock. Don't buy from someone by the roadside or at a flea market--they may have diseased birds or "mutt" birds that won't lay well. Do a little reading about the breeds that are docile, good layers, and are adapted to our Texas heat. We have Black Australorps and I admit, I'm a big fan of those large, black, goofy birds that lay gorgeous eggs.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

my dad's chicken coop was heated with a small heating unit in the winter. If the coop is built well, and thick, and there is enough nesting pockets with good straw in them the hens will be ok. I am from Ohio, where it has gone to 10 below zero in the winter.

 

[Novelangel]

My mom and dad raise ducks, geese and chickens and their chicken coop is an actual barn-like building that sits in a permanent location. There are two rooms, each with its own huge, fenced-in run and plenty of shade from trees. Predators are kept out of the building at night by shutting tiny doors over the exit holes in each room. The chickens go inside to roost when it gets dark anyway, so you just shut the little door and they are safe for the night. The problem with that type of coop is that the chicken manure builds up rapidly and you end up having to 'muck' it out with a pitchfork once a month or so. That is a lot of work, since the stuff pretty much glues itself to the floor boards. In the winter, heat lamps are installed to help keep everyone warm. One day, many years ago, they found the rooster lying on his back beneath that lamp, both feet straight up in the air. They thought he was dead until he moved slightly. He was just warming his poor, cold little feet. It was a pretty funny sight, one that we still talk about to this day.