Beginnings of a Chicken coop...

[MrSalvage]

I am kinda winging this one with random stuff from around the yard. I cut these first shelves / nest boxes and I am not happy. For one I couldn't find my chalk box. So the shelves / nest boxes aren't even square. Anyway I want to make each nest a full one foot square. With one access side missing and steel grating for their floor. One shelf per side will be on the outside of the main frame. Then two boxes will sit inside the frame. One foot above the outside ones. I can get a third set of boxes in there. However I doubt I should put that many birds in a 4x4 box. Anyway with the 4 shelves @ 3 birds per shelf. It's pretty packed with just two rows. All this is subject to change as I have two new sheets of 3/4 ply and more of that old grating. To be truthful I am not sure which shelf should go where and why it should. It just seems to make sense to the make the outside row @ the bottom of the cage to me. I hope this ramble make sense... Ty

[Labradors2]

I'm planning on getting some chickens too and, from what I have read on the chicken forum, they like to share nesting boxes! Perhaps you could get away with fewer....

How many chickens do you plan to get?

I was going to get 2, just to try them out and now we're up to 4 and I don't even have them yet! That's chicken math for ya

Linda

[MrSalvage]

I have 6 pullets and one rooster here. They were hatched on the 8th of April. So yea I want the coop done asap. I had all kinds of different birds years ago. As i lived on a farm.

[Worth1]

You place is like mine.
All sorts of stuff to pick through.
Worth

[ddsack]

Great idea on castors on the chicken coop, I think you are a talented carpenter. And I wish I had thought of staining and varnishing my big wooden wire spool when I had it. Can't remember what happened to it, probably left it at our last property when we moved.

[brownrexx]

Your hens will only sit in the nest boxes to lay their daily eggs and yes they will share. I have 9 hens and they only ever use one nest box per day. I have 5 nest boxes in my coop and they all use the same one every day. They see eggs in one and they use that one. Sometimes I will find 2 hens in the box at the same time.

You will need some bars for them to sit on (roost) at night. They will not want to sit on the floor.

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by brownrexx

Your hens will only sit in the nest boxes to lay their daily eggs and yes they will share. I have 9 hens and they only ever use one nest box per day. I have 5 nest boxes in my coop and they all use the same one every day. They see eggs in one and they use that one. Sometimes I will find 2 hens in the box at the same time.

You will need some bars for them to sit on (roost) at night. They will not want to sit on the floor.

Have you ever tried to use wooden eggs in the other nest boxes?

I'm starting to think that 6 boxes will be best for that coop. I will certainly get a decent amount of bars in the coop. I really can't wait to finish it.

I have a few doc visits this week so it will need to wait a few more days.

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by ddsack

Great idea on castors on the chicken coop, I think you are a talented carpenter. And I wish I had thought of staining and varnishing my big wooden wire spool when I had it. Can't remember what happened to it, probably left it at our last property when we moved.

The spools are a dime a dozen here. As the electric coop must get rid of them. They cannot charge for them either. They always post them up every month or so. I have 4 different sizes here. Next time I go I am going to get one of the big metal ones. I hope to use it for a welding table. I will just lay some 1/4 plate across the top of it. Should work very well.

Yea I didn't make sense not to put casters on it. I knocked them off my outside bar and then rebuilt the bar into a nice table. So that worked out well.

[garyjr]

You have a good start on what looks to be a nice coop. I have plans for one as well but got to get the shed built first. http://backyardchickens.com is a good sight for coop designs and basically all things fowl.

[Cole_Robbie]

I don't know anything about chickens, but the spool table is pretty neat. Is that shellac on it?

[brownrexx]

Originally Posted by MrSalvage

Have you ever tried to use wooden eggs in the other nest boxes?

No real reason to do that. I collect the eggs every day so getting them all from the same nest box is really easy.

Here are some pics of my coop. We bought it at a local Amish place. You can see how I collect the droppings from under the roost for the compost pile.

Unless it is snowing and freezing, the chickens spend most of their daytime hours either in the space under the coop or in the outside run. They only use the coop to avoid really bad weather, to lay eggs or sleep.

[Labradors2]

Nice coop! It looks very cozy I was wondering how to collect the droppings - neat!

Pretty chickies too

Linda

[brownrexx]

Thanks I enjoy the colored eggs. They lay brown, blue, dark green and pinkish brown. I have not had a white egg in years!

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by garyjr

You have a good start on what looks to be a nice coop. I have plans for one as well but got to get the shed built first. http://backyardchickens.com is a good sight for coop designs and basically all things fowl.

Yep I have been over on that site a few times looking around recently. It's a good site with a lot of info. I see we are local to each other so when do you plant out your tomatoes & peppers?

I want to build my first chicken tractor after i get my #1 garden all planted. In the hope that the chicken will do all the work for me on garden #2. Of course it will be next year before I can plant #2. But should be in great shape from the chickens so I am a little stoked about that. I almost bought more chickens today & would have if my eBay store wasn't so slow.

We are probably going to move north of Dallas at the end of the summer. As i don't think I can take another winter here with my RA.

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I don't know anything about chickens, but the spool table is pretty neat. Is that shellac on it?

Hey Cole, no I just leave them alone. I don't put nothing on them at all. Like I said it's know big deal to get the spools here. I pull up at the electric company gate and ring the buzzer. I ask them if they have any spools and what would be a good day for them. They are glad to get them out of they're yard. They even send a man down with a wavier on a forklift. I sign the wavier and tell him what spools I want. He loads them and I strap them down and hit the road. Couldn't get any easier than that.

When the spools are no longer useful I will burn them in my barrel and watch with some cold beers.