Chicken coop ideas

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Permalink Reply by dale learn bayda on January 13, 2010 at 11:55am

Hey Brenna,
We like using PRE MADE dog kennel panels for their “run”, you can get them in 4' high or we use the 6' so we can enter and clean. (Home depot) All you need to do is set it up around your coop or attach it to the side... we add a top and bottom so they are safe from most predators.
I know chickens can take the cold far better than the heat and they must have fresh air in the coop so an operating window is a great idea... check out the lumber yards for odd ball windows, most have a few now and then.
For various reasons we built ours out of concrete! We have two “pens” out of the 6’foot high x 12’ long panels so we can close one off if needed.
I will see if I can get a good pix and add it soon.
how many chickens do you have? are you rural or in the city?
take care.
Dale

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Permalink Reply by Brenna z6 PA on January 13, 2010 at 8:29pm

Thanks Dale, I am looking forward to seeing your coop. I can't imagine the concrete part! I have three bantams right now. I like to get eggs, but they are pets first. Tater, the black one, follows me around like a puppy when I garden. I am hoping when my husband expands the coop that I can get a blue cochin this summer! I do live in the city, so no roosters =) So far I have been lucky because the law is no horns or hoofs in the city, and chickens dont have either!

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Permalink Reply by Michele E on January 16, 2010 at 9:19pm

Here's a pic of my coop I designed from several different ones. My husband and I built it ourselves - not the cheapest one on the market, but can double as a shed in the future if desired. It has an outside clean out for the roost (90% of the poop) and an outside lid to the nest boxes to easily gather eggs. It has a large run to the right and automatic water inside. I have 12 hens right now, all are pets and very affectionate. The location is right next to my garden and compost which makes it very easy to move the chicken droppings to the compost. Enjoy! Love my chickens! Michele

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Permalink Reply by Skeeter588 on January 16, 2010 at 10:53pm

Wow! You guys are so creative! What great coops! I'm afraid mine roost all over my barn and get poop everywhere! :( I really need to do SOMETHING, but it needs to be CHEAP!!! and EASY!!

I loved all of your ideas! :)

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Permalink Reply by Brenna z6 PA on January 17, 2010 at 2:41pm

Michelle, wow your coop does look great! Do you mind me asking how much it ended up costing you? I like your idea of the outside clean out. How does the automatic water work? That would be awesome if it would keep the water from freezing. I actually go out 2-3 times a day to defrost the water, and the poor chicks still end up not getting water at times because it is frozen. What breed of chicken do you have?

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Permalink Reply by Lori McPherson/zn 5/MI on January 26, 2010 at 11:24am

I had a garden shed that is now my chicken house....I attached a dog kennel I had bought used to the backside that has a door to open for free-ranging. We enclosed a area inside the shed with a door for summer usage; we keep it open in the winter for more available space for the chickens since they are not to fond of our winters here. The shed is a 10 x 12 & the attached kennel is a 5 x 10 I think. I do love having fresh eggs but I'm ready to get another garden shed for my stuff!!

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Permalink Reply by Ronald G Maxwell z5/MI on January 26, 2010 at 1:05pm

I put some Pic on my page but don't know how to get them to this group. Ron

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Permalink Reply by Ronald G Maxwell z5/MI on January 29, 2010 at 2:57pm

The coop that I used, used to be a walk-in cooler at one time. We added the loft and I put electric in it. A 75 Watt bulb would keep the coop at 65 in the winter. It had 6 in. of insulation in the prefab walls and ceiling. I cut down some long slender trees to nail in horizontally for the chickens to roost on. Now I am going to use it as a potting shed. I want to try to put hot frames on the south side like a lean too. I should be able to find some old windows at garage sales. The hardest part is keeping out MR Woodchuck.

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• FILE0001.JPG, 2 MB

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Permalink Reply by Brenna z6 PA on February 2, 2010 at 2:56pm

Just saw this video. Amazing what a girl can do =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xBiSp6rQM0

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Permalink Reply by dale learn bayda on February 2, 2010 at 6:25pm

Very cool! thanks

Brenatens z6 PA said:

Just saw this video. Amazing what a girl can do =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xBiSp6rQM0

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Permalink Reply by Anisah David on February 13, 2010 at 10:13am

I like this coop! It would be a great little system for a couple of laying hens. I think the small cage on the left side of the picture could easily be adapted to be more like a chicken tractor so that during the day you could move them around the garden more. Yet have a permanent structure that is used in seasons you don't want the chickens as mobile. I think of my winter months when I'd want the laying hens' house very close to my back door so I didn't have to trudge through mountains of snow to get to their coop.

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Permalink Reply by Ronald G Maxwell z5/MI on February 14, 2010 at 2:00pm

This used to be a walk in freezer. It came apart in pieces and we re assembled it and put a loft and roof over it. It was well insulated and keep the chickens warm all winter.

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