Ideas for chicken coops?

[Boondox]

No, no, no!!! Let that stuff cook a bit in the winter months. Generates plenty of heat for the birds. Just keep an eye on the nitrogen (ammonia fumes) and add more shavings as necessary.

Pete

 

[Slamfire]

I built an 8 X 10 shed with a gambrel roof for the chickens. You can find plans for these all over the net. It was a practice project for pole framing as I'm building a barn for the garage/workshop.

 

[RichZ]

I'm using a 10 x 12 shed as a hen house. Here's a shot of it.

You can see a portable radio hanging in the doorway. That's a little trick I learned on TBN. Keep the radio on loud to a talk or rock station. It helps keep the predators away.

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

 

[RichZ]

Here's a shot of the inside, showing windows and the nest boxes.

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

 

[RichZ]

Here's a closer shot of the nest boxes. We have 24 hens. They usually lay in the nest boxes, but I still check some of their favorite hangouts in my barn where they occaisionally lay eggs.

You can see eggs in the nest boxes. We average 18 eggs per day for 24 hens. I heard that production goes down in the winter, due to lack of light, but that didn't happen with our hens. I don't keep a light inside or anything. The hens free range during the day, and I lock them in the hen house at night.

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

 

[RichZ]

Remember, during the winter you have to keep the water from freezing. I use a heated pet bowl, as you can see. As Pete said, don't clean the bedding during the winter, it helps keep them warm. As long as we open the door during the day, there's very little odor. In the summer, we keep the windows open, and the bedding changed, and there's also very little odor then.

One important thing to know. Chickens don't get around well in the snow. Once you get about 6 inches, they have trouble sinking into the snow, so you have to keep them in the henhouse. In does get stinky then, and you will realize how much food they find by free ranging, because they consume about 3 times as much chicken feed. For feed, I use Agway Layer Pellets for the adults. It's chemical free, but not organic. I market my eggs as free range, chemical free, and they sell like hotcakes at the local health food store.

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

 

[DocHeb]

In regards to "Free Range" - could you let chickens roam through a garden during the day, or will they eat the produce? Would they go into the henhouse at night by themselves, or do you have to round them up?

 

[Boondox]

They'll tear the heck out of the garden if allowed to; we fence them out. As for going in by themselves, yes, once they recognize it as home. The first year we raised them in pens, then opened the coop and tore the pens apart. For the next several nights we had to round up the hens in trees, on cars, in the garage etc and carry them to the coop! Now when it's time for them to move into the coop we shut them up inside for several days before letting them range. That seems to work pretty well.

Pete

 

[RichZ]

We raised our chickens in the hen house. When they were old enough to go outside, we fenced an area with chicken wire for them to get used to the outside world. After a few weeks we took down the fence, and they would free range further and further from the hen house. They always return at night. They head back when it starts getting dark, and hang around outside the henhouse for a while, then finally go back inside for the night. I always go by right before nightfall, and do a head count and shut them in for the night. Every once in a while one or two are missing, and I usually find them in the barn or paddock, and carry them back to the henhouse. We have several varieties, but for some reason, the Rhode Island Reds are very friendly and like to be picked up. I have one that hangs out in a horse stall, and when I give the horses their evening grain, I pick her up and carry her back to the hen house. It's become a routine. But the vast majority go back on their own.

As far as gardens, as Pete said, they'll tear anything apart, especially if it's red. Birds can see color, and chickens are attracted to anything red. We have to put chicken wire around all our vegatable gardens. When Farm and Family was going out of business, we bought rolls and rolls of chicken wire for 50% off.


Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."