So you wanna have chickens, eh?

[irvingj]

It certainly looks like you're a better builder than I! Is that called "shiplap"? Very nice. What's the small box on stilts to the right of the chicken house?

My next project will be a summer location for "the girls" including some overhead protection, as you've done. Is the "roof" supported by a wire/cable?

Of our ten hens, we now have 7 that are laying; 3 just picked up in the past week or so.

 

[chrisdvorak]

the box is a rabbit hutch that i built a while back and i haven't gotten around to getting the rabbits yet, but they are coming. my "roof" for it is made out of some pt 2 by 4's and i ripped down some old decking that i had to make a frame for the chicken wire to attach to, it is 8ft were it meets the barn and the door is, and slowly tapers to 5-1/2ft to minimize crouching, i have 12 rhode island red hens and one black minorcas rooster that was a rescue and was being abused by the other roosters at the place i found him so i brought him over to my place and he now lives happily with his 12 "girls"

 

[chrisdvorak]

here is the rabbit hutch and some pics of the inside. my chickens are laying about 6-7 eggs a day in the winter and i get a dozen a day in the summer and hopefully i will be getting 10 or so chicks this spring

 

[bp fick]

I hate to bring up a rather nasty subject, but it is a real part of farm life.

Have you chicken guys had any increased issues with rodents? Mice and rats?

What, if anything, are you doing for abatement?

 

[dooleysm]

I get the occassional family of mice in the chicken coop. When I find a nest I usually rake it up (the floor of the coop is sawdust) and if there are any little mice the chickens eat them. I have mouse poison bait stations in my nearby barn and around my house that do a good job of keeping the mice in check.

About a month ago I had a rat move into the coop. I think I found him a day or two after he set up shop and I put out my 2 live traps baited with dog food and caught him in less than 12 hours. While I used a live trap, the rat did not stay that way.

 

[chrisdvorak]

i have not had too many problems with my chickens because the coup itself is about 2ft off the ground and i put my grain in metal garbage cans with lids that are in another closed wooden box so nothing can get to it

 

[Mike Costello]

No rodents in my coop yet--have been watching for signs since last summer, but nothing. I try to discourage them by keeping the feed in a metal trash can with lid. It will hold exactly 3 50lb bags. I also laid gravel down in the storage area on top of some bubble wrap insulation I had left over from my shop construction. Keeps moisture out. It also helps that we have 3-4 barn cats that do a lot of prowling around.

 

[firefighter9208]

Before you spend your hard earned money using chicken wire overhead check out this website: Bird Control & Netting - 2" heavy knotted . I bought the 2" heavy knotted last winter. It has stood up to a year and looks great. I bought a piece 25x50 and built my run 25x40. That way I had enough to let it drape.

I built the sides of my run 6' tall and put a 8' pole in the center. I then ran 3/8' rope from the center pole to the corners of the run. I then draped the net over the sides and rope. I do occasionally have to clean off the small limbs and twigs, but haven't had any major problems.

Chris