CHICKENSSS!!!

[Dubious_Beans]

I finally got my chickens and I'm so happy I can hardly stand myself.

The coop has been a work in progress for over a year now. I started it in early summer 2011 and got about 25% done before other problems & projects put a halt to it.
Finally this summer I had time to work on it again and finish it up.

The house has 36 square feet of floor space including the nesting boxes and it's tall enough for a human to stand up in.
The fully enclosed run covers about 500 square feet.
Hopefully it's predator proof. I spent a LOT of hours digging a trench around the perimeter and burying fence wire so the varmints can't dig under.
Here's the chicken palace...








Today I went to see the local Chicken Vendor and I got 8 hens.
3ea Ameraucana, 3ea Plymouth Barred Rock, and 2ea Rhode Island Red.
I wanted a couple of Black Australorps also but chicken dude didn't have any this week. Probably next week I'll go pick up a couple of those to make an even 10 hens.

The ladies have been getting used to their new home for a few hours now.









YIPPEEEEE!!!! FINALLY GOT CHICKENS!!!!

I'm so effin' happy.

[gsusd]

great! growing baby chicken is fun too.

[ElvenSoul]

No Roster?

[xgi1991]

nice, but yeah, you need a roster, got two for free if you want them, lol

[Henry Shooter]

Nice Pad for the chix man... better pad than most people have. Beautiful man. Good job.

[chris]

very nice work.

[Dubious_Beans]

Nice Pad for the chix man... better pad than most people have. Beautiful man. Good job.

Awww, thanks. I want my girls to have a nice pad.
And I have to look at it out of my kitchen window so I felt compelled to slap some paint on it at least.

My good neighbor GAVE me all the nice tongue & groove siding. It was leftover from her barn and was rotting away on a pallet when I asked if I could have it for chickens. That's one neighbor I owe LOTS of eggs!
The paint was leftover from other jobs.
The ancient windows were stacked in a old shed when I moved here.
The coop itself didn't cost much to build, mostly 2x4's for framing plus window & door hinges and latches.

But the run was the killer expense. Almost 200 feet of 6' fence wire + peeler cores and PT lumber...
I hope the hens appreciate it and lay lots of eggs!
They also have a few acres to free range on when there's adult supervision to shoo away the coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons.

nice, but yeah, you need a roster, got two for free if you want them, lol

Roosters are not on the roster at this time. Maybe later....

But thanks.


.

[EM2]

Very nice set up.

Rooster, don't need no roosters. room for only one cock in this house.

I got rid of my rooster cause he was tearin up the hens & got a bit ornry.
You only need one if you intend to breed more chickens.

[Sanderhawk]

Awsome. post up now and then to let us know how things are going.

[mvpatriot]

When I die I will come back as the rooster in that awesome looking hen house!

[VegasND]

You did a good job and that turned out very well.

[kaligaran]

It really does look great.

GJ!

[Flying Sig]

Wow, that is one sweet setup. Congrats!!

Do you plan on hatching chicks? We have a coup with the same wire for the perimeter fence and the only problem we have encountered is that the new chicks can run in and out as they please (we hatch chicks naturally with zero interference from us). So far we have been lucky, no fatalities, but there have been some close calls. If you let the chicks run with the hens you may need to overlay some finer mesh. Anyway, my wife will probably chime in, she's the chicken whisper.

I'm jealous! Great setup.

[NastyNate]

Nice setup.

[socalbowhunter]

That is a huge pen. Almost makes them free range. Nicely done.