New coop for newbie

I can get Photobucket to provide an image code that I can use when posting photos on Practical Poultry forum, which has very different software than on here, and don't find Photobucket takes long to load. I can't seem to use it to post on here, but on Dinosaw's advice I now use an image reduction app that does the job very easily from my iPhone of iPad. Trouble with Photobucket is that the photos disappear from your forum post after a month or so. Normally this doesn't matter as the post will have slipped well down the list, but could be irritating if posting something that might be of archive interest. Anyway, I'm glad you got sorted out. You'll have a really good coop by the time the girls arrive!
 
Some serious woodworking this weekend has resulted in a coop stand:



...and then the coop assembled on top. I sealed the parts of the coop before I put it together, and then again as it went together.



Then a bit of a 'skirt' so that rain running off the coop falls outside the shelter under the coop:



There'll be a mesh covered door to gain access to the area under so I can put food and water there... that's tomorrow's construction project.

The coop itself is a bit flimsy and made from very soft wood, and I've had to trim some bits to fit properly - the perches were ¼" too long to fit, plus other annoying bits, but once together (and screwed to the stand) it's OK. I wouldn't buy one like that again. You get what you pay for, blah, blah, blah.... but then I might find after three years that chicken keeping is not for me and it'll last that long. However, if keeping chickens is for me, I'll probably want a bigger coop in three years and will buy (or build) a better one. :-)17
 
I'm wondering why you would need to enclose the bottom with mesh Col? If the food is in there (and it would be a good place to put it without any other cover) then the door would have to be open at all times in daylight. It would make things easy for the hens and yourself to rodent proof fence in 8 - 10 sq m (say) and leave the shelter/food and pop hole open - then they can get up and sort themselves out on a Sunday morning when your having a lie in.
 
Thanks Rick. The plan (which is pretty fluid at the best of times) is that the part of the coop stand under the pop hole will remain always open and the side of the stand will be outside the chicken wire fence - meaning that the mesh door will be an access point to the whole chicken-run area.

Rodent proofing will be (may be) a problem round here. We're right next to a ¼ acre of unmanaged copse which is one of the areas that the local farmer keeps his pheasants for the winter pheasant shoots. So there are grain feeders out all the time which undoubtedly have a rat population free-loading off them. We haven't got rats in the garden (that I've seen, and we feed the birds), but why should they bother if there's free food in the copse?

However; with chicken food out that may change. Fogarty the Cat is a great ratter and cleaned out the rats in our last garden (with a little help from my air rifle), but who knows what'll happen here. So I'm going to stick with my original plan... and change it if problems appear later.

EDIT: I've just realised that this reads like Fogarty uses my air rifle! *sigh* I'll leave it - anything for a cheap laugh. :D

cat-with-gun.jpg~c200
 
Right I understand now! It would be quite difficult to rodent 'proof' a sizeable area but some half inch netting at the bottom would make raiding harder for them and unlike a fox it's not game over the first time.
What a talented young cat!
 
*phew* That's the coop sorted... just some fencing to put up. I'm collecting the chickens on Friday afternoon and, of course, they'll be piccies of the girls as soon as my talantless photography skills allow more than just a fuzzy blur!

 
You've made a really good job of that Colin. Sure the chickens will appreciate it. Unfortunately our cat hash't the marksmanship skills required and still bites them on the back of the neck then eats them- so much worming!
 
Wow! What lovely girls! Excellent pics, too - it's hard to get chickens to pose sideways on in a big space like that, They look about 16 weeks to me, judging by their combs, so will probably have 2-4 weeks to settle in before the next Big Day, when the eggs start coming. Good idea to get different breeds, as each egg will be identifiable.
Did they find out how to get in the coop last night?
Made all your hard work worthwhile, I'm sure.
 
Thanks. 16 weeks is what I was told, too. They were fine getting in the coop last night, they took themselves to bed.

Roxanne has escaped twice... so we've just clipped her wing. We also managed to catch Blanche and get her's clipped, but the other two led us a merry dance around their enclosure so we've left them for now. We didn't want to chase and stress them too much.

They're endlessly fascinating creatures... and we're already talking about more!!

Chickens.jpg
 
Beautiful! Don’t know why they are trying to escape - it looks great there but I suppose the grass is always greener...
 
Unfortunately, Tufnell the dog forced his way in to thier enclosure and attacked them. Three got away unharmed (but vey scared) But Bluebell managed to fly out and in to the copse next door. We can't find her, we're just hoping she'll come back on her own.
 
That's rotten luck Col. She will probably (hopefully) be up a tree if she's still in the copse and stay there the night. If you have a cage I think I would try putting a trap just the other side of the fence just in case she is brave enough to return when she gets hungry. She is unlikely to cross open ground without cover.
 
Bluebell came back as the evening came in. She looked like nothing had happend and then strolled up the ramp and into the coop!!

Some serious enclosure modifications will happen as soon as the local hardware store is open tomorrow morning. I'm thinking maching gun nests and minefields, perhaps with a top cover of Spitfires. Over the top? I think not! :D
 
Yes, unfortunately one's own dog can be as bad as any other predator. Tufnell has tested out your fencing for you, though, Col, and I'm so glad Bluebell is safe. Bluebells are known to be a relatively shy and timid breed, so I'm not surprised she was the one who panicked worst. POL pullets do take a few weeks to settle in to new surroundings and once they've learned their way around and begin to lay, will be much less inclined to fly. But training a young dog to ignore them is very difficult, and from my own experience the only way to be safe is to keep them totally apart. My Poppy has started teasing the hens through the run wire since I got my two newbies 3 weeks ago, because they get in a flap when she yaps at them. The older ones had learned to ignore her, but for the time being she can start them all off, especially the leghorn pullet. If she could get in to the run there would be a major panic and probably injuries or deaths, not because she's aggressive but because she's a lively young dog and her prey drive is easily activated when it looks as if they're such fun! Our previous terrier got out in the garden one day when the hens were loose, and met one face to face on the path. He was just gathering himself for the kill when she gave him a really hard peck on the nose and he fled, crying. After that, he pretended not to see the hens at all, lest his dignity was hurt by such a redoubtable enemy. Unfortunately I've never worked out how to safely engineer this occurrence with Poppy!
 
Thanks for the comments and help. The girls came out of the coop looking fine at 6:15 and had a drink... then they went back in and stayed. I suppose they'll come on out sooner or later, especially when they get hungry.

I have a feeling that, no matter what I do to the enclosure, Tuffers will force his way in (or over) at the next weakest part, so he'll have to stay on his lead. What could be more fun to a 15 month old Retriever than chasing chickens... it certainly beats running after tennis balls!
 
Glad she returned. Though they will never be best friends, hopefully the novelty will wear off in a few weeks and the effort to get in be a little less concerted.
 
Retrievers are a highly trainable breed, potentially much more obedient than Norfolk Terriers, so you should be able to sit with him near to the hens and reward him for staying still beside you, just as you would any other attraction you wanted him to learn to ignore. It will take a while, but he's the right age to learn and it will be worth it. I would concentrate on teaching strong Down and Stay reflexes, away from the hens, and then gradually expose them to him, when he's on the lead. Meanwhile, keep him apart!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top