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Author Topic: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.  (Read 26100 times)

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #20 on: October 17, 2008, 01:49:20 pm »
We just built our nest boxes, they're 15x15x12" deep.  We were told that was plenty large enough for the heavy breeds we have.  I hope they're right!

A cube is always best for chickens but you'll probably be okay, as long as the chickens set in the nest with their heads out.  Other way around on a 12 inch wide nest means broken eggs on the floor or perch.
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Offline BRIANCJ

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #21 on: October 19, 2008, 09:56:47 am »
try www.freechickencoopplans.com.I found it helpful when I was raising Dutch Bantam's for show.One note of caution-the chicken fever will get you,plan on making the coop bigger than you think you'll need.
As for Austrolorp's having special needs,not really.Just remember LF don't need to roost high,keep the roost low. Also,you can get good info on www.eggbid.com
« Last Edit: November 23, 2008, 11:25:16 am by buzzbee »

Offline winenutguy

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #22 on: October 19, 2008, 01:54:43 pm »
Thank you Brian and Brian for your thoughts and tips.  It is very much appreciated.  Thank you all! Best, Winenutguy

Offline Cindi

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #23 on: October 20, 2008, 10:44:25 am »
Winenutguy.  I meant to put a comment here, take it for what you will.  You may have already seen these pictures as I put them in another post, but in case you haven't, here goes.

Recently my Husband helped me do some revamping in my chickencoop.  We have ducks and chickens in this house and the structure that he built (and I did an addition to it myself, yeah!!!  took me hours, but I did it!!!!), has made my life so much easier, I cannot say how much.  It is so simple to now clean up the chicken mess, I can't believe it!!!  I don't know what kind of plans you are looking at for your coop.  My coops are already made.  They were boxstalls that we used to use for our horses, so I didn't have a choice as to how the size of the structure would be.  Look at this picture, if it is something that is similar to what you are thinking to building, I would highly recommend it.

I just take a garden hoe and scrap the chicken poop into my wheelbarrow, it works for me.  Just thought I would show you something that has made my life simple.  Have that most wonderful and awesomely great day, great health wishes for us all. Cindi



This is the part that I built, I needed more room (or should I say, they)

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline winenutguy

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2008, 09:05:19 pm »
Thank you Cindi! I was going to send you a P.M. so this is great timing.  I was going to ask you if you did anything unusual with your coop given our weather up here in the great N.W.  Since we are starting from scratch we are looking for any ideas that will make this a fun experience for us and a great place to live for the chickens.  Two quick questions if I may.  Will we need insulation in the walls?  Would a clear or semi-clear slanted roof made from fiberglass or polycarbonate help with winter laying?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you so much for the pictures and the suggestion.  I'll show my wife.  I'm sure we will incorporate them into our design.  Best wishes, Marcus

Offline poka-bee

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #25 on: October 20, 2008, 09:20:56 pm »
Marcus, the light can only help!  Make sure it is strong enough for the branches & crud that flies around during our wind spells. Slanted is a must for all the rain! Just make sure the slant isn't  where you need to walk!I'm putting in a small fluorescent light on a timer, set for 530 or 6am to help for later in the winter.  I have the"poop shelf" also, makes it much easier to clean, just scrape away as Cindi said.  I'm thinking of putting some under-bed bins on the shelf with shavings & stall dry.  That Stall dry stuff is AMAZING, really helps w/the ammonia smell! It gets sprinkled on the shelf & in the shavings on the floor. (also great in the catbox..)  I don't think it gets so cold here as to need insulation, just cover from the wind & rain.  I had some that lived in the trees in the pasture for years. You will love having chix, they are so comical to watch & each has a personality.  You will also never have any left over food scraps..they eat everything but raw potato skins & avocado which aren't good for them. J
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Offline Cindi

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2008, 09:30:59 am »
Marcus, Jody has said some good stuff.  I now have that timed light on.  The chickens have reduced laying drastically, and I need them to get going again.  (My Daughter told me to stop saying, hee, hee, when I e-mailed her, so I am trying to rid a habit,  :) :), oops, almost typed hee, hee).  Anyways, my light in the chickenyard comes on at 4:00 A.M. and turns off at 7:00 P.M.  I get an impression that chickens like 15 hours a day of good light for optimum laying, could be wrong, but I think that is what I read.  It is just a light bulb, 40 watt, so it does not draw too much power.  I wonder if a florescent one would work better though....hmmmm....Jody, comment here please...

Marcus you will get tips all winter on how to keep chickens, you are almost there.  It is such a blast though, I do agree, I love to be in the chickenyards and watch the critters, never a second where something interesting does not occur.  Have a wonderfully great day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline winenutguy

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #27 on: October 21, 2008, 11:30:45 am »
Thank you Cindi and Jody!  We are re-thinking runnning power out to the coop.  It's about 150 ft. from the house so we would need to dig quite a trench but it might be worth it.  Thank you both for your wonderful advice and encouragement.  It is greatly appreciated. We can't wait to get started!  Best wishes, Marcus

Greywulff

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #28 on: October 21, 2008, 02:43:58 pm »
Hi,

If your planning to build ur coop then ur obviously OK with working with timber, as I am "no master at it though" but will work with timber. I set about lookin for pic of coops on the net then made up my own from the ones I liked. I came up with a 10' X 4' coop and quite a nice sized run not that they spend much time in it but we do lock the gate at night but they are free to use the run. Loads of fox's around and fingers crossed they have given us no trouble so far. Hopefully the dog helps with this.

Heres my coop and run





Then we dicided to rear some chicks for the kids and got some eggs from local farmers selling free range eggs. Borrowed a wee incubator and brought out this little lot.



Now the wife wanted a small coop for the chicks  :'( :'( :'(

So I built this for her.





My point is if ur goona tackle a coop take ur time and there no fast rules so do plans really matter and if ur coop has a few quirky thing wrong with it, so what its ur coop and you built it. And built it the way you wanted not out of some book or plan.

Enjoy making it.  8-) 8-)


Offline Shawn

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #29 on: October 21, 2008, 05:52:38 pm »
This is noting to do with coops but we are looking at getting chickens and I found this "poster." Thought it was pretty cool.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Offline Frantz

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #30 on: October 21, 2008, 07:56:29 pm »
Greywullf,
That is one sweet setup. Looks great..
I would love to see a few more pics of your bigger coop. It looks great.
F
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Greywulff

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #31 on: October 22, 2008, 05:13:42 am »
Haven't got anymore at the mo but will take some if the weather picks up. Looks the same as the smaller one inside but is has 6 nest box's instead of 4 and a bigger ladder/perch for them.

It was born of multiple googled images in my head and didn't draw it out just let it take shape.

Oh and the fencing is 4 foot green plastic coated wire but the timber rail "Top One" is only 3 foot high the other foot is bent out the way and u nailed to the bottom rail. This leaves a foot of fencing wire pressed hard to the ground under its own tension. Which you dont' have to burry to fox proof it, as the fox will try and dig at the bottom of the rail and won't have the e=mc2 to move back a foot to start digging, I'll take a pic. It work great.

Work smart not hard  :-D :-D :-D

Thanks

Offline Cindi

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #32 on: October 22, 2008, 10:21:44 am »
Greywulff.  Now you got some beautiful chickenyard setting going on there, that is amazing and simply beautiful.  I loved the pens, the houses, EVERYTHING.  You have done a beautiful job, and it looks pretty foolproof.

I should go out and take a picture of my chickenyards.  They are not really triangle or square yards or anything.  They are all over the map and they all have 6 foot high fences around them, also buried under the ground is the remaining 6 inches or so of the wire, nothing can get over nor under, I feel pretty safe for my chickenyard critters.  My place is kind of wild and untamed.  There is bush everywhere, a hill that is awesome for the chickens to go up on and look around.  My place is rather messy, but it is so big it is hard to keep it looking good.  Today the sun is gonna shine, so I will go and take some pictures of my chickenyards, you will probably be shocked at how mucky and kind of messy everything looks, but then, this Pacific Northwest is a mucky and wet climate, eeks!!  Have the most wonderful and awesome day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Greywulff

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #33 on: October 22, 2008, 11:50:08 am »
Thanks Cindi,

It took a long time to get it the way I wanted it.  :-D :-D Rome wasn't built in a day and all......

Would love to see more peoples set-ups. Please post.

Offline reinbeau

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #34 on: October 22, 2008, 03:49:23 pm »
This is noting to do with coops but we are looking at getting chickens and I found this "poster." Thought it was pretty cool.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
Ah, the Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart is great, isn't it?  I used it when I was researching what breeds I wanted to raise.

Offline purvisgs

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #35 on: October 23, 2008, 01:02:22 am »
the best chicken "yard" I would have to say, for someone considering a small number of chickens in an urban or semi-urban area is a chicken wire enclosure (cube including bottom) that you can move around to different parts of your own yard.  they love to peck at anything and this will reduce the need for feed.

If you only have, say 2 3 or 4 chickens, the coop can be attached to this (ie plywood box with roof that lifts off.  this way two people can move them around periodically for access to new forage

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #36 on: October 23, 2008, 02:23:28 am »
the best chicken "yard" I would have to say, for someone considering a small number of chickens in an urban or semi-urban area is a chicken wire enclosure (cube including bottom) that you can move around to different parts of your own yard.  they love to peck at anything and this will reduce the need for feed.

If you only have, say 2 3 or 4 chickens, the coop can be attached to this (ie plywood box with roof that lifts off.  this way two people can move them around periodically for access to new forage

Make a ware pen with a hutch attached.  A movable chicken pen is called a chicken tractor.  You can make one out of PVC pipe and poultry netting and a couple of old lawnmower wheels.
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Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #37 on: October 23, 2008, 10:39:00 am »
A movable chicken pen is called a chicken tractor.  You can make one out of PVC pipe and poultry netting and a couple of old lawnmower wheels.

Now why didn't I think of that? I have been wracking my brain on how to make one of those things cheaply.

Thanks
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Offline Frantz

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #38 on: October 23, 2008, 11:29:26 am »
JM,
Here you go,,, I have built this one a few times. It works great. Just put a few tires on it and you have a great mobile chicken tractor.
F
http://www.pvcplans.com/PoultryPen.pdf
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Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Need Help with Chicken Coop Plans.
« Reply #39 on: October 23, 2008, 01:39:26 pm »
Can you buy the "SNAP CLAMPS" or do you have to make them?

If you buy them, what section of the store? Plumbing?
:rainbowflower:  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.   :rainbowflower:

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