Coop Tour - The Garden Coop

Here's a tour of the coop I built using plans from thegardencoop dot com. It has many nice features for raising backyard chickens.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• raising chickens
• coop
• chicken
• how to

[VillageIdiot50]

I have friends who have chickens and am thinking of buying some. They feed them daily but with the feeding trough you would not have to. do they eat to much?

[danielmarleau]

@VillageIdiot50 Utah State extension: "A chicken will stop eating once a certain

quantity of energy has been consumed in a day." I use trough or bucket feeder just for convenience. Others like to hand feed because it gives them a daily connection with their flock. I keep a supply of scratch and give them that as treat usually daily. That way I can check up on them and gives them something extra to do.

[VegasBertSmith]

Do you bury the hardware cloth around the run so that racoons can't dig in?

[danielmarleau]

@VegasBertSmith Yes, I did. About 6-8 inches. Backfill with rock.

[rocket60000]

do you eat them?

[danielmarleau]

@rocket60000 The eggs, yes! 

[abbykoda123]

Nice set-up :)

[danielmarleau]

@AirsoftAttack231 I run an extension cord from outside outlet for water heater. The roof is to keep out rain/snow. Just below roof, the coop is fully enclosed in open-air hardware cloth. So there is actually a gap between the roof and top of coop. The roof is more like a giant umbrella. Fresh air circulation is important -- in all seasons. In winter, I wrap the north facing sides with a tarp -- mainly to keep wind off the birds. But keep the south face open for sun and air.

[danielmarleau]

@AirsoftAttack231 Winter no problem for chickens. Get a good heavy breed. I like Buff Orpingtons. No heat sources. I used lamp to increase daylight hours and mess with their circadian rhythm -- keep up egg production. I've since stopped doing this. Not worth the added hassle. Mine continue to lay throughout winter, not as much though. To keep water from freezing, I use the Farm Innovators "All-Seasons" Heated Plastic Poultry Fountain. (~$35 USD).