Coop Mark I - finished page 5!

[clothmama]

Not bad for a few Ikea futon bases plus a few other bits of wood!

[clothmama]

2nd coat all done on the base and the coop so I'm thrilled about that. I think I've got about 4 coats on the bottom so hoping it will hold up really well. I'm going to paint the interior with homemade lime white wash as apparently it is an awesome way to keep the coop mite free and freshens it up - you just redo it once a year and it is pretty safe so if they end up pecking it they won't be eating chemical paint. There is the wood sealer on the 'beams' (gonna be one classy coop ) but hoping they'll not be able to get any flakes off like with paint. J scraped and anti moss'ed the concrete pad where it will sit so all being well there may be a chance I can get them in tomorrow (probably more likely Tuesday as we still have to fit and paint the floor and fit the walls on the bottom part of the coop. I didn't get a pic before it got too dark so I'll do it tomorrow. With the 2nd coat it is a lovely rich colour, no nasty 90's orange tone (my nightmare scenario with wood stain ) so I'm really pleased

[clothmama]

@Allie and @autumnalgirl can you guys describe (or pics if you have them!) how your roosting bars go / how high they are and how your nesting boxes work in terms of layout. Also do they have access to food and water overnight inside the coop or just in the run?

It's not a very good picture but you can sort of see the roosting bars and nesting boxes; although they quite often lay eggs in the main part instead of the nesting boxes. They have free access into the covered run where their food and water is. At night we close the gate at the far end, day time it's open into a further uncovered run.

[clothmama]

Thanks Christi - that is actually really helpful as it looks like a similar size to mine and it is quite close the ground too which mine will need to be. How far do you think you have from the roof to the perch and the perch to the floor @autumnalgirl ?

[clothmama]

They have free access into the covered run where their food and water is. At night we close the gate at the far end, day time it's open into a further uncovered run.

Glad to know this works as this is exactly the scenario I have in my head for ours that they have the very secure run that they can get to 24/7 then the day run which is just normal fencing. I would rather not have food in the coop itself so that seems like the ideal really! It is so hot here in the summer I may even put roosts in the run if they want to sleep there!

Thanks Christi - that is actually really helpful as it looks like a similar size to mine and it is quite close the ground too which mine will need to be. How far do you think you have from the roof to the perch and the perch to the floor @autumnalgirl ?

I think roughly 10 cms under the perch, and maybe 60cms to the roof?

They have free access into the covered run where their food and water is. At night we close the gate at the far end, day time it's open into a further uncovered run.

Glad to know this works as this is exactly the scenario I have in my head for ours that they have the very secure run that they can get to 24/7 then the day run which is just normal fencing. I would rather not have food in the coop itself so that seems like the ideal really! It is so hot here in the summer I may even put roosts in the run if they want to sleep there!

Our original chickens were re-homed by us, before us they slept up in trees outside in the summer! They did try with us, but our trees weren't so roostable in!

[clothmama]

Our original chickens were re-homed by us, before us they slept up in trees outside in the summer! They did try with us, but our trees weren't so roostable in!

Oh really that is so cool! How did you manage to get them in (asks me who is catching my big 3 to put them to bed every night!)?

Thanks Christi - that is actually really helpful as it looks like a similar size to mine and it is quite close the ground too which mine will need to be. How far do you think you have from the roof to the perch and the perch to the floor @autumnalgirl ?

I think roughly 10 cms under the perch, and maybe 60cms to the roof?

Thanks - I think that is about what I have so makes me feel better ( I was worried not high enough off the groudn or that they will bang thier heads. J is going to be clamouring for a roosts / nest box / hole in the floor for lamp layout tomorrow and I have no idea at all

What do you girls think @autumnalgirl and @Allie the coop floor is about 135 x 125cm I just - can't work out where I should put everything what do you guys think? it is wide enough that I think I can just have 1 roosting bar but not a big deal to add another if I have more chickens in there.