Over the summer I posted pics of my coop. Since then I have built a new coop. I needed a larger coop and made the roof taller so I could easily enter it. I love being able to stand up inside it and spend more time with the girls because of that.
Mike

Sorry, that did not work. I'll try again.
Mike

Well it looks like you've outdone yourself again! Your first coop and pen were darling, and this one is great also! I never would have thought to use newspaper for litter under the roosts. You've given me a great idea for my bantams, I need to build them better facilities and this would be perfect for my birds also. Could you give us an idea how much money and time is in this coop and pen?

Very neat coop, indeed. You did a great job. You're much more than just a good surgeon. Congratulations!

Hi Hannah, I hate to say but the whole thing ran about $800. I sold my old coop for $500 so it was not too bad. It is preety extravagant, auto waterer, indoor and outdoor lighting, even little party lights strung outside. I spent about 4 whole days building it, and still putz around on my days off. The newspaper is great. Two times a week I change it, helps keep everything nice and clean. Only trouble with the paper is now they have started to rip it apart. I will need to build a wire screen on top of it so they can't get to it. Glad you folks liked it! I spend more time with the girls now with the bigger and better digs.

I like how you have a shelf under the roosts. That makes cleaning SO MUCH easier! I might have to look into doing something like that in my own coop. I, too, use newspapers a good deal (not all) of the time because it makes cleaning easier. But having to bend down under the roosts gets hard.
I love your artwork on the walls!
Outside, your feeder seems to be hanging off the ground. Is that right or does it just seem that way? If that's true, I want to try that with my own feeder (which is the same kind). That way the rats can't get to it (as easily, anyway).

Thanks for letting me know your time and costs, I bet your birds are really enjoying their new home as much as you are!!

Sunni, Thanks about the art, some is mine and some is my daughters. She is my night time chicken checking buddy, barely misses a night. The feeders are off the ground. Rodents have a harder time and the chicks can't toss so much feed on the ground. Helps keep things neater. I find the less feed on the ground keeps the rodents from finding out about the free eats. In my last coop I even had hardware cloth nailed to the walls and running underground, under the mulch. That way NOBODY could get in. Best way I found to be rat free.

Hi,
First off, you have a great coop! I was wondering is that clear fiberglass roofing? Does it get hot in their during the day? Wish my coop looked so professional!
Daniel

Thanks Daniel, The roof is fiberglass. I like them to get sun when they can. It is only really hot during the hottest part of the summer, then I put a white plastic blind on top to provide shade. I did this with my old coop and it seemed to work fine. The sides are all hardware cloth so there is plenty of ventilation, the shade just helped excess heat from building up. Before I put up the shade the hens hid in a shady corner. Afterwards they roamed around freely.

I also have a raised shelve under my roost. At first I didn't and it created a lot of work. We needed an area to house our chicks and mums so we built pens underneath the roosts and the pens roof is the same as your shelf. We also use newspaper and I clean up the droppings every day and then change the newspaper once a week. I have found it good to staple down the newspaper (useing a staple gun) and then the birds can't play with the paper. When changing the paper it just takes a wee tug to pull it out of the staples(or you could remove the staples first). I have also found this a great way to collect the dropping to use as manure as they are easy to scrap up with a small metal shovel. We were also pleased to save room by putting the pens in an area that was not able to be used for anything else (except droppings!).

Urbanfarmer, sorry to have to post again but I was wondering about your two roosts at different heights. We have two roosts also but they are at the same height, one behind the other like yours. I have noticed that most of my girls (22) like to stand on the front roost and only the rooster and a few others on the back. We have some growing chicks that will need to roost soon and I wondered if the different height roosts might make them use the two roosts more evenly. I would appreciate your response. Thanks
Vicki

Vicki, I read somewhere about how much room chickens need on a roost. I have 18 birds so I thought that two roosts would be best. Funny thing is, they all sleep on the top roost! They all seem cramped together but I guess it helps keep them warm at night. I like the two to be tiered so they can hop to the bottm one and then to the top one. Hope that helps.
Mike

Chickens will usually roost as high as they can. (that is, bantams and light breeds--heavies are better off lower down). And in a coop, that is usually the warmest place in winter. With a dropping board under just the high roost, any birds below would not get "hit". I have trays under my roosts,(on a shelf) with 1"x2" wire over them, so the birds can't get in the droppings and with a sprinkle of shavings on the trays, they empty easily about once every month, depending on how many birds are in each section of the house. They stay dry and and there is no smell. But we each have to design according to our coops. Their nests (cardboard boxes) are on shelves also, under the roost shelves and off the floor, so the birds have the full floor space to scratch and excercise. CJR

Dear CJR
Can you explain to me how your dropping pit works? It is obviously inside but I am wondering how you get away without any smell and only having to clean up once a month. This sounds great. I would love to have to do less cleaning in the coop as I have very little time and would rather spend it with the chooks (or cleaning my own house) than cleaning a coop. I have 4 children which I teach at home so it all keeps the timetable pretty busy. Also have you noticed whether the chooks prefer the nesting boxes raised up or not. We originally had the boxes up 30 - 40cm off the ground then we lowered them as they appeared to have difficulty getting in. We lowered them to about 15cms, then eventually to the floor level as they seemed to be nesting in the bushes outside on the ground so I wondered it they prefered to sit at ground level. I am not sure which way is better. Do you think they have any preferences? I wonder if my husband would be willing to change it AGAIN (ha ha). I would appreciate your comments. Thanks
Vicki

Great coop! It's the first picture of a coop I've found on the Website. I'm looking for info. on building a coop. Dimensions, inside "accoutrements," etc. Did you (or anyone out there?) have a particularly good resource (on the Web would be particularly appreciated)giving directions/ideas for building a coop? Thanks! Karen

Hello Karen,

Ho yes, it is a beautiful coop, nice pictures, for more information go to Feathersite, links, and you will have a lot of coop's links, hours of fun for you, it is very informative site. Bye, Johanne

Urbanfarmer, when I first started downloading this page it starts downloading from the top down. I thought my god, what a roof, painting under the eves, beautiful damask blue with white trim. Interesting motion lights over the coop to scare away animals. Some kind of pully system for the side walls. Then I got to the hen house. It was a great laugh on me. My husband and I roared. You built a beautiful henhouse. It is a palace. I am greatly relieved my first impression was not a reality or I would have to tear down my humble henhouse. I too put a shelf in under my roost but my roost is a tree branch that they love. I built a small "box" to put the bottom of the branch in. I have newspapers down and I too staple it down. I like the tree branch because when if it gets too dirty I just put in a new one from my fruit trees.
To answer Karen about designs for henhouses on the web, good luck. I kept searching and searching and it just confused me more. I sat down and thought about what I wanted and what my needs were then just started making sketches then asked the guys for help down at the local lumber yard. They were great and gave me a lot of the basics for building a sound structure. Mine came out fine for a first try. It is not unattractive and it is functional. I am sure my next one will be even better. Hopefully that won't be for a long while.

I have just ordered my first 25 chicks ever! So glad that I found pictures of such a beautiful coop...

Being new to all of this, I wondered what the hanging galvanized "things" are...the boxy one looks like a feeder of some sort but the cylindrical ones have me stumped.

I am inspired by these pictures to dress up the inside and out of my new coop, which will arrive in two weeks. It's an 8 x 12 mansard-roof (cross between a barn-style and regular-peaked roof) prebuilt building. I could have built my own from scratch but didn't have the time as my decision to get chickens was a surprise to me (and my husband!) and I didn't have time.

I also like the idea of hanging the nest boxes under the shelved roost area. Clever space-saving idea! And the wooden crate hung from the ceiling (for storage?) is great, too.

Can't wait to get started!

URBANFARMER
I would like to say I liked your coop but I really can't.
the reason is because I am jealous you coop is better than the apartment I lived in before I got my house I am very jealous.
Seriously I love it. if I pay rent can I live there.
You really designed a well thought out coop. Perfection comes to mind. Your chickens must love it.
Congradulations.

To all who have written about my coop:
Thank you for the compliments. I have not logged on to this site in quite a while. I work as a teacher leave replacement Mon-Fri and try to run a garden center on the weekends. I also take 2 classes a week towards my masters degree so my time is limited.
Michelle Tech - the box is a sin bin, I put broody hens in it to isolate them and break their broodiness. The cylinders a fonts that I am not using and are hanging for storage. They are really pigeon fonts. I like them because the little roof over the water part keeps the chicks from pooping in it.
MARCHER19 - Rent is $150 a month, get back to me if you are interested. All the eggs you can eat are included.
Urbanfarmer
PS I'll have to try to check back here more often!

C:\WINDOWS\Profiles\tissuebox\My Documents\Christie's Folder\Miscellanious Chicken\NewCoop.bmp This is practice.Then I'll get my mom to help