the new coop, pen and chickens

[Doozerdoo]

well more money then I can say paid for on the upgrade of my pen, and coop and here it is. still have to finish painting it but thats for another day. here is just a few pictures of my coop pen and chickens.

[Doozerdoo]

here is last years pen and coop, both enlarged ( pictures above ) to house a lot of birds in case we need to add more. . we currently have nine.
pen was 10x10x10, its now 12 x17 coop was 5x6 its now 10x6 again they free range every day. we did not like the chain link, small birds and other animals got in there, also the snow was a pain to keep off the tarps. coop was fine for 5 birds, but we wanted more and did want to over crowd ( my belief is 4 square feet per bird and this was perfect for the 5 girls, but we wanted to add more and we also wanted to set our broody about to hatch some. she did a great job!

[jack]

Originally Posted by Doozerdoo

here is last years pen and coop, both enlarged ( pictures above ) to house a lot of birds in case we need to add more. . we currently have nine.
pen was 10x10x10, its now 12 x17 coop was 5x6 its now 10x6 again they free range every day. we did not like the chain link, small birds and other animals got in there, also the snow was a pain to keep off the tarps. coop was fine for 5 birds, but we wanted more and did want to over crowd ( my belief is 4 square feet per bird and this was perfect for the 5 girls, but we wanted to add more and we also wanted to set our broody about to hatch some. she did a great job!

Looks great, Doozer. You say they are free range? Do they get to go outside of the fence? The family across the street from me has free roaming chickens and i saw a Dalmatian one day grab one and run off with it. I think he loses a number of birds ever year to various predators, traffic, and dogs.

[Doozerdoo]

Originally Posted by jack

Looks great, Doozer. You say they are free range? Do they get to go outside of the fence? The family across the street from me has free roaming chickens and i saw a Dalmatian one day grab one and run off with it. I think he looses a number of birds ever year to various predators, traffic, and dogs.

They are usually out of the pen from 6:00am until dusk,roaming all over the yard. but here in the last week not so much. I paid $1,700 for the upgrades, and several hundred more for the extra's there going to sit in that pen some days lOL Im tired as are the kids picking the poo off the lawn after a year. we clean the coop and pen every weekend, lawn every day. we have decided to cut the grass, throw it in the pen ,and give them thereusual treats.. yougert and greens and fruits in the pen also . now the dogs can go on the lawn qith out having treats if you knwo what i mean. we have to take the dogs out the front door to avoid the chickens, im sure my dog would kill them all. they aqlso trimmed my tomatoes for me, and ate my strawberry shoots, so im tired of replanting and trying to keep the chickens out. there in the pen now where its cool and there is shade . out of the heat, the rain etc. we supliment there craving for bugs with 1,000 meal worms each month from a web site, and we get grasshoppers and crickets thanks to my sons who use nets lol. my chickens are fat and sassy. some are still pullets so there still on the small side. and then there is my white chick and my red chick who are 10 weeks yesterday.

[biigblueyes]

Looks great, Doozer!

The carpeting on the roost is hilarious. Yes, I know it gets cold there. Practical, maybe, but still funny.

[Doozerdoo]

Originally Posted by biigblueyes

Looks great, Doozer!

The carpeting on the roost is hilarious. Yes, I know it gets cold there. Practical, maybe, but still funny.

Im still trying to figure out how to put cozzies on them for bed time LOL yeah the carpeting is for warmth, but my Gertie has crooked feet and it was hard for her to get up on the roost and then stay there, the carpeting really helps her to stay on. both roosts have carpeting, we just dust with diotomacious earth . everything for the comfort of my girls so they give great eggs. they work hard, LOL

[biigblueyes]

You gotta take care of your friends!

[Doozerdoo]

been trying to get more of this great food called scratch and peck.. take a look at it, its real food not crap in a pellet you do not know whats in it. My girls love this new feed, but the shipping is killing me. Im trying to get a truck through my town., wish me luck !http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...s=pet-supplies

[biigblueyes]

Man, that feed is like the buffet. All kinds of stuff in there. I hope you can find a supplier!

[Doozerdoo]

Originally Posted by biigblueyes

Man, that feed is like the buffet. All kinds of stuff in there. I hope you can find a supplier!

I found the suplier, already got 25 pounds, and will be ordering another 25 pounds on Friday.I got it off amazon.com and its called scratch and peck. they love it !
Im thrilled to say I just got an egg from a ninteen week old pullet. Im thrilled. 4 eggs today!!!!!!!!!!! I have 4 pullets, 2, 9 week old chicks and 3 big girls, looks like I will be getting at least 7 eggs a day soon. my chicks by the end of september I hope. that will be 9 chickens laying ! looks like quiche this winter lol.