# Please Share Pictures of Your Chicken Houses!



## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

Please post a pic or two of your chicken set ups!
I'm looking to build or buy a chicken house this spring, I'd like to learn & get ideas from those who have done it before. (For the past 2 years my chickens have had a room in the barn and been free range, but we have a hawk problem now)...I have about 20 hens currently, probably won't ever have more then 30. I'm thinking of a chicken house connected to a fenced in run, so they can let themselves in and out - but not get picked up by our hawks!

Thanks so much, I really appreciate any pictures & advice!


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I bought a store Display Storage shed, with a heavy duty floor. In the process of painting the floor to seal it.
Also will be putting on a ridge vent, to make sure the inside does not get too hot.










In the processes of getting the Hen House yard put in around the House, that way I can contain them when needed.


----------



## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

Here are some pictures for you...

This is the 200-square-foot octagonal coop that Hubby built for me a couple of years ago. We now have pasture fence that butts into either side of the coop (you can see a post to the left side of the coop and the orange plastic fencing has been replaced with field fence) so that the chickens have access to the pasture (through a little chicken door), but I can access the coop without going through the pasture if I want to. The chickens share the pasture with our goats. I HOPE to get the coop painted this spring. We also plan to get the electric run out there soon so that we won't have to run extension cords. We haven't sided the back side yet and I think we're going to have to use steel siding. The goats like to chew on the wood!









This is the inside. We sectioned it off so that there is an area for feed storage and so that I don't have chickens at my feet when I walk into the coop. Since I leave the main door open during most days, it creates a nice cross breeze.









Here's what the roost looks like. I built a poop-catching tray, so that all of the poop that is expelled while they are on the roost lands in the tray...makes for very easy clean-up. I also now have their feeder and oyster shell dispenser hanging under the roost.









I had to make the chicken opening very small so that the goats couldn't fit in there...










The nest boxes...









Here's picture of the coop/run at our old house. We got the shed for free, I added the windows, and Hubby and I built the run. We were on the outskirts of town, so we couldn't let them range very far. I let them out most evenings, but they stayed pretty close to home. The rest of the time, they were in the run.









I did the same thing with the roost area at our last place.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Mammaboo, those are really wonderful Hen Houses!!


----------



## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

Here's an up-close picture of the roost/poop-catcher that I built in the coop we have now. The 2 x 4s (old, so they really are 2 x 4!) are set on their sides. They are just held into place with some little wood chunks that I secured with 1 screw each. The roosts are lifted out of position for easy cleaning. I use a dustpan and put the goodies into an old feed sack and then I take it right out to the compost pile or pile it up in the garden to let it age for a bit.


----------



## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

bergere said:


> Mammaboo, those are really wonderful Hen Houses!!



Thanks...we really enjoy designing things that will suit our needs!

Are you going to put a little chicken door in for your girls? In case you are and are interested, I can get you a close-up of my guillotine-style door if you need ideas on how to close it up.


----------



## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

This is mine. The solar panels keep the batteries charged that operate the automatic doors and the light that comes on 2 or 3 hours before daylight. My chichens are about 1/2 mile from the closest electricity.










My chicken house and yard is divided in 2 sections to keep the younger chickens seperated from the older. There is also 2 more yard sections that I keep planted with greens. I let them into these sections for a little while to get fresh greens. I let them free range some when I am going to be close by so I can keep the hawks away. There is netting over the top of all the chicken yards.



















This is one of several chicken tractors. I keep this one in the garden and move it every other day. I Call It Weed and feed. They eat the weeds and feed future vegetables.


----------



## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

That's quite the interesting-looking set-up, PD. I love it!


----------



## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

mammabooh said:


> That's quite the interesting-looking set-up, PD. I love it!


Well Thanks! I Love yours too. I have a portable sawmill so building the coop was almost free. I did buy plywood for the floor so the sand I have in the floor does not fall through the cracks. The tin on top was recycled/free thats why you can see the black tar spots on the top patching the old holes. The chicken tractor in the garden is made on a old boat trailer and some recycled lumber(door came off a old storage building, more free tin etc). It is so easy to move with the golfcart. When I am going to move it I close the chickens up in the little coop after dark. The next morning I hook it to the golfcart, turn the winch which pulls both ends up at a angle. I can then move it up 20 ft or across the farm if I want. The chickens are so use to it they 'sing' the hole time I am moving it because they know they are moving to Greener Pastures--LOL. It does have nesting holes on one side that I collect the eggs from by lifting the hinged top.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

mammabooh said:


> Thanks...we really enjoy designing things that will suit our needs!
> 
> Are you going to put a little chicken door in for your girls? In case you are and are interested, I can get you a close-up of my guillotine-style door if you need ideas on how to close it up.


Yes, plan too. As soon as my poor DH has time to get it done.
Needs to finish the Hen House yard, build the gate and finish the inside of the hen house still. VBG


----------



## earthkitty (Mar 3, 2011)

Here is ours that hubby built. We have 25 hens and one rooster. They have a fenced run as well, but most of the chickens (and guineas, who will be moved to their own set up this spring), fly in and out to roam as they wish. The solar panels run the electric in the coop.

These photos are from last year, when our chickens were just teenagers. It's so fun to see what other people have done.


----------



## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

Thank you all for posting so many GREAT pictures!! :bow: There are a lot of good ideas there for different chicken house designs. bergere, I have thought of getting one of those sheds and attaching the run to it...I LOVE all these pictures, of the inside and out - please keep them coming - anyone else got pictures to share?! :happy2:

I will make sure to post a picture of mine for everyone when it is completed!


----------



## Brownie (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for sharing your pics! I just moved (literally-about 2 weeks ago) into our spot and am going to use my first free weekend to get the garden set up and then comes the chicken coop. There is an little metal building on the place that I think I will modify and attach a fenced-in run to. I will let them free-range when I am home during the day but we have too many varmints not to have a secure coop and run. I can use all the practical ideas I can get!


----------



## barnyardgal (Sep 21, 2009)

Love the pics & ideas~
I don't have any pics right now of mine but will try to get some soon...


----------



## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

They are all....just awsome!!


----------



## Suzyq2u (May 17, 2010)

Ours right after we finished it, when we still had grass, lol The chickens can get in and out of the yard but larger predators cannot. They slink through the fence or under the gate. Seems to suit them well. 










a few months later, very dry. The very front is closeable with a very small enclosed run.










...hmm guess we don't really have any of the inside. It's just a few 2x4's for the roost (we need to add a poop board, think that'd help a lot) a few pre-made nest boxes and 4 custom ones hubby made.... 1/2the time they lay in the hay on the ground, sigh, lol.


----------



## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

Boy, this is really putting me in the mood to build a chicken house! 
Great pictures Suzyq2u!


----------



## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

When it was new and fresh.



















After first addition.










After last years addition. Sorry, not a close up. You can see the addition added for isolating the critters getting ready for freezer camp. In this area there is an elevated cage to keep the chicks in as soon as weather will permit and then as they grow they get the whole area and just root in the caged area at night. Closed up and secure.










SPIKE


----------



## hillbillygal (Jan 16, 2008)

Here's a pic of our basic house & pen. We had to add a top to the pen as we had two hens that have an uncanny ability to fly over the fence. Our door is just a slide. The goats have figured out how to shut that door and I sometimes come out in the evenings to put them up only to find the goats have done it for me.:indif:


----------



## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

More great pictures! I think this thread should be made into a sticky for this section of the forum - (put on top and kept there) - so then others looking to design chicken houses can be inspired by all these great designs!

Thanks for sharing!!


----------



## cwgrl23 (Feb 19, 2004)

Anybody got any pictures for a small coop?? Like for 4-8 chickens? 

Carrie in SD


----------



## DayBird (Jul 26, 2004)

[QUOTE="SPIKE";5727668]










SPIKE[/QUOTE]

I love that. It's ideal.


----------



## chickenmommy (Aug 24, 2004)

We have 6 girls in this one. It's up off the ground to discourage predators and to give them somewhere to get out of the rain or sun. Not beautiful, but serves it's purpose well. Nest boxes were added on to the back with a lift lid. We can get to the eggs without having to actually go in the coop or chicken yard, so no poopy shoes. 










We have since turned it and added pvc with nipples for watering outside, still use the bottle on the side of the coop for at night. They always get a good drink from the bottle when they go in to roost in the evening.


----------



## DayBird (Jul 26, 2004)

happychick said:


> More great pictures! I think this thread should be made into a sticky for this section of the forum - (put on top and kept there) - so then others looking to design chicken houses can be inspired by all these great designs!
> 
> Thanks for sharing!!


I agree, these are wonderful designs and beautiful pictures.


I'll add a link back to this thread to the Housing Sticky that is already at the top of the page.


----------



## happychick (Sep 20, 2010)

DayBird said:


> I agree, these are wonderful designs and beautiful pictures.
> 
> 
> I'll add a link back to this thread to the Housing Sticky that is already at the top of the page.


Awesome!


----------



## LearningLife (Aug 11, 2010)

cwgrl23 said:


> Anybody got any pictures for a small coop?? Like for 4-8 chickens?
> 
> Carrie in SD


DH built this chicken tractor out of mostly stuff we had around here. It's pretty heavy, but he moves it around fairly easily every other day. It houses 4 hens and Larry, the rooster comfortably.


----------



## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

Word of warning about metal buildings used for coops.

They get REALLY hot inside during the summer. 

The last place we owned had a lovely sized coop but it was sided in tin. The coop was so hot in the summer none of the chickens wanted to lay in there and we lost some chick due to the heat.

We now have a wood sided coop .... what a differance heat wise.


----------



## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

DayBird said:


> I love that. It's ideal.


Thanks,

SPIKE


----------



## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

mrs whodunit said:


> Word of warning about metal buildings used for coops.
> 
> They get REALLY hot inside during the summer.
> 
> ...


Good Point!

In one of my pictures, you can tell the coop is in the edge of the tree line. It is shaded well when there are leaves on the trees.
Good ventilation is a must also.

SPIKE


----------

