[Bonniebean]

Thanks joyfull! These pics were taken the day after I brought them home, but the floor is not grass it's woodchip! The coop has been good so far and I did retreat it before getting the girls and as it is under cover I haven't had any damp. I am extending the run by another 12 feet without cover to include a tree and shrubs so that I can keep some garden after seeing dizzylizzies! They come out most days but refused when the snow was here.

[dizzylizzie]

well mine stay in the run till lunchtime so i can be sure they have had enough pellets to keep them healthy , then they free range. They have caused alot of damage, but this year we are fencing off the patio and and paths...oh and the veg beds. They are not going to be happy chucks i can tell you!

[joyfull]

yes I'm going to fence off an area for veg this year. I did try last year but as mine don't have their wings clipped they flew straight over and ate my raspberries, the tomatoes and the sweetcorn that I was growing for them 

[dizzylizzie]

ditto . As most of them were ex-batts, we love watching them in the flowerbeds and seeing them sunbathing, we still do (cant wait for some sun) at the moment tho, they are all over the patio, and the paths,and even though i clean all the poo up at the end of the day, we want some areas poo free :Dlike i say, they are not going to be happy chucks

[neil9797]

OK, thanks for the pics, they are quite useful. My crisis of confidence is evaporating slowly, my mind focused by the arrival of half the coop yesterday (TNT delivery, not so dynamic). Here is my final plan - please comment on its viability 'cuz I'm really fed up with this now!

PLAN X = Free range in the garden, no extension to the coop's inbuilt run.
Specifically,
- Coop & run 6.5ft x 2.5 ft which will do as a holding pen when we want the chooks out of the way.
- 2x sides of the garden fence will need to be raised to 6ft (3rd side already 6ft and 4th side the house).
- 1x side will be raised with chicken wire
- 1x side will be raised using reed matting
- 6ft gate to close off side-alley
- Netting over small veg plot (raised bed)
- reinforce bottom of back fence with chicken wire to deter foxes (tack wire to outside of fence, with 1ft of the mesh pinned flat on the ground to prevent tunnelling)
- neighbours both sides have 6ft fences anyway, so any foxes would have to jump 2x 6ft fences at least to get in. Also, no need for anti-tunnelling measures on those sides.

Well? Pleeeease tell me I'm a genius  :blink:

BTW, some of you have commented that the coop I bought is cheap, Chinese doo-doo which won't last 6 months. Well, now I beg to differ! Having had a look at the components I think they are fairly sturdy and certainly well made, at least as good as two, Brit-made sheds I have in the garden. Perhaps quality has improved since you bought yours?

[dizzylizzie]

i commented...and i doubt it!
Happy chook keeping

[joyfull]

time will tell if the coop stands up to our weather - the roof on mine warped after 1 year 

[lucylou]

hi! i dont know what type of coop you got but weve got 2 of the chinese wood ones and are pleased with them, we gave them an extra coat of cuprinol, placed them where they arent too exposed to the elements and the girls are happy - we changed the the runs though as they were too small. its exciting getting your hens good luck with it all 

[beulah59]

Looking forward to pics of the finished article ... and of the hens when they arrive!

[Flowerpower136]

Only just found this thread, and sense it might be near its end!  But anyway, I'll add my two penny's worth.

I set up new in August last year, and viewed as many existing setups as I could.  I copied what I liked, and avoided what I didn't like.   The thing is, that everyone's set up is different to suit their own space, circumstances, style, and pocket. 

Things we considered when designing layout and construction (in order of priority for us) -
 

• Chooks welfare, comfort and safety.
• Access and space for cleaning, feeding, and enjoying chooks company.
• Practical aspects relating to the chicken hating Dog, foxes, rats, flies, red mites and size/position of poo/compost bins. Do not underestimate the volume of chicken debris/poo.
• Visual Impact on garden (I'm a garden designer - this was v important to me!)
• Ease of construction - we're handy, but we're not professionals.
• And of course cost - best birday present I've ever had.  Everyone contributed.

Here's a few pics of mine.







Since then, somethings have changed, the girls have mostly got feathers for a start!  Also, found that we had to add an opaque corregated plastic roof to the run - far too muddy without.  And I'm about to add my 4th (yes 4th!) darlek poo bin.  The wooden bins are my garden compost bays, and I left them in, cos the girls are much better at turning over compost than I ever was, and they love sorting through it all!

Hope it goes well, take pics as you go along, and get them posted.  I love'd love to see all your ideas come together.

[neil9797]

Thanks all, inc new posters. Hold on tight, this car is about to plummet down the first big-dip....!

[Bonniebean]

Brilliant set up Flowerpot, thanks for sharing your piccies"