I’ve been serging the internet for days for a perfect chicken coop; I’ve found your to be the best; much thoughts had gone into your planning; and I can tell you love your chickens as much as I do.
When you isolate your hens and roosters for breeding, keep the following in mind: "When a rooster mates a hen, his injected semen is stored in numerous sperm storage tubules (SSTs) located in the area where the hen’s uterus joins the vagina. That is, provided the hen likes the rooster. If she doesn’t, she can squirt out the semen to avoid hatching his offspring. Assuming the hen approves of the rooster, his semen is stored in her SSTs. The sperm is then periodically released in response to the hormone progesterone, which is triggered when the hen lays an egg. The next ovulation won’t occur for about five hours, giving released sperm plenty of time to wiggle through the oviduct, without interference from a descending egg, to fertilize the next developing yolk. Since sperm is released shortly after an egg is laid, and each egg takes approximately 25 hours to develop, an egg produced on the day of mating will not be fertile. An egg laid the next day may or may not be fertile, depending on the timing. An egg laid on the third day definitely should be fertile. The amount of time during which the hen will continue to lay fertile eggs depends on how much sperm fills the SSTs, which are capable of storing semen from multiple matings and multiple roosters. Highly productive hens generally remain fertile longer than hens that lay at a slower rate, and single-comb breeds remain fertile longer than rose-comb breeds- possibly as long as a month, but that’s really rare." (from Cackle Hatchery)
Thaks for the tour of your chicken coop set-up. It's so well-thought out - functional yet looks modern farmhouse stylish and neat. I especially love the idea of growing grapes around and above the coop! I've never seen that idea before, so thanks!
You are so welcome! The grapes were a total after thought but they are one of my favorite things that we grow. I think the nitrogen from the chicken runs makes them super healthy and prolific!
Great design to make it easier for you to gather and clean. The boys want to tell you how much they enjoy the design too! Congrats on the design. Nothing better than fresh free range eggs! :)
I love this video, so helpful. We get bears and raccoons in our grape vines like crazy, so depending on where you live, you might not want to attract predators that love to eat both grapes and chickens
Unfortunately, we don't have any plans. We built the coops without any concrete plans. They were actually fairly simple (neither one of us had any much building experience). The toughest part and the most critical is getting it level.
We haven't tried hemp. We did use the pine shavings from Tractor Supply, but they have gotten so expensive that we've switched to sand. It does keep the coop and eggs cleaner, but involves more work each day than deep litter. I'll have to look into the price of hemp! Thank you for the tip:)
We don't have any plans. Im sorry!!! It is basically a 4'x8' floor, built on 4x4 posts and elevated about 2' off the ground. The front wall is about 1.5' taller than the rear wall and then we attached the shed style roof. I know that isn't a lot of detail, but we really didn't have any plans or much building experience. I promise it is doable. Sorry I can't be more help.
Lol I can definitely hear the sirens at 2:29. It's not bad, though, I can still hear you clearly, it's just a background noise. That's good, though, if you live in a tornado-prone area, I think regular drills are a good idea... let everyone get used to hearing the sirens so that they know when it's go time or great even for practicing your storm safety plan. 👍🏻👍🏻
Rain doesn't come straight down. The design is impressive, and very similar to what I have already planned. But, I won't make my roof as steep, even though I'm building in a heavy snow zone.
Love the video. I bought a prefab’d coop cuz I only have 3 chickens. The run isn’t that big n I was thinkin of buildin a bigger one for them. Your vid is givin me so many ideas. Love it. Thanks girl!
I was expecting to see the inside of the coops and the nesting boxes, etc. I do like how clean it all looks. The spaces above look large enough for a box or other animal to get through. I use bird netting over mine since I can't put anything permanent out there. I like how you have the coops attached with the run connecting them.
The areas on the top are definitely large enough for a predator, but we do lock the chickens in at night. Since filming this video the grapevines that we planted around the runs have really taken off and in the summer they create some awesome shade, and act as a natural barrier. The nest bars are actually just tree branches ( we found the chickens prefer to perch on these as opposed totals cut piece of lumber.)
We currently have about 15 chickens in each coop. The coops are 32 sq. ft each and since we let the chickens free range most days, this spacing seems to work out well!
We didn't have any plans for this coop. We just knew we wanted it to be 4x8 with the shed style roof. Honestly, my husband and I built it with really no building experience. I won't say it was a breeze to build the first one, but he was able to build the second one in two days. The first one took a few weeks!
Needs a TV and a recliner for your husband when he's in trouble. I have to have the run covered because every raccoon in the county would have a feast. I also have a 4 wire electric fence around mine because coyotes would go straight through the mesh. Along with my dogs
Those are some wild coyotes! We lock ours in the coop at night since the top isn't secure for raccoons etc. Glad Im not facing that amount of pressure from predators! Hope your are all staying safe:)
Thank you! We did think about that as well, but it is nice that if I ever need to get inside the coop to clean out something that I cannot reach from the outside, I can stand up!
I can see many issue with them permanently fixed that over hang is a wind catch. Hens are stuck in the high nitrate area no pasture. You want good eggs your pens have to move to fresh grass every day yours are hardly any different than a store bought egg
You are correct about the overhang! We anchored the coop in with the run which is in turn buried in the ground for that exact reason. You can only see a small amount in the video but we actually allow the chickens to free range during the day about 90% of the time:). We love those free range eggs!
You can only do what you can sometimes. If they don't free range, at least they are not in huge chicken houses. Everyone can not free range due to predators (neighbors' dogs, hawks, etc). You can give them worms, grass, dandelions etc. Just doing the best we can is better than not doing anything.
Just for information - a chicken can hold semen for a month or longer. So when you seperate to get pure chicks, you have to take this into consideration. They need to be seperated for a month or longer before the eggs she lays are true to him. This only applies if she was being housed with a different rooster. But most dont know this, so I just wanted to say it because you didn't mention it when you spoke on it in your video.
Thank you for this. That is really good information. I actually did not know this until someone else pointed it out to me on this video! I will bet sure to separate them!
I’ve been serging the internet for days for a perfect chicken coop; I’ve found your to be the best; much thoughts had gone into your planning; and I can tell you love your chickens as much as I do.
Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. There are so many choices and ways to build coops that it can be daunting. This design has been perfect for us.
When you isolate your hens and roosters for breeding, keep the following in mind:
"When a rooster mates a hen, his injected semen is stored in numerous sperm storage tubules (SSTs) located in the area where the hen’s uterus joins the vagina. That is, provided the hen likes the rooster. If she doesn’t, she can squirt out the semen to avoid hatching his offspring.
Assuming the hen approves of the rooster, his semen is stored in her SSTs. The sperm is then periodically released in response to the hormone progesterone, which is triggered when the hen lays an egg. The next ovulation won’t occur for about five hours, giving released sperm plenty of time to wiggle through the oviduct, without interference from a descending egg, to fertilize the next developing yolk.
Since sperm is released shortly after an egg is laid, and each egg takes approximately 25 hours to develop, an egg produced on the day of mating will not be fertile. An egg laid the next day may or may not be fertile, depending on the timing. An egg laid on the third day definitely should be fertile.
The amount of time during which the hen will continue to lay fertile eggs depends on how much sperm fills the SSTs, which are capable of storing semen from multiple matings and multiple roosters. Highly productive hens generally remain fertile longer than hens that lay at a slower rate, and single-comb breeds remain fertile longer than rose-comb breeds- possibly as long as a month, but that’s really rare."
(from Cackle Hatchery)
Wow! I didn't realize that. Thank you for that info! Ill be sure to take all that into consideration when and if we decide to hatch out some chicks!
@@MorganHillFarms
Yeah, Mother Nature's little tricks are truly amazing especially when it comes to procreation. 😉
Good luck on your future endeavors!
Thaks for the tour of your chicken coop set-up. It's so well-thought out - functional yet looks modern farmhouse stylish and neat. I especially love the idea of growing grapes around and above the coop! I've never seen that idea before, so thanks!
You are so welcome! The grapes were a total after thought but they are one of my favorite things that we grow. I think the nitrogen from the chicken runs makes them super healthy and prolific!
Great design to make it easier for you to gather and clean. The boys want to tell you how much they enjoy the design too! Congrats on the design. Nothing better than fresh free range eggs! :)
I'm glad you all like it. It has been a really good set up for us!
I love this video, so helpful. We get bears and raccoons in our grape vines like crazy, so depending on where you live, you might not want to attract predators that love to eat both grapes and chickens
Good to know. I believe we only have one bear sighting a year in SC so I’m hoping we are safe from those!
I'm starting my flock this spring and really like your coop. Are the plans available for sale?
Unfortunately, we don't have any plans. We built the coops without any concrete plans. They were actually fairly simple (neither one of us had any much building experience). The toughest part and the most critical is getting it level.
Have you considered using deep litter method with hemp? It’s fabulous… you simply turn it weekly and clean it out once a year. ✌🏻
We haven't tried hemp. We did use the pine shavings from Tractor Supply, but they have gotten so expensive that we've switched to sand. It does keep the coop and eggs cleaner, but involves more work each day than deep litter. I'll have to look into the price of hemp! Thank you for the tip:)
Excellent design and build. Congratulations.
Thank you. Glad you like it.
Am I missing the plans for the chicken coup? I would love to have my husband build it
We don't have any plans. Im sorry!!! It is basically a 4'x8' floor, built on 4x4 posts and elevated about 2' off the ground. The front wall is about 1.5' taller than the rear wall and then we attached the shed style roof. I know that isn't a lot of detail, but we really didn't have any plans or much building experience. I promise it is doable. Sorry I can't be more help.
Lol I can definitely hear the sirens at 2:29. It's not bad, though, I can still hear you clearly, it's just a background noise. That's good, though, if you live in a tornado-prone area, I think regular drills are a good idea... let everyone get used to hearing the sirens so that they know when it's go time or great even for practicing your storm safety plan. 👍🏻👍🏻
I have to tell my husband that it's "just a test." He always forgets when the tests are scheduled😂
Rain doesn't come straight down. The design is impressive, and very similar to what I have already planned. But, I won't make my roof as steep, even though I'm building in a heavy snow zone.
I’m glad you like the design! I think building it how it best suits your needs is the best way to go:)
This video was so nice an relxing to watch❤❤
Love the video. I bought a prefab’d coop cuz I only have 3 chickens. The run isn’t that big n I was thinkin of buildin a bigger one for them. Your vid is givin me so many ideas. Love it. Thanks girl!
I'm so glad it gave you some inspiration! Bigger is better.......because chickens seem to multiply!!!!
Awesome chicken houses .. LOVE them
Thank you! Im so glad you like them:)
About how much did it cost to build just the coop? (not including the run) starting my coop soon!
Abut 1000$, but that was when 2x4 were around 7$. They are half that price now.
Hey! Love your coops! Just found your channel and love it!
Thank you! Im glad you are enjoying the videos:)
I was expecting to see the inside of the coops and the nesting boxes, etc. I do like how clean it all looks. The spaces above look large enough for a box or other animal to get through. I use bird netting over mine since I can't put anything permanent out there. I like how you have the coops attached with the run connecting them.
The areas on the top are definitely large enough for a predator, but we do lock the chickens in at night. Since filming this video the grapevines that we planted around the runs have really taken off and in the summer they create some awesome shade, and act as a natural barrier. The nest bars are actually just tree branches ( we found the chickens prefer to perch on these as opposed totals cut piece of lumber.)
How many chickens do you keep in each of the coops?
We currently have about 15 chickens in each coop. The coops are 32 sq. ft each and since we let the chickens free range most days, this spacing seems to work out well!
I like the design of the coops....
Thank you.
Looks great
Thanks!
Hello, love your chicken coop!
Thank you! 😊
Hi... do you have the plans to this coop? Love it.
We didn't have any plans for this coop. We just knew we wanted it to be 4x8 with the shed style roof. Honestly, my husband and I built it with really no building experience. I won't say it was a breeze to build the first one, but he was able to build the second one in two days. The first one took a few weeks!
@@MorganHillFarmsthanks so much. I love it.
Needs a TV and a recliner for your husband when he's in trouble. I have to have the run covered because every raccoon in the county would have a feast. I also have a 4 wire electric fence around mine because coyotes would go straight through the mesh. Along with my dogs
Those are some wild coyotes! We lock ours in the coop at night since the top isn't secure for raccoons etc. Glad Im not facing that amount of pressure from predators! Hope your are all staying safe:)
I’ve heard that a hen can hang on to the roosters ‘manhood’ for up to three weeks so to be sure they have to be together at least that long
Yes, that is what I am hearing as well. That is crazy!
Do you put screening over the vets just below the roof?
Yes. We use 1/4 inch hardware cloth in the vet areas.
Coops look really nice overall, but there is a lot of wasted ceiling space. It takes a lot of lumber 💸
Thank you! We did think about that as well, but it is nice that if I ever need to get inside the coop to clean out something that I cannot reach from the outside, I can stand up!
I can see many issue with them permanently fixed that over hang is a wind catch. Hens are stuck in the high nitrate area no pasture. You want good eggs your pens have to move to fresh grass every day yours are hardly any different than a store bought egg
You are correct about the overhang! We anchored the coop in with the run which is in turn buried in the ground for that exact reason. You can only see a small amount in the video but we actually allow the chickens to free range during the day about 90% of the time:). We love those free range eggs!
You can only do what you can sometimes. If they don't free range, at least they are not in huge chicken houses. Everyone can not free range due to predators (neighbors' dogs, hawks, etc). You can give them worms, grass, dandelions etc. Just doing the best we can is better than not doing anything.
remember hens can hold onto a roos semen for a couple of weeks- you need to keep them together for a month to ensure a pure bred chick
Thank you for that information! I had no idea!
Just for information - a chicken can hold semen for a month or longer. So when you seperate to get pure chicks, you have to take this into consideration. They need to be seperated for a month or longer before the eggs she lays are true to him. This only applies if she was being housed with a different rooster. But most dont know this, so I just wanted to say it because you didn't mention it when you spoke on it in your video.
Thank you for this. That is really good information. I actually did not know this until someone else pointed it out to me on this video! I will bet sure to separate them!