10 Do's and Don'ts for Your Chicken Coop
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- Often, we buy or build the chicken coop we think we need, only to bring home a flock and discover the things we should have done differently. Steve & Brian give 10 Do's and Don'ts for chicken coops, so you don't have to learn the hard way.
#hobbyfarm #backyardchickens #homestead
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A good way to clean up the coop is the use of an old shop vac. I use one all the time. It's good for getting into the corner . Afterwards I just dump it in the compost pile.
Great tip! Thanks!
Oh yeah vacuum are so nice I used one last time I cleaned the coop and old man I was able to get my coop very clean and so much nicer then using a broom and getting dust everywhere
A crevice tool is ideal. You and your respondent "@thebirdmaster7" are the only chicken keepers I've ever come across on TH-cam who use a shop vac.
Since I moved from one state to another, money is super short! I got free pallets, bought some wire, 2x4's and screws and built a coop and run for 9 chickens for less than $100. Plus I got roofing shingles for free to cover my coop roof! Amazing how The Universe Blesses Us!💞💞💞
Universe, meaning "God, The Source".
GOD IS GOOD!!!
Happy to hear things worked out and your flock has a good home!
Thanks Eric!!! They couldn’t bring us this great info without you!!❤️
I’m a seventy year old woman who lives alone. I wanted chickens! I bought a used coop on Craigslist, cut ventilation holes in it, added roosting bars, an auto door, and cut stall mats for the floor. I painted it inside and out and got a mixed flock of four. I dearly love them and can’t wait to get out and see them every day.😄. They follow me like puppies.
Sounds like you've got a great flock there!
I originally bought a small cheap $400 coop for my original four pullets. I quickly learned that it had too small a run area for four adult hens to live happily. My solution? Go big or go home! LOL. I ended up spending another $4,000 to have a luxury chicken palace built. It has windows, solar lighting, an automatic door and enough square feet for to put in a bed if I wanted to sleep with the girls. 🤣😉 I use the small chicken coop as an infirmary now or as a starter coop for young pullets. 🐔🐔🐔
I did the same. I bought a cheap coop kit from the local farm & ranch store and it was not very good. Hired a local kid who had some building skills to build a nicer one the following year.
I'm jealous! Enjoy!❤️🐔
I just bought a 12 capacity bird coup made by the Amish. I’ve only got three chix right now. Two weeks old. Deciding whether to bring 6 more in one night. 🤔
Same. I started with 2 chicks and a xl rabbit hutch now I have a 26 foot palace for my fluffy butts I gave the hutch to my cousin
I spent 30 dollars on building my own pen. I went to timber yards and went through the bins for my material, and I had two bed frames and four posts sitting there, so they built the frame. I had an old window I added. Then I just painted it to look nice and to cover the odd bits. I didn't even know I could build before this 😅
Just found your channel, and love your content!
Im a city girl that lived im a row home all my life, barely saw grass let alone a live chicken until visiting friends in Florida & enjoyed fresh eggs. Just moved to small suburb 10 mins outside the city, got 3 chicks in May & $400 prefab coop @ tractor supply. The girls outgrew it by Sept. I built one from pallets i got at work & $70 3/4inch plywood. Its 18in off the ground 40" x 40" w slanted roof & 2 external nest box, it wasn't easy but edu videos helped. Also made a 15' long x 4' wide attached run out of PVC pipe & hardware cloth. It takes up 1/4 of the yard... but after a hawk attacked my best layer GoldieClucks, a covered run was non-negotiable. She is doing good, feathers growin back & puncture wounds healed.
Friends, protect your hens, it's heartbreaking seeing them hurt or worse knowing you could prevent it
Thanks for sharing your story!
Having autism made me prepare for everything and learn everything, and I mean everything as that's what we do when we become interested in something. I didn't have trees, so I erected a shade long house with a roosting frame underneath. I have made a dusting area and a chicken garden. They also have access to a compost bin, which has a never-ending supply of worms. Their coop has screened doors I open in summer and close in cooler months. They wake up and get busy, foraging their little hearts out bless them. Did you know that chickens keep your orchids pest free. They perch on top, which is good for orchids as it breaks old stems and pushes out old bulbs, and they fertilise them just enough. My orchids are blooming twice a year now.
I learned something new today! Thanks for sharing!
Hello, fellow autist!!!
Big coop, with hardware cloth , and under shade trees .water and electric built in near the chickens home !
5 hens maximum as per zoning by-law in a converted eight by twelve garden shed w/run. No roosters permitted. 8' x 2' piece of vinyl flooring centered on two planks underneath top roosting bar makes manure collection so much easier, since 80% of daily poop production occurs during sleep. (8" drywall taping knife is a most handy tool.) Cut straw bedding thus stays noticeably cleaner. Fresh air from two windows, roof vent + duct fan. Two motion detectors, plus LED lighting fixture and elevated heated drinker, radio, wall-mounted radiant heater unit, 3 mirrors, sand bath, 2 nesting boxes, suspended feeder, 4 oyster shell, cat food, rolled oats, and baked crushed egg shell dispensers keep my little flock happy and healthy. Lately ACV has been added to their water. Tip: during Winter remove the drinker at night to reduce humidity level. Kudos to HFG's for another vivacious video! 🇨🇦
Thanks for sharing Bob!
I'm building a chicken bunker, it's a hurricane proof steel reinforced block and concrete coop, and it's elevated lol, it's going to have off grid Solar power and rain harvesting, it will have a 100% automated watering system...I hate watering the chickens 🐔 lol
I’m very jealous! 😁 But I’m happy for you & your flock!
@@HobbyFarmGuys if you want a sneak peek just search chicken bunker build 5
I'll check it out!
My husband made a chicken coop out of a walnut crate(4x4x4). It has 4 nesting boxes, a led light, and several roosting sticks, ventilation under the eaves, and a metal roof. The door that goes into the run isa sliding door. The entrance door is cut right out of the wall of the nut crate and is secured with a hook like on a leash. Works great. We have it lifted off the ground with cinder blocks. Sorry no picture. The crate only cost $50 and we had the paint and hardware already (my husband is a custom cabinet maker).
I need those materials! And more importantly…those skills!
I put sawdust underneath my roost and clean it out I just take a Kitty litter scooper and scoop like you're scooping up cat poop
Great tip!
Cleaning. THAT is always a problem, especially if you only have a few chickens, because you forget to make a door big enough to do that. Don't ask me how I know this. My coops, yes, I have several, are now with large enough doors to do that dirty duty. Love your videos!
Good call!
Just found this video and it is timely. I am in the middle of finishing up a new coop. I was on the fence about electrical power but you helped me make up my mind....power it is! I am building off the ground and wheelbarrow height for easier cleaning. Here in Georgia, Summers get hot and winters cold so it has shade in summer and direct sun in winter.... thank you very much. Your videos are practical and fun!
So glad we could help! You won’t regret having power!
Love your videos. Great information for new chicken owners. Thank you!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the shout out to us in Canada 🇨🇦the cold weather presents challenges for sure!
Well love Canada! 🇨🇦 Especially in the summer months!
I added widows for extra free light as well great content guys. Keep up the good work
Thanks for sharing & for the kind words!
"Wide awake and craving fried chicken " 😂
Very well said when your rooster starts at 4:30 am. his glorified trumpeter routine 😅
😂
Thanks for the tip about planning for cleaning the coop. I have now put that into my building plans.
Usually my #1 recommendation. Glad it was helpful!
I have to say right off the bat, that is the most hysterically funny shirt I have ever seen! Love you guys!
Steve is known for the humor he displays on his chest! We love it too!
I did SO much research before building my first coop and realized my mistakes the first week I brought my two girls home. 🤦🏼♀️ One year later and I just finished a new one and I am so so happy with it! It ended up being more expensive than I expected but it’s cute, easy to clean and no more smell!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
My husband said you guys did an a eggcellent job. Thank you
😂
this is a very good video . thanks for posting it
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great tips! We’re in northern NH starting to build up the run with playground sand, then rocks around the perimeter after hardware cloth. Thank you for the reminder about a dust bath INSIDE the coop during the winter!
Sounds great! Thanks for watching!
Excellent and informative video! I (knock on wood and thank you God) have never had to deal with mites and lice. I didn't know they lived through winter snowy weather either. I just checked my girls a week ago. Chicken math is real! They live up to 10+ years but produce eggs for less years (Henopause is real). Think about egg production and what you want the eggs for (you, your family, to sell, etc.). You don't need a rooster to get eggs. The descriptions of egg laying numbers are generalities (for example: Silkies lay 2-3 eggs/week. Really? Don't tell my girls because they lay 6-7/week each). The coop doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be functional. From personal experience, make your nesting box accessible to you from outside the coop. It's so much easier. You can buy a 4' x 100' roll of 1/2" hardware cloth on Amazon waaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than locally (predator proofing) and carabiners are your friend. Use First Saturday Lime in your coop and dust bath before you put down your bedding. Anyway, I enjoyed your video and loved the T-shirt.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
The kids outgrew their playhouse...it was an easy conversion to a chicken coop. Some fresh paint, hardware cloth, couple roost, new door and latches
I’ve seen a couple of these type coops and I love them!
Gm! New friend here! Perfect timing! I'm looking at prefab ones now for 6 chickens.
Careful with the prefab coops…you really do get what you pay for!
I’m pretty sure I’m about to order an OverEZ coop. It’s a lot of money but I hope it will last a long time.
@@scrapzwtfwe got a large a pit pricy but build really good, my girls are safe in it pretty sure.
Thank you guys for the video! Bartlesville Oklahoma here!
Our pleasure! Thanks for watching!
I put a kiddy pool in my coop for winter dirt baths works great.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Good video Brian and Steve
Thanks so much!
Thank you so much from Canada.
You are welcome! Thanks for watching! 🇨🇦
😊Thanks for the great ideas.
Glad you like them!
Minimum size 8x8 with open front, facing sunlight, and vent up on back wall to open for summer.
Sounds awesome!
I see folks having ducks and chickens together in the same run but do they require separate coops or will they live together? Im getting them all at once so they can grow up together and hopefully get along well 🤞 I am a carpenter so if anyone has link to plans for theirs or a good one... I'm going with 6 chicks and 2 ducklings... I appreciate any wisdom you care to offer🙏
Lots of people keep them together. Remember, chickens need roosting bars, but ducks will roost on the ground. The combination can make things very messy.
Thanks for all of the tips. It was very helpful. We are planning to set up a chicken coop in six months and really needed to know all of the dues and don’ts of keeping a chicken coop. You guys are awesome!
Glad it was helpful!
This was helpful! Thanks for sharing 💜
Glad it was helpful!
Lots of great info! Thanks guys!
Our pleasure!
Great video guys! I will watch them all eventually!!
Awesome! Thank you!
First video I saw you you guys and I really enjoyed it! I'll be binging more now for when my husband and I start our chickens, hopefully, next year!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
I need to get that T-Shirt for my husband!!! The "If I say I'll fix it, I'll fix it" one!!!!!! We're about to have to move the chicken run and build a new coop. The old run has been needing fixed for YEARS now and FINALLY we're going to do it. All it took was for 4 chickens to find out they could get out since the corner post of the run has finally been pushed down far enough by growth along that side and the fact that the post wasn't tamped in good enough (yes I and a friend did it and I really should have done the tamping myself but hey! I worked the post hole diggers!)
I've learned all about critters getting in as well on a dirt floor. A fox took half my chickens (14 of them to be exact) before I finally decided to do something about it past filling in and blocking holes. I'll be digging up those brick I lined the inside of the old coop with and placing them inside the new coop when we get it built (probably in the next 6 months to a year.....HA! There's that shirt again!)
Steve has all the best shirts! Thanks for sharing and good luck getting your projects done!
I completely agree with always plan for bigger than you think. The birds were kind of thrown on me and I did a very make shift coop out if an old rabbit hutch and deer fencing. The area is no longer enough though for my 3 birds and I find them sleeping in the yard and rotating with the coop. Building a new one this spring and winter with proper insulation, power, and 3 times the size.
Sounds awesome!
Hi, Eric! You rock!!!!
You rock!
Really enjoyed your video.. I’d love to have chickens one day. You guys covered everything i needed to know 🐓
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just don’t have the time to build a coop. The first budget coop we bought for our first flock a decade ago rotted out on the bottom within the first 16 months. Pure waste of money.
When we decided to start another flock a few years ago I searched pretty hard for a sturdy prefab budget coop and I can honestly recommend the Producers Pride Sentinel coop as a great way to start on a $400 budget. They are metal framed with hardware cloth so the bottoms will not rot like other cheap budget coops made with “wood”. As with any coop they do have some drawbacks… 1) they are HEAVY and not easy to move but on the pro side that increases the sturdiness. Just expect to have some help when it’s time to move it. 2) the run portion is pretty small if you do not plan on letting the ladies roam. We made extensions out of PVC sprinkler pipe and chicken wire attached by cable ties (about $40) to give them more legroom on the days they are not allowed out. 3) the advertised capacity is 6 or 8 birds. I personally think that is FAR too many. I’d only keep 4 at a maximum, less if not allowed to free range. 4) the roost bar is not acceptable at all. It’s easily fixed by attaching a 2x4 to give them better footing. 5) the nest boxes are not satisfactory to me or the ladies. Attaching a higher lip keeps them from kicking out the straw and different separation inserts offer more privacy. 6) as with any prefab coop there are gaps that will cause drafts. However, the tolerances on this particular coop are fairly tight and silicone caulking and weather stripping easily fixes those issues.
That said… I’m picking up our third of these coops this week 😎 The oldest one has now been used for 3 years and been moved dozens of times across the yard yet shows no signs of wear or tear. It’s safe to say we are happy with this coop!
I bought a cheap coupe kit that likewise didn’t last very long. I ended up paying someone to build one. It’s not exactly the most cost saving way to do it, but everyone has to decide where they will save their money.
That's the coop I got, and may be getting rid of it since I built a bigger one and cant have more chickens where i live. If you're in the Philly PA area & interested, LMK
I also installed a better roosting bar 😉
@@dellaangel I’d take you up on that offer but I’m in Utah. Thanks for the offer!
My chickens like to roost close together, body heat in winter.
Yup! Staying warm!
Hey Eric! 😂👋🏾
👋 Hey!
HELLOW BRIAN & STEVE , thank You for such a good vídeo, I would like to share good things for the chickens, first is to raise mealworms for them, and second but not less important, is to raise California worms by adding the chicken coop and kitchen wastes , it's not difficult and You can check some vídeos on TH-cam for further information, BEST REGARDS & WISHES FOR YOU.
Thanks for sharing!
What is you thoughts on putting a piece of plywood underneath the roosting bars for easy cleanup? I have been told that may be dangerous due to contracting illness from the dust of the poop as it is scraped into a bucket. I am on the fence between the deep litter method or the scrapings board and sand underneath the board. Thank you.
As long as you are cleaning somewhat regularly, I think it wouldn’t be a problem
@@HobbyFarmGuys thank you. Great video guys.
Good video. We love you Eric. Now, we are getting four chickens and plan to build a temporary 4x4 coop. This for our daughter and her family and right now they are renting with plans to build so we want something easy to move around as none of us are built like you guys. I plan to design it in a way that it can be added onto. Is this big enough for four chickens with a big run? Thanks.
4x4 is a good size for 4 chickens. Good luck with the chickens.
And we love Eric too!
@@HobbyFarmGuys Thanks.
I wonder if you could use an old playhouse as part of the coop?
Absolutely! I’ve seen a few pictures of it done.
Hey guys
My question isn’t related to your do’s and don’ts. My questions…
1-should chickens have access to food all day
2-my rooster (Tyrone Capone) was sicken but now up and running only thing is he hasn’t crowded since he was sick, any suggestions on what to do?
Love watching your videos
Great questions!
1) Whether you choose to keep food in front of them all day or only at specific times is really a preference. There are pros and cons to each, but neither choice is bad for the flock.
2) It is quite common for a rooster to go silent following injury or illness. The main reason is that crowing takes up energy, and they are devoting all available energy to recovery. Also, they don’t want to draw attention to themselves when weakened, both to avoid fighting off predators…and more importantly challenges from other roosters. So he should find his voice again after he has been fully recovered for a while. I
Blind obedience leads to betrayal.
Selah!😀🎼😇❤️
😁
I just found a chicken in a shed on concrete floor, she has about 2 dozen eggs under her. Any tips to keep her safe? This is a first for me and I don't know what to do. Thanks
If she is sitting on the eggs most of the time she is broody...trying to hatch chicks. Just keep food and water nearby and any predators out.
Are you suggesting it's cold up here in Alberta lol. -40c isn't near as bad as -50c. Country is fit for polar bears.
😂 I’ve experienced Alberta in winter! It’s cold! 🥶
Should i insulate my coop?
If you are in a place that gets extreme cold, insulating the coop is a good idea. Be careful to make sure foam or batt insulation is covered with panels or your chickens will peck at the insulation
Hes right, my chickens ate the foam padding off the trampoline. They free range and like the trampoline, but who knew thwy peck at and eat EVERY & ANYTHING. Theyre like toddlers, put everything in the mouth
What age do they start to crow and is it really 3am lol. I might go soundproof the coop soon.
Roosters can crow at any hour (though usually not until a bit before sunrise) 😂. When they start varries by breed and individual. Some as early as 10 weeks, others not until 5-6 months.
@@HobbyFarmGuys so anytime for mine lol No muzzles either I guess
During one single night, a small predator dug underneath our large dog cage where we kept our one month baby chicks.
He entered and took out seven of our rare breeds chicks.
I've found pieces of them trailed along where he carried them eating them along.
Horrible spectacol to find in my backyard 😫
We had a German Shepherd sleeping indoor who didn't hear anything and did not alarm us 😴 🙄.
Still very sad about those babies early deaths 😢
I feel your pain. I've had a fox take four hens in one night. 🥺
the only Predator problems I have is birds of prey and at one point a neighbor dog that wiped away all my ducks but the rest of the predators I don't have problems with because our dog keeps them away he even treed like 4 raccoons for us
Having a guardian animal like your dog can go a long way toward preventing attacks!
Loose neighborhood dogs can be the worst. 😢
Get your second coop first.
Great advice! 😂
I have one of the regregable coop/run options do to local restrictions. had to be compliant on atleast one thing while they debate a newly passed ordinance that contradicts the old one and pretty frigging fascist considering we're in Tyson county. at least code SS guys are honest about not caring to enforce it unless someone complains. if they don't hear, smell or see it an they are no roosters; most don't want to be the bad guy. I hate that instead of building the perfect coop next to my shed, i had to over pay for a "temp" set up, atleast until I spend 15K on new privacy fencing. It is what it is
Thanks for sharing your story.
Cold in Canada. Noooo lol. We are in northern Alberta. Obscene winters. God did not intend man to live up here.
I complain about our winters…but I can only imagine!
I wish you guys were in a more sound stable area your sound is like an echoy box. Need a different mic or something.
Thanks for the feedback. We have improved our sound some since this was recorded.
You guys need a more closed in area for your vid it's to big & sounds echoey
I think we have worked out most of the sound issues since this video was filmed. Thanks for the help!
I’m concerned with ventilation. I live in a place with extreme winters and VERY strong winds in summer and winter
We deal with those issues here too. The key is to have a vent near the top that is not exposed (under eaves for example) and make sure the vents are not on the side of the coop that will be exposed to the prevailing winds.