My ultimate Coop! Backyard Chickens - Mistakes, learnings and advice from year one.
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2019
- Amateur chicken keeping. What I’ve learned about coops, predator proofing, coop tech, features and integrating new flock members.
#backyardchickens #homesteading #chickenkeeping #chickencoops #Chickencooptour
Very well done 👏 ✔️ 👍 I love how you have this setup.
Extremely informative. Thank you.
You have an amazing set up.....just beautiful! You can tell your girls are happy from all the singing lol
It’s nearly 5 years since I made this film. We have lost a few birds to natural aging but none to predators since putting this all together. The buff Orpington is still with us and the last of the Wyandottes from the original flock. Most of the ‘new’ birds that were being introduced here are still happy and healthy. And we’ve just got another 8 last spring, although one was a rooster that we couldn’t keep. Currently 15 birds, all doing well. Every time the animal inspector comes around (annually) she comments on how happy and healthy they all are. 😊
@@final_mile_music9713 That makes me so happy to hear! ☺ I hope you enjoy many more years to come with your flock!
Great video
Great Video!!! Lots of great ideas.. glad you are exposing your children to something "Real" !! Very nice chicken layout
Gotta know where food comes from!
Update! 12/18/2020. Snow is down and, sure enough, those large hawks are back. Only this time, they had to go elsewhere for lunch! It just shows. Protect the birds! And Winter significantly increases the risk when leaf cover is gone, snow is down and predators are hungry.
Great. I hope those hawks have to go somewhere else to get their dinner!
This is one of the most practical and informative videos I've seen as I start planning our first coop - and I've watched HOURS of coop videos at this point. Thanks for putting it together. I'd be interested in any follow-up thoughts you have. Anything that you're extra happy to have included in the build or wish you had?
Thanks for your comment. Very kind. The set up is still working beautifully. I’ve added a covered dust bath area outside and added diatomaceous earth, dry dirt and some wood ash. The birds love it. I use tarps and little bungee toes to cover the sidewalks of the combi extension in winter. That keeps the rain and snow out and provides them shelter from the wind. They stay really nicely sheltered and dry in there, and because the dirt stays dry they can continue to dust bath all winter when the earth in the main run is frozen solid. Good luck with your first coop. The set-up doesn’t have to be elaborate, but the basic principles work for all. You can tell I’m paranoid about predators! With good reason. I thought I was ok with my original set up but I was just lucky initially. And that luck ran out the first winter.
@@final_mile_music9713 Good to know it's working out well. Thanks for the update
@@final_mile_music9713 Having been a wildlife rehabber years ago, I can tell you that construction of shelters & habitats for the animals being raised or rehabbed began and ended with predator protection. Loved seeing the basics + improvements. Thank you for this video!
Loved this video. I'm considering getting chicks, so you gave great info!
I like it very well.NICE!
Thanks for sharing,. Nice setup
Great coop, thanks for the tips and lessons learned. Very much appreciated!
Love love love your video and the way you care for your chickens I have nine beautiful girls nothing but the best for them . having chickens makes me happy and a better person God bless you
Thank you. I have labradors, chickens, fish. They all need a great deal of care and kindness. But the rewards are huge. 😊
Superb coop/run. Lots of space without dangers of free range. Well videoed and presented!
Thank you for you kind comment.
Thank you. I found this video very helpful 👍🏼
Loved this!!
Pretty good! I recommend u watch Carolina Coop for their DEEP LITTER METHOD. If u add that, I think it would b close to perfect
What an awesome setup and quite teched out! Wish I could afford similar❣️. Really sorry that you lost your chickens. My first 4 are on order for June… ❤️. Unfortunately their digs won’t be quite this nice, but they’ll be loved!
I’m sure they will love their new home! Have fun!
Good job, for every person who puts in extra care for their animals, makes up for the people who don't care enough.
I hope so. I’d like to think those of us that care outnumber those that don’t.
Love Your Video! Thank You!
Thanks!
For someone not a carpenter your work thought processes are amazing work
Thanks!
Thank you for your presentation .
You’re welcome!
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the video.
Thanks So much...Very informative...Your Coop and Free Range area ( because it's massive) is Gorgeous!!! Bravo!!! Your Chickies are living their very best life!!! My husband did the same in a smaller range...we have hawks but we keep our girls safe, and they are super happy!! Thanks for sharing!
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it. I have another video on winter care and feed and a brief one in broody hens. I’ll do one on summer considerations soon.
I think that it's beautiful, aesthetically pleasing.
Thanks for sharing your insights and tips, very thorough and helpful info on chicken keeping and predator proofing.
Lovely!
I love how well you have taken care of the girls.
I wish I had seen this when we were designing back in April! So thorough and SO beautiful, especially in the spot you have it! I know the chickens love the tree cover mimicking their original natural habitat. I really appreciate your honesty and all the little touches to ensure your girls are taken care of! We have been criticized for building a palace haha, but they’re pets with benefits for us ☺️ I hope this winter is better-I’m sure it will be with your modifications and careful attention. Your daughter is beautiful and I hope you make more videos!
Thanks! Lovely comments. Good luck with your chickens! It’s very rewarding to see them happy and healthy. Those low chirps and clucks when you’re around them and, of course, the eggs (which I personally thank them for every time! 😄).
Your coop is wonderful! You have carefully thought through and addressed every detail, giving your chickens a safe, comfortable place to live, and peace of mind and ease of care, to you and your family.
I would so love to have something like this for my little rescue chicken family. Sadly, I haven't even been able to afford the welded hardware cloth, but I haven't given up. Until I can, my 3 much loved chickens are staying in my living room. We have very hot summers, mild winters, and more predators than expected for the suburbs... Eagles. hawks, coyotes, racoons, fox, dogs, and a small cougar,.
I spend hours every day, researching building coops on the internet, and yours is by far the best, in my opinion. Thank you for showing us the great accomodations you have created for your chickens.
Thank you. And good luck with your flock.
Awesome job and a natural you tuber ! Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned.
Very kind of you to say!
Just got my first three chickens. My heart sank when you said the hawk took them. Just like you said you become attached. I’m building something in a couple days! Thank you for sharing
Good luck! If you have space, 6 is a magic number. Depending on where you are they’ll keep themselves warmer too. But don’t worry. If you have a draft free coop they will be fine.
I haven’t lost a single bird to a predator since I built this a few years ago. But I’ve lost three to old age. Flock has been refreshed two times and I now have 15 birds. All happy and getting ready for winter (I did a video on winter care too).
Very nice! Thank you for the tour.
I loved every detail!!! I spoil my girls too!!! Love the fresh eggs!!
They are divine aren’t they? When I’m away with work and have to buy from a store, even if they are organic or free range, I’m reminded how much better home-grown eggs are! Thanks for you kind comment.
@@final_mile_music9713 ok, so i know this is crazy but i can sit out and listen to my hens and actually fall asleep. there is something so soothing about the cooing and little noises they make. For me it's like a therapy of sorts. All my chickens would eat out of my hand and even off my plate!!!
Thank you for sharing this video. Very informative and inspiring, and I’m glad I watched it before I start planning my own set up. Your chickens look very happy and healthy.
Very good information. Probably one of the best built chicken coop and run.
Thanks!
Very helpful, thank you. And yes, saying diatomaceous earth is quite the feat. Haha.
I can never do it. Spring chicks coming soon so I’ll do another video on raising them!
Absolutely love your coop and all your ideas ! Great job ✌️☺️
Thanks!
Came across your video only today. Brilliant and honest. You have done an excellent job of looking after your girls! Has given me more ideas for my future coop area. Well done!!!!!
Thank you. That’s very kind. I may do a short one on winter proofing soon....
I like this! Great job!
I have five of six, just old enough to go outside for most of the day. I have a ridiculously small coop at the moment and what I call “the playpen. My husband built of pvc pipe frame and wire, so they can be moved around to different parts of the garden. I do have a free standing barn and I’ve been trying to work out how to set it up for the girls. This is wonderful. Thank You.
There are so many solutions. It’s doesn’t have to be super fancy to cover the basics. Sounds like you’ve got some good options. Best of luck!
Ty for sharing. Great job. Love it.
that is a very nice setup. I love the higher tech. thank you for showing this.
Good tips for us newbie chicken keepers, thanks!
I love all of your add insult, no the chicken doesn’t need it, but the human likes it!
Very nice coop. I see a few things that I have in mind to incorporate you have done with your coop. Love the customization, functionality is very important in providing the best possible experience for them.
Just wow! Amazing coop! Thank you for sharing!
Quite impressive and informative! Thank you!
Beautiful
Very lovely coop! I love the idea of roses near the coop. I may try it. Good luck with all.
Love your setup. Great video.
Thanks!
Great video and thoroughly explained
Man, you moved it forward! Thanks.
What a awesome set up..♥️
Excellent information. Thank you so much. You guys take excellent care of your chickens! You're saving so many chickens by walking us through your first time hard experiences. Wish you could put all the products in the information below. I'll rewind with a notebook to get all the great product info. We have bears and other large preditors. I'll need to also add electric fencing around everything. Making a fortress for our future feathered family members. Thanks again for the great video.
That’s a great idea. I’ll do that when I get a moment. We don’t have bears (yet - they have been moving East in MA in recent years). That would be a whole other set of challenges as our run is surrounded by trees and they can climb! Electric fencing for the larger predators would be good. We do have coyotes, raccoons and foxes. I see them on the night vision back yard cam, but they haven’t been too close to the cop or run and there has been no evidence of digging. I think the niteguards really work. They are looking for easy food in trash cans etc and the birds are in Fort Knox at night! Our set up is still working well and has survived two winters now. The girls are safe, secure, healthy and happy. You can tell from the low clucks and chirps as they talk to me, the deep red combs and wattles and the complete lack of mites and other infections. Thanks for the feedback. And good luck with your set up!
Really glad I came across your video. I’m about to build a big coop for my girls and will certainly be taking quite a few of your ideas into my design. 👍🏻
Great! Good luck!
Very nice. Thank you for ideas. Sorry for your losses. Love your heart. It's definitely a learning process isn't it? Lucky girls!!!
And lucky us too! The eggs are fabulous. Nothing better than fresh eggs, lightly poached or boiled to a jammy yolk on toasted home baked bread, some home grown spinach and some mashed avocado. Or just scrambled with a little salt and pepper!
Great video!! Very good information thanks for sharing! I have 2 silver Laced Wyandottes, and 2 Easter Eggers. They are still young but its nice to see how pretty the Wyandottes are once grown.
They are lovely. Good natured. Great layers. Low maintenance. Healthy. Cold hardy. Mine are three years old now and they’re still doing great! My white and buff brahmas are good too. The Australorps? Absolute super stars. And the black feathers have this lovely iridescence in sunlight…. Highly recommended.
Really Great video! Incredible coop! I love it! My backyard coop dreams 💕💗💕
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing great tips!
You’re welcome! Hope they are helpful!
Great job! Great video too! Thanks!
Thanks!
I loved it waiting for more videos for some one don't have spaces but love chickens your videos r a treat
Thank you!
Impressive set up. Should be great through the Winter.
It works great in the winter. I have another video on that on my channel. Thanks for your comment.
Very nice. I luv it. All. 🥰
You have a great setup for a Broody hen in your original coop! I contact the local 4-H groups, farmer's market people and Craigslist for fertile eggs when I have a Broody hen. It's so much easier to let the hen do all of the work with chicks. Great coop
I have another video in what I do with broody chicks! 😉
It's a chicken resort! Thanks so much for sharing.
No problem!
Loved it
Great video really enjoyed it
Thanks!
Good job
Really nice coop!
Thanks!
Very informative. Thank you for sharing.
We are first timers.... starting with 10 Silkies. They are 5 weeks old...upstairs under a light in the bathroom. The coupe outdoors is ready. Pretty predator proof. After watching your video I don’t think they’ll be free ranging much. We have a run similar to yours, so they should be fine. Thanks again!
It is nice to let them free range but you do have to accept losses if you do. The best versions of free range seem to be letting them out later in the day when you are about, and even better if you have a rooster or two as protection and look out. Then the birds will have a bit more early warning and also they will put them selves back in the coop at duck before you secure them. Unfortunately none of that will work for me based on location. I can’t have roosters in my town code. I have permits for the birds I have though and am fully compliant. Even the animal health inspector says she’s really impressed when she comes round unannounced. I keep things very clean. I don’t like flies and don’t want any vermin. Obviously there are mice in the country, but I keep a sharp lookout for droppings and can safely say that they aren’t nesting anywhere near my coop. I work on the food industry, so keeping things clean is very important to me.
@@final_mile_music9713 yes the healthier your chickens are the better eggs you get :) and you cant buy home fresh eggs from any store they dont taste the same at all, thank you for this video very informative
wonderfully CLEAN! GREAT use of the techie stuff. We are doing the same ;)
Great! Some might say those things are gadgets, and they’d be right, but there is nothing in this setup that isn’t genuinely useful. To be able to see the birds are all in at night and that the door is shut (it texts me to confirm door open and shut) is really helpful. It’s also helped me when the door got stuck one morning (it was super cold and needed lubrication). I may not have know without the alert as we were away for the night. We don’t use it to replace attention. Our aim is not to automate to the point of not giving the birds the personal care they need, but it does reduce the work a little, or at least give us the ability to choose when to go out each day rather than it be at dawn and dusk. And, if we want to go away for the weekend, the birds are happy, fed, watered, protected and I can call a neighbor if I see something that needs attention. Any longer than two days though and we arrange for someone to swing by each day and do what we would usually do to care for them. We aren’t away much. It’s usually us.....:)
I’m a Food Scientist and have worked in the food industry making fresh foods for nearly 30 years...... Cleanliness, microbiology are important to me. As is animal welfare (although I don’t deal directly in animal agriculture through my work. I’m strictly an amateur, and only eggs).
@@final_mile_music9713 I wish I would have known you responded here! TH-cam has downfalls, that is one. Your professional background is no surprise also. We have finished our coop. More techie stuff coming today in fact. We are retired electrical contractors so more is better with us ;) And boy do we get the razzing here in the south (Ozarks) when we have northern building standards :) It's been fun though. We keep busy! Nice way to meet people, ours if very visible so people will actually stop to talk. It has turned out to be lots of fun ;)
Very nice setup
Thanks!
We got a coop from the same company, a 7 x 22 coop/run and then put a 6 ft. chain link fence around that 20 x 40. Now we are in the process of putting predator proofing overhead and on the chain link as well. We've never lost a chicken to a predator with this wonderful coop.
Great! Good idea on the overhead protection.
Amazing!
A lot of coop tours don't show fly screen on the coop windows and I really appeciate you doing that. I'm in Sydney and dont have snowy winters but we do have a lot of mosquitoes and flies! And hawks. And foxes. And snakes, oh so many snakes where I am.
We all have predators but I don’t think we have quite such a snake issue here in New England. We do have them, but they tend to be little garter snakes. Nothing like Australia!! Our mosquitoes are bad in the summer too. The birds are quite tolerant but it’s a bit miserable for them to be constantly buzzed at night so the fly screens over the welded wire keep them a bit more comfortable. Thanks for your comment!
You did a fine job explaining everything. I’ve been considering getting a coop but, I’ve been hesitant because of the climate here in Massachusetts. Incidentally, I once saw a huge bird of prey (we thought it was an eagle, just about take out a guy on a motorcycle, while driving on Route 2. That was so scary! They can get pretty large..much larger than people think.
FYI: the bears are out of hibernation. We caught one on our Ring security camera. Keep those girls safe 💞
Thanks! I am hoping I don’t (yet) need to worry about bears as I live near the coast but I do know they are moving east and are occasionally inside the 495 now. I’d certainly need to think differently for bears. Don’t worry too much about the climate. Just get cold hardy breeds, give them somewhere dry and draft free and they will do fine. Good luck!
Thank you
Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to build a chicken coop and your video will be of big help for me (excuse my english, I'm a french canadien).
Your English is fantastic! Mon français n'est pas si bon
It look nice n cool!
Thanks!
You did awesome! Btw, it's Dio-tow-mateous earth. Its great for chicks. I love your set up.
Thanks! It’s the one word I can’t pronounce!
@@final_mile_music9713 Is this custom made? Can others order one?
Great information. Subscribing you
Great job. Exactly the way my dream coop looks in my mind. I am constantly worried about predictors. We lost 30 in one night when we forgot to lock them up one night. Devastating and heartbreaking.
Oh my goodness. That must have been shocking and heartbreaking. So sorry to hear that. You feel so responsible but predators are just doing what they’ve evolved to do. The best we can do is try to figure out new ways to protect the birds but nothing is 100%. That said, my set up has worked well now for 2 years. I hope it’s enough! All I have to do now is maintain it and make sure I don’t make a mistake, like leaving something open or unlocked. Good luck!
@Frances Bridges www.zmodo.com/store/?qtyname=2
Yeah, they are a nuisance for me too. They always predict stuff I don't want them to.
This dude said not one more damn chicken from this house lmao!
Yeah. That’s exactly it. Not. One. More. Bird!
TY for the video. I enjoyed it a lot and got a few ideas, too. Made me realize I'm not the only one obsessed about predator protection. Have you considered electric wires around your coop?
I haven’t really, no. I would if I lived in bear country as I’m sure that a bear could force its way through the top of the run. Predators around here though are largely small mammals up to coyote size and hawks so I don’t think an electric wire would be effective in my case.
We live in southern Arizona we have a lot of hawks here I found those glass gazing balls work good the hawk look down and they see the balls and it magnified the reflection of them self and they think it’s a bigger bird and stay away from it keeps them out.
I’m glad that works for you. I originally used hung CD’s, reflective tape etc. it worked in summer but not in winter. Not sure why. I’d guess it was because 1) The tree leaf cover was gone 2) The reflective items were less effective with snow down. 3) (and I think this is my main learning), predators aren’t much bolder and less afraid in winter when they are more hungry and desperate for food. Good luck!
Great info. I'm also from Massachusetts. My wife and daughters and I just started doing the small homesteading. Chickens / Ducks and goats. Where abouts in MA are you from?
I’m on the North Shore. Have fun with the Homesteading!
Such an informative video! Honestly, I am prepping for my first ever mini flock of only 3 chickens and have seen so many videos. I'm from the UK so weather wise I think the chickens will be ok but I am conscious of predators and ensuring they have enough space.
Great video and you can tell you love your chickens!!! 🐔 🐥
Thanks! They reward us with wonderful eggs. 😊 I’m from Cheshire BtW. Been in the US ten years now....
Very interesting. Im just about to build a coop and run in my garden here in Belfast NI. Good information without the usual TH-camr faffing about.
Cheers!
Wow
Great video. You said you bought the coop. May I ask from where?
Lancaster Chicken Coops PA. All the other stuff I built (i.e the extended run etc). I’m not a carpenter so wasn’t really ready to build the whole coop.
Nice than my house!
I could say the same thing! I renovated the chicken’s living space before the humans! (Although we have started that now!)
Please leave link to your predator proof door I love it
cooptender.com
Great job ! Don't like all the high tech for me but your having fun and that's great. I definitely like the enclosure for all the chickens from predators which is something I believe is best for the life of the chickens. What good is giving them more room and freedom if they become food for many kinds of predators after all we don't buy chickens to feed the hawks, falcons, eagles, crows, racoons, weasels, rats, coyotes, fox or anything else that likes to eat them. We buy them for us. Only certain breeds can survive constant predator pressure but they are the kind you can't hold and are very skiddish and nervous birds for good reason. If was a smart chicken I would want a nice home for protection from intruders and prefer not to get torn apart and eaten alive.
Agreed. Enclosing them is a compromise but I work hard to give them environmental interest that comprises enough space, multilevel perches, surfaces, covered areas, dust bathing areas, logs, herbs around the edge that grow through the wire and I introduce leaf piles and bugs for them to scratch around. The tech is all about balance for me, but mostly about ensuring I give the birds the right level of care regardless of other commitments. It’s certainly not about automation (other than the door). It’s not a replacement for direct care. I’m out there twice daily morning and evening as a minimum. But when I’m traveling with work and my daughter is I charge I can help her and alert her to any issues she misses. And if we want to go away for up to 3 days, I know the birds will be ok. Any longer, we arrange to have someone come daily to check on them. That’s only an annual thing. Thanks for your comment!
After a year and a half, do you still like those "poop boxes"? Does the poop just accumulate on top of the metal mesh?
They still work well. The poop largely drops through. A little bit collects on the grate when the poops are higher than 1.5” (from my older girls). I’d say less than 10% gets caught. Some can drop on the grate frame too. I just scrape it off when I slide the box out. And it can freeze on in the winter so I just knock it off.
wow
I don't freelancer mine either as i don't want to lose any to hawks or vultures.
You definitely have the Cadillac of coops.
Rolls Royce. (I was born in England!) 😂 Thanks though.
@@final_mile_music9713 awesome! That explains the accent. How you liking the U.S.? It's a lot bigger than England..
The high tech chicken coop, they need some relaxing music
There’s an idea. Built-in hifi. 🤣
What are the little temperature sensors you mention? Brand/model?
SensorPush. They work really well. I have a little base unit in my porch with an antenna. The coop is about 50-70ft from there.
@@final_mile_music9713 Thanx Muchly
What battery life do you get out of them? I want to put them in my beehives for winter to monitor the cluster temperature.
@@JohnVK5JAK I put Panasonic CR2477. I replace them once a year in the fall. They measure humidity too, and you get the history over the year in the app. Not sure if that’s important for bee keeping!