The Original Operation
We began 4 years ago with 8 hens, the Original Coop, and the
Upper Yard. We built the Original Coop with scrap lumber,
framing it with 2X4’s and facing it mostly with 2x6's and 2x8's.
The wood was already weathered a bit which gave the newly
finished coop a naturally-aged appearance right away. We thought
that was nice.
We set it a foot or so off the ground on a preexisting concrete
slab and installed a
1”X1.5” wire mesh floor so that the droppings would fall on the
slab and could be easily collected. We used translucent
corrugated fiberglass for the roof. Inside we installed a single
4 foot perch and 2 nest boxes.
On the front, we put in double
swing-out doors to allow for cleaning, and two small doors to
allow access each nest box. On north side, we installed a
vertical sliding door that opens up to the Upper Yard.
The Upper Yard is actually a large
part of our front yard. It is bounded by a
preexisting rock wall (the height of the wall varies from about
4 ½ feet to 5 ½ feet) on the north and west, and a 5 foot high
chain link fence on the east. We installed the fence after a
year of chicken keeping (actually more like chicken losing) and
painted it black so it would disappear visually. The Upper Yard
is almost completely shaded by two mature deodar cedars and a
few large eucalyptus trees. It has a natural dirt floor as does
the rest of the front yard, and so looks like a part of the
whole rather than separate from it.
The Expansion
The size of our flock waned and waxed over the years, until at
last we were down to just 2 hens. We then decided to expand the
whole operation. After acquiring 20 new chicks through mail
order, we set out to building a new, larger coop and a new, more
secure yard.
The New Coop
The New Coop abuts the original coop and has a small door
way into it. This coop sits about a foot off of the ground with
a wire floor, similar to the original coop.
The Physical Layout
From there, the design of this coop departs from that of the
original. Instead of the fiberglass shed roof we had installed
in the Original Coop, we put in a flip-up Plexiglas top that can
be propped open for interior access. Inside, we installed
multiple perches to accommodate up to 20 chickens. We installed
them in such a way that the chickens are able to look through
the Plexiglas to observe their surroundings and therefore to
keep on a proper daylight schedule. On the south side, there is
a doorway from the New Coop to the new Lower Yard. There are no
nests or feeding stations inside.
The Conversion of the Original Coop
We converted the Original Coop to
a laying “retreat” by removing the old perch and
installing 4 new nest “cubicles.” The hens can access the
retreat through a doorway in the common wall that the New Coop
shares with the Original Coop. The doorway leads to a passage
with 4 individual openings to the cubicles. The cubicles share a
common plywood floor that is lined with Astroturf. The floor is
slanted so that eggs roll to one end. The Astroturf can be
removed and washed as needed. We wedged in 3 pieces of cardboard
to serve as privacy dividers; they are easily removed/replaced.
Finally, we partitioned off the old nest boxes in hopes that
they will one day serve as a nursery --should a hen decide to
set and raise some chicks. One can always hope!
The Lower Yard, a.k.a. the “Quick Getaway Yard”
Adjacent to the New Coop, we
created the Lower Yard, which we like to think of as
our “Quick Getaway Yard” for reasons I will explain. This new
yard is special in that it is totally enclosed by wire. Yes, it
is even covered on the top. This means that the chickens can
come and go safely from their coop at anytime, and we do not
have to open or close the coop door, ever. This is good for the
chickens because they can get out in the morning as soon as they
want to and so never feel “cooped up.” It is good for us because
we can go away for the weekend on short notice without seeking
neighborhood help for the chickens.
Of course, we had to make few additional improvements to the
Lower Yard to make it possible for us to leave them on their
own. One thing we did was to invest in a 30 pound hanging feeder
which you can see in the picture to the right. The other thing
we did was to hook up their water bowl to our automatic
sprinkler system. This view is looking from the Lower Coop to
the Lower Yard.
The Tunnel to the Trampoline
This is the newest feature of our
operation. Since we know our chickens like to
graze on grass, we built a tunnel connecting the Lower Yard to
the kid’s trampoline located on our back lawn. To build the
tunnel, we rolled heavy-gauge 1”X1 ½ “ hardware cloth to the
diameter of medium-sized chicken and fastened the edges together
with plastic tie wraps. In between the rigid hardware cloth
segments, we attached flexible chicken wire “joints” so that the
tunnel can bend into various configurations. We made an extra
“loose” segment to shorten or lengthen the tunnel as needed.
This enables us to move the tunnel and the trampoline around the
yard as you would a chicken tractor, maximizing the nutritional
benefits to the chickens and minimizing damage to the lawn.
The Trampoline
The trampoline is a standard
gymnastics style trampoline with pads covering the springs on
all sides. The base of it is wrapped with 1/4 inch green
vinyl-coated wire mesh and includes one door that opens to
accept the tunnel, or closes to keep chickens (or chicks)
stationed on the lawn. The green mesh blends nicely with the
lawn, virtually disappearing from view. We can make the tunnel
disappear too, if we want to have a backyard event without
chickens or their accouterments visible to visitors: we simply
disconnect it from the trampoline and put it behind the trees.
Naturally, if we disconnect the tunnel we also have to block it
off somewhere to prevent the chickens from going out of the
tunnel. This is easily accomplished with a board or even
cardboard. The majority of the time, though, the tunnel is
connected to the trampoline.
Now, you might be wondering if the kids still use the
trampoline with a tunnel connected to it and chickens underneath
it, and the
answer is yes, they do. The older 2 chickens are completely used
to them jumping over head and don’t mind
staying underneath at all.
 The newer ones dash into the tunnel
at high velocity, usually creating a chicken jam.
Another side bar: we used to own a couple of rabbits that also
enjoyed spending time in the confined area underneath the
trampoline. They would join the chickens in communal harmony,
munching peacefully on the grass alongside them. Unfortunately,
one day an aggressive (and hungry) Akita strayed into our yard.
He was not interested in eating grass or joining in the communal
harmony. The rabbits panicked, escaping the safe area, only to
become… uhm, well… the appetizer and the entrée for the
uninvited guest. The chickens have dined without their furry
friends ever since that day. They don’t seem to mind though.
What We Have Learned So Far About Chickens
1.
When chickens are not housed in cages, they are attractive,
interesting, and, above all, amusing creatures.
2.
A human yard is not a natural habitat for a chicken. If you keep
them in your yard, you must be sure to provide them with decent
shelter, good food, and clean water.
3.
If you do provide them with decent shelter, good food, and clean
water, they “will pay you back” with eggs.
4.
Every wandering meat eater enjoys a fresh chicken dinner. Don’t
make it easy for them to stop by for a take-out meal.
Tips for preventing your chickens from being “taken out” for
dinner:
a.
Always close or otherwise secure their coop at night. The most
disastrous predation always occurs at night when you’re in your
deepest phase of sleep. If your bedroom is within earshot of
your chicken’s death throes when this happens, you will not
remain in a deep sleep phase for long. Then there’s the clean
up. That can also affect your sleep --for days or even weeks
afterwards. Not good.
b.
If your chicken coop has a wire floor, make sure there is extra
wire barrier a few inches away from it to prevent dexterous
predators from reaching up, grabbing your chickens, and eating
them right through the wire. Yes, this can really happen if you
don’t take this precaution. It’s not pretty either: your victim
might not die from having its foot chewed off. Then you
will have to destroy or rehabilitate a one- or zero-legged
chicken. Good luck.
c.
Extend fencing down below grade level to discourage predators
from digging under the fence and sneaking into your chicken
yard. Consider burying heavy rocks below the fence line. This
precaution also prevents chickens from inadvertently creating a
new yard exit while they are digging a dust bath or scratching
deeply for their favorite bugs. Once one chicken finds an
exciting path to new food, like your garden, others will surely
follow its example. The exodus will evolve into a naughty feast
that, like a teenager’s illicit party, you will not know about
until it’s over, and all your favorite stuff is damaged.
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