# Show Your Ideas That Have Worked For You In Your Coop and Pen



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I'm wondering if we should sticky a thread about the things you have incorporated to make life easier on buildings, pens, and care. Pictures if possible. Helps spark ideas.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No pics, I had a laundry tub with running water via a garden hose in my old coop. Made it very simple to clean waterers and feeders.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

No pics. I bought an old sink at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for $10 and set it inside an old bbq grill in the chicken pen. I rigged a drain hose through a vent in the grill out into a section of the yard where the chickens couldnt get into the drained water. Then ran a garden hose from the spigot to the coop and ran it up in the overhead of the pen and hooked it up with the sink...running water like Robin's set up. 
It made quick work when cleaning. More importantly, no more carrying several 3 gallon waterers back and forth to the pen.

One important thing I like to do besides securing vents with fine mesh hardware cloth is also place screen over the hardware cloth to help keep mosquitos, flies, and wasps out of the coop. I also secure flexible screen to the entrance where the chickens walk in and out of their house. I simply use a pair of scissors to cut vertical strips in the screen, like a deep freezer curtain in a warehouse. A small piece of board is nailed over the screen to hold it in place. The screen does an excellent job keeping flying insects out of their house.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Outdoor sink i got at TSC.


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## nannypattyrn (Aug 23, 2015)

Well here's my idea for those of you who don't have electricity or running water to your coops. My 4 week old chicks are in the big girl pen but with no electricity, I don't have any way to put a heat lamp for heat. Our pen has heavy plastic sheeting around 3 outer sides. We found a small propane heater that hooks up to a 5 gallon tank. And a 350 gallon water storage tank. So, we have heat and water without having to haul it every day and without bringing our chicks back to the brooder every night. It went from 40 degrees to 70 in about 20 to 30 min.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I have been using buckets for water for their water except the silkies. They appear to be 2 gallon and sell them at feed stores. It's easier to see if they need water, or it's dirty. It gets changed more often . I just got tired of opening waterers and then trying to level them so they work right. 

I also cover my feed bulbs with home depot work buckets on pulleys. Lowere them over the feed. No food for rats.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

We're using buckets for water here too. Got tired of the ducks draining the usual waterers after two minutes of slurping and splashing. I love our PVC feeders, brood boxes, and out cabinet incubator -- all built in the past year and mentioned in other threads. (The photo of the incubator is old - it has 5 drawers now. can fit a few hundred eggs in there if I really want to.)


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

You have some really good ideas there!


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## Cameron231 (Mar 31, 2016)

Those ideas are brilliant especially that incubator. However, the quality of a chicken coop is important. If you’re considering a cheap and high quality chicken coop then I would suggest looking at Backyard Chicken shop.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Cameron231 said:


> Those ideas are brilliant especially that incubator. However, the quality of a chicken coop is important. If you're considering a cheap and high quality chicken coop then I would suggest looking at Backyard Chicken shop.


Hi Cameron and welcome!
Those chicken coops for sale may look like high quality, but any animal can break into them. If you get one you have to customize it and reinforce the cheapy things on it like the doors and latches.

There's also chickencoops.com


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## tonykummrow (Mar 26, 2016)

Something I incorporated into my run was an old pickup topper. It collects the heat on the cold days and provides shade on the hot days. I also feed them under it to keep fees from getting rained on etc. They love bathing in the dry dirt under it too. And it gives them something to play with jumping in and out of the windows etc.


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## tonykummrow (Mar 26, 2016)

Also keeps them from sitting in the coop all day when the weather isn't nice. Cuts back on the manure I have to clean up inside the coop


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

nannypattyrn said:


> Well here's my idea for those of you who don't have electricity or running water to your coops. My 4 week old chicks are in the big girl pen but with no electricity, I don't have any way to put a heat lamp for heat. Our pen has heavy plastic sheeting around 3 outer sides. We found a small propane heater that hooks up to a 5 gallon tank. And a 350 gallon water storage tank. So, we have heat and water without having to haul it every day and without bringing our chicks back to the brooder every night. It went from 40 degrees to 70 in about 20 to 30 min.


Your coop/pen reminds me of mine. Not fancy but functional. I have 3 large pens that are covered instead of coops. I'm in Florida so I can do it.

My electric comes from 100 feet away with a heavy duty extension cord. The shed electric comes from the house and runs underground inside pvc piping, and using wire that's used for household wiring. It is a life saver to have electric back there especially when building or fixing something. Or running the air compressor. So what I connect back near the coop and pens is fans, remote lighting, sometimes the air compressor.


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## tonykummrow (Mar 26, 2016)

It is all for function for sure. And ya built it there because of the electricity. If I had electricity everywhere I would not have them where they are


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