Chicken Coop Help

Would this be a good place to ask if there would be anyone interested in building a chicken coop for me? I would pay to have it done because woodworking and such is just not a thing I do. Or is there somewhere else I would post the request.

Thanks
-Paden

I’d recommend just buying a kit from Tractor Supply Company. There are several TSC stores in towns surrounding DFW, and they have several styles to choose from, ranging from ~$400 and up.

TSC also sells feed, supplies, waterers, etc. - even chicks (around Easter - still had some when I was there last week).

Using a kit takes the woodworking aspect of the project off the table and makes it more doable for you on your own/with help.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/coops

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I moved it to “maker trade” because that is where we encourage exchanging of good, services, and/or cash or other assets. Also, suggest if you’re wiling to pay, say so in the title.
but it’s all good.
Hank jumped in with a great suggestion all the same (most of us read ALL the new threads, regardless of where they’re posted).

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Hey, I have actually been wanting to do chicken coops. How many hens? Do you have any specific design desires/aesthetic?

Those are ok but the issue is they aren’t very predator proof. They need additional hardening. If you decide to go with one of these you will want to add a padlocked door latch because raccoons will easily open the simple latches, you will need to bury hardware cloth under the run to keep out burrowing predators. Not much you can really do to get past the fact that they are flimsy. Honestly I am not a fan of these or TSC in general. They had a terrible year this year with chicks deciding to brood them in battery towers rather than their typical brooding setups to save space in the store and maximize birds, which led to many many birds being sick or dead in stores. After a massive outcry they have finally (in the last week of chick days) allowed their stores to return to the correct husbandry. I recommend Roach Feed and Seed for getting birds, feed, and bedding. They are a local business that has been around since 1933, and have a huge selection of feeds and seeds believe it or not

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Could you provide some sources for this?

Sure. As I said they have just very recently changed their setup so if you go into a store today they will be better. However I personally went to the TSC in Denton and can confirm that they were following these poor practices there:

Here’s a picture I took at the Denton TSC a couple weeks ago:


Single lone chicks cannot regulate their temperatures since they must huddle for warmth. Wire floors are also not good for chicks as their feet are delicate and if they have an injury it can be debilitating and affect them for their entire lives, not to mention that they do not absorb the waste which doesn’t prevent buildup of ammonia. This individual chick has what is called “pastey butt” which means that poop has built up on its cloaca and can actually seal the hole and cause the chick to die if not treated. It is easily prevented, and shows that this chick has been kept in the wrong temperature for a good amount of time.

This latch is not secure enough to protect from a raccoon. They are crafty and have very nimble hands. Pretty much any latch you can open, they can.


Similarly the nesting boxes are held by these same useless latches.


This mesh run will hardly protect them from anything except birds of prey. A dog could easily break it, and a digging predator like a fox, mink, skunk, etc will dig right under it and into the hen house.

Depending on your need for aesthetic, the Stress Free Chicken Tractor is a great build. There are significant benefits to moving your chickens every 1-3 days rather than a stationary run, and you can build in a slatted wooden floor which lets grass through while protecting from predators.

Actually those are the brooders that they were using at the TSC west of Lantana. There were pristinely clean and had lots of happy chicks and ducklings. Unfortunately not going to be a chicken farmer anytime soon.

They can work ok as long as they are used properly, however TSC is a business and it is very difficult for them to monitor and maintain the proper conditions for every single brooder in every single store. That is why this “works if it is perfect” model doesn’t work. Feed trough brooders take up more space but are much more forgiving for the birds so you don’t end up with dead and sick birds because there was a draft so the towers can’t maintain temperature.

i did think it would be a staff training problem. While i was there someone did ask them about what happens at night and they said they had a spot in the back to park them and someone was responsible.

I remember they used to ship chicks via USPS. Guess there is an expectation of so much die off is acceptable.

I’ve seen the chick battery towers at TSC, both in TX and in CO. In years’ past they used galvanized stock tanks.

Didn’t know the towers were a problem though - thanks for sharing @Hanna_Kessler.

So a couple of points to consider.

This design is not new or innovative. This is a take on a commercial brooder that has been around for many years. It’s a bit dressed up with material type. I would also surmise that unlike the commercial design that is generally more open without plexi, the plexi will make keeping drafts away easier.

“Tank” brooders are not perfect either. As we all know, cold settles to the floor. Concrete is a big cold sink. Fluid thermodynamics and all.

Before we start trying crucify TSC. The do provide a service that others do not. To expect perfection in any retail setting is to not know retail. They will try to do what they can, at the end of the day, its about numbers and people. The last of which is the wildest of cards.

I think a couple of things are at play here.

Disease and stress can and do happen. This can easily lead to higher mortality. I disagree with Shaw’s approach. He makes quite a few claims that have little or no data to back it up.
Further, consider customers. The average tractor supply chick days customer is a hobbyist. This means while some have knowledge, most don’t have that much actual experience or education. The internet is great for some education but not everything there is accurate.
Birds- The very nature of birds make them sensitive. Much more than mammals. Compare wildlife mortality. Domesticated species enjoy a much higher possibility of making it.

Finally, we as humans have a really hard time separating pets from food. With that comes the reality that food and pets are not always going to have the same expectations. With food, there will be acceptable losses. Having worked on a commercial chicken operation I’ve seen it with my own eyes and picked up dead. 15 to 20 per house per day dead or cull. Average house had 7500 birds. We had 7 houses. On the other hand, as pets we expect no dead or cull. We set the unreasonable reality that things will work out. Anyone who has owned chickens knows that to not be the case. People never stop having that expectation though.

Of course some degree of attrition is expected with all animals. However there are standards of husbandry that can be upheld to reduce death and disease. I wouldn’t hold up the commercial chicken business as a pillar of excellent husbandry (or general business practices…).

Keeping chickens involves loss at all stages, from hatching to brooding and losses due to disease, injury, and predation. However that isn’t really a good reason to accept poor husbandry practices in retail stores. Of course some chicks are gonna be DOA, but the ones on the floor should be in good shape. Regardless of whether these battery towers work in commercial operations to satisfactory standards, they clearly aren’t a great option for these retail stores where birds are struggling in them, and where their customers are being upset by it. As you said, many of TSC’s customers are either new or less experienced chicken owners, which is all the more reason to make sure the birds that go home with them are best set up to thrive even with some husbandry mistakes on the new owner’s part. There is no reason why any bird that arrives healthy at TSC shouldn’t leave healthy.

Shipping day old chicks is pretty standard practice and shouldn’t have high mortality rates if done properly. Day old chicks do not need food or water for about 24-48 hours because they haven’t fully consumed their yolk yet. That is plenty of time for them to be overnighted (which avoids the heat of the day). The biggest issue they face is cold, because chicks cannot regulate their temperatures well. They do produce heat, so the best solution is to stuff a pretty dense amount in, and have the box be only as big as needed for the chicks. Watch out if you order in 2-3 hens from a hatchery, because you’re likely to be shipped at least 10 “males for warmth”

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