Author Topic: Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas  (Read 7912 times)

Scott

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« on: September 13, 2011, 08:28:35 PM »
Hi Everyone.

I am in the process of planning a renovation to my traditional 12x30 chicken coop.  I would like to ask for input or ideas on a layout of the interior.  This coming spring, I am planning to start breeding my flock and anticipate to need capacity for 40 to 50 birds.  I have planned to have two separate runs with the possibility of three.  I am going to be focusing on LF Lavender and Blacks and may have a couple Cochins (for the wife).  So i know I will need some pens dedicated to community, breeding and the young ones.  Would you suggest using cages or pens when isolating the breeders?  Do you ever keep an area for quarantine? I\'d be interested to know sizes of pens that have worked for you.  

Thanks in advance for your help.

Scott

OldChurchEggery

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2011, 08:52:08 AM »
Hi Scott,

I have a quarantine area that is easy to maintain. I have three pallets wired together like you would to make a compost bin. There is a 3x4 structure built out of 2x2s, plywood, and wire on top of the pallets. I had some scrap roofing from when we covered the main run from my layer coop so I used that as the roof. This set-up makes for low daily maintenance as well as separates manure that might have parasites from the rest of the flock. If you toss in straw, leaves, and other dry material periodically you can compost everything right in place, too. If you want, I can e-mail you a picture.

Mike Gilbert

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2011, 09:20:41 AM »
If you plan to have a quarantine area, it will have to be away from your 12 X 30 barn to be effective.   Some disease organisms travel on dust particles in the air, not to mention on your boots, clothes, etc.   I like a clean walkway either down the middle like mine (pens on both sides, doors on both ends), or in your case on one side.  Yes, it eats into pen space, but well worth it in my estimation.  That way you can reach all your pens for feeding and watering without actually walking into them if designed properly.   Even the nests can be placed within reach of an opening.    Don\'t forget ease of cleaning;  the less cracks, crevices, and obstacles the less time it takes to clean.  Movable hanging feeders and even waterers can be handy.  

Scott

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2011, 02:03:27 PM »
I have sketched out 4 pens --1 at 5x12 and 3 at 5x8.  All with a 6 foot ceiling  I am looking to have a slider between each pen in case I want the birds to roam between the pens.  I am trying to figure out how I manage my rooster population.  Is it a common practice to keep all roosters in one pen out of sight of the hens or to segregate each rooster in its own pen?  I am thinking about mounting cages on the wall for the roosters until I need them.  I will only have 4 to 5 roosters.  Not much of quality of life, but least i won\'t have WWIII in my pens.  How do most of you manage your roosters?  

I have read about the deep litter concept.  Does anyone use this method or have input on what they use for bedding?  I have concrete floors, though no drain.  Looking for more ideas to plan for.  

Thanks,

Scott

OldChurchEggery

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2011, 03:08:02 PM »
I keep all of my cockerels together until I decide who will stick around and who goes to the pot. I put the chosen male(s) with my females until I want to rotate a different cock bird in. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I have the small (3x4) coops if I need to give the ladies a break.

I\'ve seen online a Conestoga-wagon style coop for housing individual birds within an enclosed area, say a fenced-in garden. It was treated lumber on the bottom (probably a 2x10) with a wire/heavy duty plastic top so there would be both a sunny and shaded side for the bird. I drew up a plan (2\' by 3\' base) for one that I\'ll very kindly request my husband to build for me so that I can drag it between my raised garden beds this fall. I plan on putting a roost pole under the covered side. If I like how it works out, I may do up a few so I can use it as a little test-mating system.

As far as litter goes, I use last season\'s hay that my cow turned up her nose at, straw, shredded paper, corn cobs, anything free or at least cheap I can obtain. Earlier in the year my husband ran his chainsaw down the length of some logs rather than across the grain and he made me some shavings the chickens loved. I also used them in the nest boxes and they really held up well.

John

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2011, 04:13:53 PM »
Here is a topic from earlier this year that may be of interest...
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1463

Here is another...
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1401

The old wire chinchilla cage in one of my photos (mounted some wooden coops - with 7 doors) was used to house extra bantam coops during the breeding season.

John

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2011, 09:28:30 AM »
Here is a link to another topic with more pictures of wire cages.
http://ameraucana.org/abcforum/index.php?a=topic&t=1224

Scott

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2011, 11:56:49 AM »
Erica & John -- Thanks for the feedback.  Looks like I have much to consider.  

While we were clearing out my coop and preparing it for insulation etc I found a couple dozen eggs up in the loft.  In speaking to my wife those eggs were estimated to be 35+ years old.  The insides were petrified.  Now that all of the dust has settled, its on to insulation and siding the interior so I can house my birds that I pick up from the Indy show.  

Erica:  Earlier last year I built a hoop coop similar to the links below with cattle panels.  I\'ve had turkeys and my started birds in this enclosure and its been rather easy to move it around.  

I am currently using corn cob bedding and its pretty effective, however its expensive.  I am hoping to try shavings and see how well it does to dry up and contain the smell.  

http://www.plamondon.com/hoop-coop.html

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=172799&p=1

Tailfeathers

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Chicken Coop Renovation -- Need Interior Layout Ideas
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2011, 10:31:52 PM »
Scott, I have several pens of various sizes that I use for breeding pens so rather than tell you what I have now, I\'ll just say I would recommend pens that are at least 4\' wide x 8\' long x 4\' high.  6\' high would be even better.  I was hoping to build a whole new setup this year but never got around to it.  Now that the wife is back, I may still get to it this year but more likely it\'ll be on my \"To Do List\" for next year.

Right now I keep all my roosters in one chainlink 6x12x6 pen.  Then once the breeding season starts, specified females (that are all of the same lineage) go into each of my pens with a specific rooster put in as well.  My birds are all toe-punched.  For those pens that don\'t have a rooster in them, I rotate one of the roosters into that pen back and forth a couple of times a week.  

Each pen is given a #, that # is written on the eggs as collected, and each chick is then toe-punched according to the # on the egg.  

I can also get a 6th pen going by taking birds in the main coop that haven\'t had a male with them (so I know they\'re clean), and then putting them in a pen once I\'ve collected all the eggs I want from that pen.  Then the birds that were in that pen are put in the coop and I\'ll collect those eggs for at least a week to 10 days and incubate them too.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,