The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching
Conditioning housing for prospective show birds
Susan Mouw:
--- Quote from: Schroeder on October 09, 2014, 09:45:41 AM ---Susan:
I do not have a large barn with space for conditioning pens, so here's what I do. I have three separate coops. I built this one (my wife calls the two-seater) primarily for use as conditioning pens/coops. It is 4 ft x 12 ft, with a divider down the middle to create two 4'x6' coops. A month or more before a show, I transfer 3 or 4 potential female contestants into one side, and typically a cockerel into the other. Whether I let them outside depends on how wet the ground is. I usually don't let out the cockerel because free rangers from the other coops may want to pick a fight from the other side of the run.
When not in use for show birds, the structure is quite versatile. I use it to grow out chicks in the spring, as housing for cocks (with a cardboard divider between the sections so that they can't see each other) or for a larger group with the middle divider removed.
Several days before the show I bring the ones that I intend to show into the garage for bathing and final conditioning. Ideally I would get them cage ready earlier than this, but I work with what I have.
Duane
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Thanks for sharing your pics! I really like the idea of the split coop.
Susan Mouw:
What are y'all using for bedding in your show/conditioning cages?
Mike Gilbert:
Dried pine shavings. They come compressed in a plastic bag, typically about 3 cubic feet to a bag, or 4.5 cubic feed expanded. I'm currently paying $5.50 per bag, but I'm pretty sure they can be found for less money than that.
Max:
--- Quote from: Mike Gilbert on October 10, 2014, 06:20:39 PM ---Dried pine shavings.
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I second that. I use the cheapest I can find during the grow out period. Once the show season is near and the birds have had their bath, I switch to premium low dust pine shavings. It seems to help keep them cleaner between shows.
DeWayne Edgin:
My local tractor supply sells them for 4.99 a bag. I use them in all of my coops.
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