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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
Dried pine shavings.