The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching

Building the Best Breeding Pens?

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Courtney Galle:
Hello everyone,

I'm brand new to ABC and about a year into my Ameraucana breeding program. My husband and I realized that we really need to get our breeding pens designed and built for our up coming cockerels and pullets. To date we have one large (really big) coop with my two AM (is it okay to abbreviate?) hens and two AM cocks, mixed with my egg layers. It has been fine having the two cock birds together as they were raised together and don't tend to fight but obviously this won't be sustainable next year when I have more than the two breeder hens.

SO I have a huge favor to ask the group. Could you please let me know what you have ended up with as your breeding pen set up, what you tried and hated, loved, etc. Our history has been to build based on "cool internet plans" or to fit existing structures (which turned out not to be square, ugh) and then months later regretting large portions of the design.

At the moment we are leaning toward this type of design: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/731570/my-lg-fowl-breeding-pens

We have it set up as a 4x4 pens divided by solid wood two feet up and then wire between pens and with solid wood back and ends. Each pen would also have a pop door leading to a 10x4 wire run for each pen. I would plan to alternate which group was outside to prevent fighting, and free ranging one group a day for exercise etc.

I think we may be focused too much on giving them room and free ranging access but with 10 acres and no other live stock something should be out on the land.

Lastly, how do you house your birds the rest of the year? Do they stay in these pens year round as flocks or do you integrate them back into larger groups? If you leave them in the breeding pens how do you do your set up inside each one (i.e. roosts, food, nest boxes).

Thanks so much for sharing your experience and knowledge!

Court and Marcus

Don:
Courtney,  I have experimented with a lot of designs from tractors, dog kennels to hutch designs and they all seem to have pros and cons.  But, those are nice pens for a couple groups of birds.  The 4x8 module is a good start because of the material dimensions.  4x4 is good for a trio of LF or you can do a pair in a 4'x32" so you can get three pens in the 8' length.    I would add more overhang on the sides and maybe the front.  Also I would always have a solid wall along the ground up to approx 24" or so.  Even small dogs can go thru welded wire fabric or chicken wire if they really want it.  And I've had that happen a number of times thru the years.  One other option is to make it 2 levels, second level up about 4' off the ground.  You have to reach a bit to catch a bird once in a while. But you get four pens under the same roof.  Also IMO you might want to plan bigger.  Two pens are a drop in the bucket if you are at this for any length of time.  But you can make in 8' modules in case you have to move it down the road.  You might want to place paving stones, wire or an elec fence around the bottom to deter night diggers too.   

Its great if you can develop some individual pens too.  These are great for pair matings, conditioning, or letting a bird rest or recoup.  My hens need a rest during the breeding season from the males. LF are very rough on the females during the season.  He can have his own little cage for several days and visit a couple times a week if you are still hatching.  Or you can keep the hens in their own individual pens and rotate him from pen to pen.  You know for sure which hen is producing the best youngsters in pair matings.  Max posted a design for a bank of conditioning pens a year of so ago that seem to be working well. 
      http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,2156.0.html

Roosts can be 2x4 lumber at about 24-36" and nests can be anything from buckets/landscape pots to a 10x12x12 tall box.  I have a few pens where I have a 12x32" board leaned into the corner for a nest.  Just a dark space where the eggs are protected during the day.  I use 1 gal cans for water and feed fastened to the wall near the door.  I get these from our church kitchen before they go to the trash, and they go to recycling when they begin looking old and rusty.   

I am hoping that Paul with get around to "breeding and grow out pens" with one of his installments later on.  I've been looking for pictures of his setup for a while. 

Our birds pretty much stay in most of their pens full time unless we can group the hens into Large summer/fall pens.  I have heard lots of folks that put all the cocks in the same pen for this period, but have never had the heart to watch them fight the first couple of days.   

Don:
One nice thing about the design in the link you posted, is that you can build it tall enough to walk in.  This would be really helpful if you wanted to build grow out pens  that were deeper than 4', and you can make them up to 8' deep using the plywood module and still be able to move it in the future if needed.

But if you decided to go with double level, you can build these any size to suit your need, LF vs bantam, breeding vs conditioning pens.  The 4x8 plywood is the easiest module.  So you can make the 2 pens 4' x 4' or 3 pens 2'-8" x 4', so on.   If 4' is too deep you can cut the plywood into thirds and make the pen 2'-8" deep.  Two of these sections would make a pen 2'8 x 8' long.  And the module can be duplicated for longer banks of pens, save lumber and roofing but still able to relocate.   

I am going to ask for some help posting the sketch because of size.

Don:
This might help if you want to look at these options.

Don:
The plywood sizes can be modular in several configurations and the 2x4 materials will generally follow suit.
You can raise the bottom framing and provide a plywood lower level as well as the second level.  I use the rim board as the floor structure to save material. 

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