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

Building the Best Breeding Pens?

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Courtney Galle:
thanks! I'll look over your drawing tomorrow with my coop builder husband. He came up with some great designs and ideas to save money but still have them secure as we have coyotes and bobcats all around. I'll see if he has any drawin of what he came up with as well.

Since we last posted we ran water out to the coops which is great once we got the city to patch the break we made in THEIR water pipe... It's was such a mess! Lol! Slowly we are expanding. :)

Don:
How are your building projects coming along Courtney?  What did your husband contractor and you decide to build?

Michelle Ogden:
Here is my "Quad Coop". It holds a "quad" of "quads". ;)
Took FOREVER to build, but that's because I built most of it by myself. With a few hours of help from my 9 year old, a few hours of help from sis in law, and a few days of help from my dad. The coop itself is 5'x8', divided into four 2'x5' sections. The run is 12'x12', divided into four 3'x12' sections. Each coop has two next boxes and two roosting bars, as well as its own window. Each coop also has its own access door, so that I can clean it out.

Don:
Nice coop Michele.  It looks like a great unit for the Ameraucanas you are currently keeping.  And a great use of the space for this size coop.  It looks bigger than the dimensions that you listed, but the birds appear to have plenty of room and I am sure are doing well.  Are you able to keep grass in the outside runs now or what works best for you here?  I have seen gravel and just bare ground. One of the breeders thinks that small gravel works well for an uncovered outside run too. 

Michelle Ogden:
They seem to be happy in them. I had hoped to give them turns free-ranging, but with FIVE different Hawks living on our property, I'm thinking they'll be just fine in the coop!
I did end up getting metal roofing over the run (after these pics were taken). Keeps it a lot drier, and I'm hoping will keep them cooler in the summer too.
I was using straw in the run, but will be switching to pine shavings. Apparently one of my pullets thought straw was edible and ended up with a terminal case of impacted crop. :(
Oh, also, here are my isolation/juvenile/broody pens. There's three of them in a 3'x8' floor space, and two feet tall.

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