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

Current Pen

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John Scruggs:
I converted my wife's K9 kennel (he's an inside dog and has never used the kennel) into my chicken pen.  I had some extra metal roofing so I wrapped the sides and put a second, flat, predator proof roof on it.  It's in a shady part of my back yard.  My chicks are 5 1/2 weeks old and it is very hot here in Georgia so I moved them outside yesterday.  I had an EE trio in there that I gave to a friend.  Before I placed them, I cleaned out all the old hay, scrubbed the floors, and put up the boards in the corners and along the bottom to keep predators from possibly being able to reach in through the cracks.  I am adding a dust bath at some point this week...and a roosting stick as they are already flying around.  In addition, I am making a 5 gallon bucket feeder to see if I can cut down on food waste (my EE's were horrible food wasters...even with the 'food saving' PVC pipe feeder.)  When I was at Susan's getting the eggs, I really liked her nipple drinkers so I will probably be adding one of those soon as well.  Suggestions welcome.

Susan Mouw:
Nice set-up, John!  I think they'll do very well there.

Those nipple waterers I use in my grow out pen are called Hen Hydrators and I got them at Tractor Supply.  They have absolutely been the best thing I've added to my grow out pens, other than the roof. The water stays clean and it's very easy to fill them.

Don:
Very Nice and looks like a great set of chicks too.  I hope that they will grow out well for you.  I think you have plenty of room for them to grow our for a while. I like the metal sheets along the bottom.  I think it really helps to keep them calm if family or neighbor dogs come around.  And this ground contact is the place that predators are most likely to do damage too.  If you have the time to put in a dropping board with the perch it will save you lots of bedding on the floor.  And you have room to build some upper coops along the sides for separate conditioning or isolation groups if you decide in the future.  I'd love to have a couple dozen of pens like these. 

Birdcrazy:

--- Quote from: Don on June 14, 2016, 12:22:01 PM --- I'd love to have a couple dozen of pens like these. 

--- End quote ---


Don, Are you drooling again?

Don:
HA!  Gordon, as I've said many times, I think some of us keep birds just so we can keep on building more and different kinds of pens.  I guess that's why I really like to see all of the creative ways people build their pens for different ages of birds.  Susan promised me pictures of her new brooding pens.  I don't know what she has been doing, Joking!   smh

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