Ozark Bantams Our Chicken House, Brooder House Attachment, & Two Pens

     This is our chicken house. It houses our small flock of black cochin bantams. The house includes the main chicken house, a separate brooding house for rearing chicks, and two outside pens. The main chicken house and pen were built in the spring of 2007. The brooding house and pen addition were built in the spring of 2009.

 

 

 

 

 
The large pen. The shingled door under the window is hinged to provide access into the pen.

 

 

     The dimensions of the main house are 8ft by 8ft, which provides ample room for the entire flock. There are two 8 foot roosts in the house, as well four nest boxes (two on each side of the door). Above the chicken's living space is a 4ft by 8ft loft space which is used for storage. One large north facing window and two smaller east facing windows provide adequate ventilation during the warmer months. During the winter months, the windows are covered to conserve heat produced by the birds. A ramp and chicken door provide access into each of the two outside pens. The chicken ramps are hinged and can be closed to keep the chickens indoors when needed.

 

 

 

 

The brooder house and pen: the shingled roof is hinged to provide access to the house

 

 

     The large pen on the right side of the house is 8ft by 10ft. This pen is always accessible from the main chicken house. Located to the left side of the house is the brooding pen attachment. The brooding pen is 4ft by 8ft and includes a 2ft by 4ft brooding house. When the brooding house and pen are being used in the spring and early summer for rearing chicks, it is closed off from the main house. During the remainder of the year, it is open to the entire flock for additional outside space. Both pens are contructed of pressure treated lumber, surrounded with galvanized hardware cloth, and topped with galvanized livestock fencing. The hardware cloth is buried six inches to one foot below the ground to prevent predators from digging into the pens.

 

 

 

 

Another front view of the Bantam Barn. As you might notice, I need to trim out the window.

     Together, the main chicken house, the two outside pens, and the brooding house provide 176 square feet of living space for the chickens. The entire house was painted in traditional barn red and trimmed in white. The surrounding yard is landscaped with cypress mulch, blue junipers, and driftwood. Below is a floor plan of the chicken house and pens. As you can see, the gray areas represent the actual houses whereas the white areas represent the pens. In the future, I plan on building an adjacent duck pen, as well as a small duck pond.

 

 

 Chicken House Floor Plan