So, we just got into chickens in April. We bought 8 pullets at TSC and we were quite content. Well, as newbies usually are, we were quite surprised when 5 of our pullets ended up being roos. This led us to quite the dilemma. 3 hens were not enough to supply eggs for our family of nine. I lucked out and found someone who had bought pullets from McMurray for a fair display and were selling them at cost. So, on top of our 7 black austrolorps and 1 barred rock, we have added 3 Red Stars, 6 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Ameracuanas. Hopefully, all or most will end up as laying hens. As newbies, we really weren't set up for a range of ages for our chickens. We are using a room on the side of our converted barn/garage as our coop. So, we left the 14 wk old pullets in the coop and put the new chicks in two boxes taped together in the storage room next door. Lo and behold, one of the Ameracuanas has decided that the top of the box is her favorite roost. Something had to be done! I'm attaching pictures of our playpen that we have moved into the main coop. They are confined and safe from the bigger birds but can be seen. My neighbors next door had thrown some old screens from their basement out in the burn pile, so I asked if I could have them. My dh and son put this together in about an hour, without a trip to the hardware store. I am quite please with the repurposing and all the chickens seem quite content!
