Backyard Brahmas!!

[Jiffyrocks]

My blight brahma, Jenaveev, jumping for pansies. So funny.

 

[greenkelp]

hi everyone. we have 7 dark brahma chicks arriving soon and we are building a coop. How much height under the coop do these large birds need to comfortably hang out there in the heat of summer? Can we get away with 18"? They will have a few more inches between the joists in this case. thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

hi everyone. we have 7 dark brahma chicks arriving soon and we are building a coop. How much height under the coop do these large birds need to comfortably hang out there in the heat of summer? Can we get away with 18"? They will have a few more inches between the joists in this case. thanks!

Well, my Blue Partridge Brahma rooster is 24" tall or was the last time I measured him a couple of months ago. The hens are not quite that tall, but here is Bash. You can see he's a long drink of water.

 

[Jiffyrocks]

Wow! Bash is handsome!

 

[newmarch2014]

hi everyone. we have 7 dark brahma chicks arriving soon and we are building a coop. How much height under the coop do these large birds need to comfortably hang out there in the heat of summer? Can we get away with 18"? They will have a few more inches between the joists in this case. thanks!

North would not have fit under there and this was before he was done growing.....

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Do you want them to be able to walk around or just keep cool? Our coop Is approximately 8-12 inches from the ground and all the hens fit just fine when they want to cool off or lay eggs in unreachable places. So just depends on what your goal is.

 

[speckledhen]

Wow! Bash is handsome!

Thanks. He's a sweetheart, too.

Do you want them to be able to walk around or just keep cool? Our coop Is approximately 8-12 inches from the ground and all the hens fit just fine when they want to cool off or lay eggs in unreachable places. So just depends on what your goal is.

That is true. If he wants to get under there and lay with his ladies, he'd find a way to do that, even if he had to duck. The ladies would not have any trouble with 18", I'd say. It's the roosters who are super tall.

 

[greenkelp]

I would like them to have this space to hang out to be cool. Good to know 18" will be plenty of room for our ladies. We have crazy wind here in eastern ontario on Lake Ontario and i didn't want coop too tall. It would be hard to secure in our winds.

 

[greenkelp]

Hi speckledhen !
From pics in one of your previous posts, it looks like you have a similar number of brahmas as we will have (7 hens coming). We have started on a 6' x 7' coop that will be 7' high at the peak. They will be free range spring, summer, fall, and cooped for coldest parts of winter (Ontario). Any thoughts on our coop dimensions?

 

[speckledhen]

Hi speckledhen !
From pics in one of your previous posts, it looks like you have a similar number of brahmas as we will have (7 hens coming). We have started on a 6' x 7' coop that will be 7' high at the peak. They will be free range spring, summer, fall, and cooped for coldest parts of winter (Ontario). Any thoughts on our coop dimensions?

Currently, Bash and five girls are in a 5x8 pen inside our 20x24 barn that houses all our chickens. I was talking this a.m. to my husband about possibly switching the Brahma group with the Old Hens' group whose pen is slightly wider than theirs because I will be putting Bash's daughter, Cora, in with the group when she is old enough. The height is fine on your coop. And since you will have 7 hens, hatchery stock I assume, they should fit in there just fine as long as you don't take up a lot of floor space with nest boxes or other stuff.

I think your coop size is fine for that number. Just be sure to have some ventilation up high. Even in the coldest winter, they need off-gassing of moisture from their respiration and poop.