four in one coop.... please help with ideas

[dolfi]

I have 6 hens of 5 different breeds. They all lay slightly different looking eggs so I know who is laying. Their eggs differ both in size and color. In fact, I intentionally chose a single hen from each breed specifically so it'd be easy to know who was laying. If I had 6 birds all of the same breed and got 4 eggs I'd never know who wasn't laying.

When it came time to set eggs for hatching I just chose the eggs I wanted, e.g. I discarded eggs from a hen I didn't like and loaded in extra eggs from the hens I did like.

The problem here is with the rooster. I have one rooster and I don't care that the offspring will be cross-breeds. If you were trying to breed true then you'd need to isolate each rooster/hen breeding pair.

As for how they get along, they don't care about breed. I don't think they even "see" differences in color/size. My rooster, a Barred Rock, favors a New Hampshire Red and ignores the Silver-Laced Wyandotte, even though the SLW looks more like him.

lol sounds like you know your chickens

Well here goes my first post... I've been perusing the forums getting ideas for my chicken coop design and have actually started building one... I'm by NO means a carpenter just started doing a lot of things with pallets and thought what a great way to save money on supplies to build a coop and when I mess up....and I always do...it doesn't hurt as much to put in the whoops pile for another project! I saw your post and thought I could tag along for suggestions on my coop ideas...

So right now I have the base of my coop using mostly pallets - found 4x4 posts that were 48" long, cut them in half then put a pallet on top of that for my base. I had some 2x4x8's on hand for a sun screen project I have in my head... took two of those and ran down the sides, 84" long (pallet 44" plus nests/roosts on each side 20"). Starting to work on walls today, laid them out last night then I saw something about having two separate runs or dividing the coop. I am only planning on maybe 4 hens...(I know, coop is probably overkill but just time and few 2/4's at this point). Uh...and I haven't decided what kind of chickens to get or if I should start with baby chicks...?

And I hope I did not post this in the wrong place...forgive me if I did. I'll post pics of what i have...trust me when I say I'm not a carpenter... and I'm a visual person so I have to see it....which would explain why sometimes I start something and then realize...whoops! that won't work!

Oh and this is where I got my inspiration for my coop design...

Thanks for any help! I have sooooo much to learn!!

wao thats made out of pallets... great job. maybe some thing like that but bigger and divided would do the trick.

Different breeds usually can get along. If you are not looking to breed them then one large coop or even just a combined run might work. Since I go for interesting color I have eight bird and seven different breeds. Sometimes if a bird is very different from the rest (bantam in large fowl, white in dark colors, crest or boots with non crested or booted) they may get picked on. I have found that a different bird is usually not picked on if it is either not the only one with a unique feature or if it's flock mates are used to the feature it can be added to another flock and do fairly well. I have a friend that has a coop divided into five sections in one large house. The middle is the main entrance and the sections are divided using chicken wire and a door into each of chicken wire on a wood frame. Each section has separate nesting boxes, perches, food and water, and opens into the outside run. The outside run has fencing with gates separating sections. During breeding season he keeps the pens closed off but otherwise all the doors and gates are open to let the birds mingle. He can also close off a door to the outside run and an inside door to make a space for a broody hen or for new chicks.

maybe i'm just over reacting. I am new to this chicken stuff and have taken the hobby very serious. lmaf

I don't care about pure breeds. If at some point I want to have chicks I will lock the ones I want to up in a dog kennel

thats where i have them till i can build their coop.

 

[QuirkySue]

You could always have four little pens out of Craigslist finds. I told my hubby if we don't build something soon for breeding I'm going to use the trampoline as a tractor and old work van out back as a coop with a run out the back doors... or get a few XL dog houses like photos I've seen on Pinterest!

I have 11 layers and they're all different other than two reds, and they get along fine because they're all female and basically the same size. The one that gets picked on a bit has feathered feet so its different.

 

[dolfi]

well husband hasnt helped so i draged my metal side and made a cage divided in two. and in the middle i made a cage for the little ones. the palets i put them up side to hold like a table my little ones cage. will work for now but i want to add the coops so they can lay their eggs.

 

[dolfi]

In the process of making my 4 way coop. Cant wait

 

[dolfi]

Doing good. Soon will have chickens all over this coop.

 

[chiknhurder]

I have a dozen chickens and a rooster that represent 4 different breeds and they all get along together. I have both black and blue French Copper Marans, I have both black and buff Orpingtons, I have Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks and no problems. My plan this summer is to divide my 100 foot by 40 foot pen in half and raise Marans on one end and have my layers on the others. If it weren't for trying to get purebred birds, I wouldn't separate them at all. I do separate new birds by placing them under my coop in an area where they can see and interact with the others but not get to them. It's great for quarantining birds or for broody hens.

 

[dolfi]

I have a dozen chickens and a rooster that represent 4 different breeds and they all get along together.  I have both black and blue French Copper Marans, I have both black and buff Orpingtons, I have Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks and no problems.  My plan this summer is to divide my 100 foot by 40 foot pen in half and raise Marans on one end and have my layers on the others.  If it weren't for trying to get purebred birds, I wouldn't separate them at all.  I do separate new birds by placing them under my coop in an area where they can see and interact with the others but not get to them.  It's great for quarantining birds or for broody hens.

Yes I have learned that they do get along. Yet the thing is that I have mutt that are my excellent layers and polish chickens. Those I have to separate.

 

[dolfi]

Nice. It works great.