Running design ideas by you all - 8-10 chickens

[Coldd]

Greetings everybody,

I think this is my first post here. We're currently brooding out (4) Barred Rocks and (4) Jersey Giants. We live in Montana on about 2/3 of an acre. I have neighbors and would like to keep things presentable (working on a nice looking coop), hoping to avoid mud holes and bare ground as much as possible. There's a few threads right now that I'm seeing discuss this topic. I'd like to plant some fast growing edibles in paddocks and rotate them every week.

I'll be making five paddocks, roughly 10'x15' and moving them to a new pen every 7 days. It could be larger but this is outside of our fenced yard area and into our side lot. I think this works out to be roughly ~1000sqft per bird per year. Are there any recommendations for edible plants for chickens that do well in hot and dry climates? We do have some clover already in our yard, but I'm not sure how hot the neighbors would be on a plant like that being there? Also, is there any good looking, moveable poultry netting/electric fencing? We regularly have bears by us and some other large critters that we need to keep out.

The chicks are doing well so far. The Giants are mellow, the Rocks a bit less so. It's our first time trying this (I've wanted to for maybe 10 years but haven't done it till now.) and we're excited to maybe not buy many more eggs at the store and have some help breaking down our food waste.

All the best. Thanks.

 

[MadGardener]

Welcome!

I haven't been at this for long, but if you're hot and dry I'm not sure 5 rotations would allow enough recovery time. I'm in a very forgiving growing area (14.5 inches of rain and about 10 inches of snow so far this year). A 25x25 pen for my 10 hens got pretty bare after about 7-10 days. It took a few weeks and rain to recover.

I've been happy with Premier1 PoultryNet Plus. The closer poles really help, especially if you deal with any slopes. It's not very pretty, but they do offer the net in green so it stands out less.

My chickens have been loving my weedy lawn. Clover, chickweed, broadleaf plantain, sorrel, lambs quarters, dandelion and many more weeds are delicious and nutritious for you and your birds. They also enjoyed my garden cover crop of rye grass, Austrian peas and tillage radishes.

 

[Coldd]

Thanks for the reply. This spot is shaded under some trees, so hopefully it helps. I'll also be watering these areas too. I'd rather not confine them to just a single run, but I guess that's a possibility too. Thanks!

edit: What if they are moved every day or two into each pen? These pens will be watered regularly, so they won't really be pasture...more extension of the lawn. Any thoughts? I appreciate the input.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile it will always be right there to help people give you better-targeted advice.

Here are some basic numbers just so we're on the same page:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

A rotating pen system is one of those ideas that is absolutely fabulous in theory and much harder to achieve in practice. The trick will be to plant a forage mix that is nutritious, palatable, and suited to your conditions (get advice from your local Ag Extension), and them move your birds through before they've done to much damage to the roots.

Chickens don't just eat the vegetation, they dig up the roots as they scratch for bugs/seeds, excavate dust baths, etc. You can expect the areas nearest the coop to be permanently denuded.

Since you're in a harsh-winter climate you'll probably want to make your coop oversized in order to compensate for the fact that they won't go out in deep snow and you'll likewise probably want a covered run in addition to the rotating pens.

Ventilation is key both summer and winter. Chickens tolerate cold much better than they tolerate heat so summer airflow is critical to prevent them from cooking in their coop and winter airflow carries away the moisture that contributes to frostbite.

Since you get both cold winters and hot summers you might want to read both these articles:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Some people in that situation use removable panels to switch between hot-summer open airflow and cold-winter storm-wind protection.

 

[Iluveggers]

Welcome to BYC! Would love to see pics of your coop and the area you are setting up for them to roam! You are smart to think ahead!

 

[Coldd]

Thanks everybody for your replies. I was working on a coop design tonight (slanted roof, 6'x8') that opened into an 8x16' run with a 6' fence around it. I like the idea of the smaller elevated coops, but trying to stick to the sizing guidelines, it looks more like it should resemble a shed instead of a coop. I might just do 8x8 because of material sizing (plywood/OSB/siding comes 4'x8').

As much as I'd like to have them out in the run/paddocks, I wonder if they would hop the paddock fences? It is a bummer that material prices are going up, however it's still much cheaper than an equivalent wood shed bought from a manufacturer.

Best wishes. They are 9-12 days old now and messing up their waterer every few hours, eating more feed, and pooping everywhere. The brooder is roughly 3'x6'.

Best wishes.

 

[Coldd]

I hate to ask this but I seem to be in a time pinch. Work let me know that I've got my final apprenticeship assignment due in 6 weeks and hours are starting to ramp up for the jobs we have. I'll be having less time than originally anticipated for the coop build.

We have a lean-to built onto the side of a metal storage shed that would give us roughly 50 sq ft. It needs to be prepped (modified for venting and draft stopping, new floor, and cleaned out) before they move in, but they would still get their run. I'll attach a photo. The lot behind the fence is mostly ours too, hoping to expand into it maybe next year? My concerns: It's obvious that mice frequent or once frequented the structure. Probably drafty and no ventilation (yet). I don't really like that small engine machines were/are stored in the coop area (gas/oil leaks that dribbled into the ground). We deal a lot with chemical and dust exposure on the job and it's made me really think about what I run into on a daily basis.

Let me know what you think of this. Also, any thoughts on chemical leaching from pressure treated wood fence posts? CCA I think it is.

Thanks. Two(ish) weeks till move out.

 

[3KillerBs]

Let me know what you think of this. Also, any thoughts on chemical leaching from pressure treated wood fence posts? CCA I think it is.

Hmm. It could be useable, given good ventilation and a good clean-out.

How old is the treated fence? It's been a long time since CCA wood was in common use.

 

[Coldd]

I can't say for sure when the fencing was built, but it looks older. They are selling fence posts at Murdochs/TSC and some seem to be treated with CCA.

https://www.murdochs.com/products/l.../universal-forest-products-pointed-wood-post/

The idea was to box in the run using the existing fence posts. Maybe it's old enough that everything leached out? Or it's all just a non-issue.

Also, I planned on the coop having the windows face the south, along with the tall side of the coop (slant roof). Is this good or bad?

Thanks

 

[3KillerBs]

Also, I planned on the coop having the windows face the south, along with the tall side of the coop (slant roof). Is this good or bad?

That depends on which direction your storms come from and whether winter cold or summer heat is the bigger issue.

I don't know your weather patterns, but turning the coop's back to the worst of the storm winds is usually the best practice. The great benefit of using top-hinged windows is that you can have storm protection and excellent ventilation at the same time.