Newbie here
We have recently become proud owners of a 30'x16' coop on our nearby farm. We have completely cleaned out and gutted the coop. Since we have a clean slate to start with, I have so many questions as you can imagine! We are planning on raising meat chickens initially. Once we get the hang of it, we will incorporate layers as well. Thinking of starting with 25 chickens for the first time. Is that a good start? Here are some of the basic features of the coop:
It has 2 people size doors (you could host a small party in there...lol!)
The coop has a cement floor (which I think is a good thing?).
It has two ventilation vents, and a few openings in some of the siding that need patched up (but maybe we can use the existing holes for a pop door?nests?)
It has 2 dropping pits that we have removed. They could still be used, but not sure what is the best option.
Electric exists, but needs a bit of work.
I guess my biggest concern is that we want to do this right from the beginning. We want to make cleaning a simple and easy task (I have a 15 month old, and am due in March with our second
). Should we add removable drawers under the dropping pits for easy cleaning? What is the best location for the pop door? If they have a nice covered run, can the pop door be open all the time? What is the best location for the roosts? Since it's such a large coop, how many do we need? Best location for nests? Should we partician the coop in to two areas? OMG it is never ending!!! HELP!
I will try to get pictures today and will post them.
We have recently become proud owners of a 30'x16' coop on our nearby farm. We have completely cleaned out and gutted the coop. Since we have a clean slate to start with, I have so many questions as you can imagine! We are planning on raising meat chickens initially. Once we get the hang of it, we will incorporate layers as well. Thinking of starting with 25 chickens for the first time. Is that a good start? Here are some of the basic features of the coop:It has 2 people size doors (you could host a small party in there...lol!)
The coop has a cement floor (which I think is a good thing?).
It has two ventilation vents, and a few openings in some of the siding that need patched up (but maybe we can use the existing holes for a pop door?nests?)
It has 2 dropping pits that we have removed. They could still be used, but not sure what is the best option.
Electric exists, but needs a bit of work.
I guess my biggest concern is that we want to do this right from the beginning. We want to make cleaning a simple and easy task (I have a 15 month old, and am due in March with our second
I will try to get pictures today and will post them.
