Alaska Chicken Lover's Soup for the Cold!!

[MrsDeb]

Then split the coop in half, one door out each side with a pen on either side and Walla! You can raise two different breeds and have your layers in with the two roosters you keep! lol....

 

[Alaska animal lover]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
Oh, you are good, hitting me in the PM box and in the thread. I do want some of those dark brown eggs...
What?! No, I can't believe I just said that!

Are you going to be in the Sterling area any time soon?

Tori, I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth fighting Deb.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

I could maybe fit two more in. Once I got rid of a roo, that would leave me with 22. Doesn't that sound like alot? In a 8x8 coop?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Depends on the size of the yard attached... I have had upwards of 75 birds in the pen. I'm back down to a manageable 40 now. As long as they all have enough roost space, you're golden.

 

[Ban seabhag]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
Oh, you are good, hitting me in the PM box and in the thread. I do want some of those dark brown eggs...
What?! No, I can't believe I just said that!

Are you going to be in the Sterling area any time soon?

Next year I want some too. NEXT year!

 

[MrsDeb]

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

 

[Ban seabhag]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:
Let me help you out, here... you saw my layer pen, and how many birds were out there? That coop is 8x8'. Think about it... more bodies = more heat = less electricity in the winter.

I didn't have to do anything more than a heated water base out there last winter...

This is the most awesome argument for a few more in the coop! I am doing it (by the end of summer I will have 2 coops and that's it I hope!) I always thought the yard space was a part of living space (they have a fair amount of it) and since these are out free ranging about 4 hours every day also it should be good for 20 maybe at most? (mine is a little over 8x5)...​

 

[Alaska animal lover]

We're going to drop the celing in the coop about two feet. It's an 8ft. celing right now, and a pain to heat. We built it so it could be a shed in case the "chicken thing doesn't work out" in my hubbys words. Its fully insulated, but we kept the celings high.
I just went out and measured the new run. It's biggest section is 18x30, and there are two 5x8 areas on either side of the coop. It's all one run, so that would give them...620sq ft of yard. 28 sq ft per bird at 22 birds.

 

[Ban seabhag]

That sounds pretty nice actually... If your birds are happy, that's the main thing. I really believe they will let you know if there is a complaint.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

BTW... I have a rose comb RIR rooster growing out, and he is choice #1 to put in with my Barred Rocks for the black sexlinks... Rose comb black sexlinks... think of the possibilities.

That's so cool!​