We are planning a bantam coop. It will be attached to a run ... Our run can be pretty big ... but might be pretty seasonal.
Right now we are planning to put our m/f Sebright pair in it along with four other bantams: a tiny D'Ucle female about the size of the female Sebright, a larger white Cochin male which is a sturdy square bird but short, and another m/f pair that is probably Brahama and definitely larger than the Sebrghts ... I personally think a 1:1 ratio of males and females is a little risky so I anticipate we may want to get more female bantams ... and these pairs are all in separate cages now so who knows how they'll get along ... The Sebright roo is feisty!
We are curious about measurements for bantams. How high should the coop be off the ground to allow them to be comfortable underneath? How high should the roosts be for bantams? Nesting boxes for bantams. If our run is seasonal and not used much during our long wet fall/winter/spring months, then how much space per bird "inside?"
We have already set one dimension of 3.5' across ... We are thinking maybe 6.5' long ... The enclosed part of the coop up off the ground on a "table," so above an open air area below of the same size that could be closed in during awful weather but would be upen air as much as possible. Perches upstairs, food and water below. Nesting boxes off the side of the upstairs area.
So if we do two "floors" of 3.5' x 6.5' ... Is that enough for 6 bantams? For more when the bantam math strikes?
And, again, how much headroom do bantams need?
I apologize if there is already a great thread or resource here to answer these questions, but I'm confined to iPhone for a bit, and navigating the forum is a PITA on this thing ... I'd happily accept a link as an answer.
Thanks in advance for the help!!!
Right now we are planning to put our m/f Sebright pair in it along with four other bantams: a tiny D'Ucle female about the size of the female Sebright, a larger white Cochin male which is a sturdy square bird but short, and another m/f pair that is probably Brahama and definitely larger than the Sebrghts ... I personally think a 1:1 ratio of males and females is a little risky so I anticipate we may want to get more female bantams ... and these pairs are all in separate cages now so who knows how they'll get along ... The Sebright roo is feisty!
We are curious about measurements for bantams. How high should the coop be off the ground to allow them to be comfortable underneath? How high should the roosts be for bantams? Nesting boxes for bantams. If our run is seasonal and not used much during our long wet fall/winter/spring months, then how much space per bird "inside?"
We have already set one dimension of 3.5' across ... We are thinking maybe 6.5' long ... The enclosed part of the coop up off the ground on a "table," so above an open air area below of the same size that could be closed in during awful weather but would be upen air as much as possible. Perches upstairs, food and water below. Nesting boxes off the side of the upstairs area.
So if we do two "floors" of 3.5' x 6.5' ... Is that enough for 6 bantams? For more when the bantam math strikes?
And, again, how much headroom do bantams need?
I apologize if there is already a great thread or resource here to answer these questions, but I'm confined to iPhone for a bit, and navigating the forum is a PITA on this thing ... I'd happily accept a link as an answer.
Thanks in advance for the help!!!