Barn/Coop with tunnel....Works

[tigerbarbd]

Well we are finally done. We think it came out O.K. There are a few things that we will "tweek", but all in all we like it. It is 12'x12' "coop" with a 12' tunnel to get to their 25'x35' free range pen, covered with plastic netting.

 

[jjthink]

Greetings!
Just curious - why the tunnel?
JJ

 

[lalaland]

I'm guessing so coons and other critters can't get into the coop! Looks great.

 

[Wildsky]

Quote:
you close the door for that, if the chickens can walk through the tunnel so can the critters.

Perhaps its to keep the chickens from going places they shouldn't be going?

 

[L0rraine]

My guess is to get the chickens to go to their designated spot.

 

[Zoomom]

Maybe they want to store stuff in the area where the tunnel is without it getting poopy.

 

[tigerbarbd]

Quote:
Good evening.....The tunnel is to get the Girls from their fenced and covered 25'x35' outside run. They come in from the outside through the small opening on the right, come down the tunnel and through a sliding door and into the "coop". I couldn't make a door right at their coop, because of the way I have "engineered" their outside run. At the out side end of the tunnel, there is a gate that will ,in one position, let them in the 25'x35' run on the Left.....Switch the gate the other way and they are on the 25'x35' run on the Right. Then we (they) can always have a fresh grass run, we will keep them in rotation to re-grow...............Thanks, Don P.S. Also,so they don't go where they are not supposed to go and nothing can get to them as they are free to go in and out all day! We close the sliding door at night to keep them safe!!!!

 

[gsim]

Great idea. I did a 2000 sq ft run so that I could always have grass for the chooks (24 large eggers). I am not sure it will work tho. I may have to cross fence internally and keep a place always in seed and coming in to grass for them to have grass all of the time. I won't be sure for a year. Wish my place had been laid out so that I could have two separate runs. I would have to take a lot of trees and brush out and do a serious grass seeding project to do that. So I opted for just one big pen. I think I need fewer chooks to really keep grass in there with little effort.

BTW, I am in W Knoxville, near county line.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

I would be interested to see pictures of the gate and runs. This is very interesting.

 

[The Sheriff]

We had to build a contraption like that except only 18 inches long to keep the little goats from going into the chicken yard through the pop hole and eating chicken food. Wethers can get urinary stones and die from eating grain. The goats could get their heads in but not lift their butts up to get in. It worked great and the chickens got used to it quickly. Then one day when they became little fat goats one of the stepped on it and crushed it so we took it down. They were too fat to fit through by that time!

Good ingenuity.