I use the standard ratios of 4 sq. ft. inside and 10 sq. ft. outside for each large fowl bird. ( 1/2 all measurements or bantams) They have served us well and we don't have issues with feather picking. Plus, no stress markers I can find if the birds need to be cooped 24/7 during foul weather, even for weeks at a time in the winter. A 3x4 coop works well for a trio and gives the cock enough room to turn around without ratting his tail feathers. I think for a pair I would use 3x3 for the same reason. With a nest box attached to the side to make it easier for me to check it. If one orients the coop so the 4 ft. side is mated to the yard, that's an easier math to work with when cutting wood and wire. Plus the yard doesn't need to be as long. A 7 or 8 ft. attached yard will suffice for a trio. I also make my yard sides vertical, not a tepee, for the sake of the cock's tail feathers.
Your set up must work well--The hatching eggs I got from your hatched very nicely!Ditto, I would love to see photos of other breeders set up.
Here a photo of my breeding pens. Initially the coops were built to be mobile but got too heavy so if you are looking for fixed position coops these work well.
They coops are 4 X 8 divided into 2 so each interior space is 4X4 with and attached nest box. . The 4X 8 works well economically since it is the size of a sheet of plywood. I used new plywood for the floor and dismantled old garage doors for the sides. Any garage door company would love to give you doors. Mine were even delivered for free since the company would rather give them away than pay to dump them.
The runs are 8' X 16' X 8'. They are way too tall. I should have gone 6'. I buy the stucco wire instead of poultry wire cuz it is sooo much cheaper. Yes it is galvanized. A 150' X 3' roll cost $50 at Home Depot for the light weight stuff and $65 for the heavy weight. I prefer the heavy weight. If you have weasels you may want to use hardware cloth as weasels can fit through the holes of the heavy weight stuff. The 6' height would have saved me a strain of wire.
The runs are currently covered in shade cloth. I am planning on replacing the shade cloth and installing a corrugated metal roof when the budget allows. The shade cloth was a mistake. It cost $500 and only lasted a year before starting to tear. I doubt it will last through the winter.
For those of you looking for mobile coops, you could easily make cut these in half and have smaller runs.
Conditioning cages for bantams. (above)
4'x4' male cages (pic above)
16X8' growing pen with conditioning cages on walls
16X8'
row of 8'X8'X4 pens
Large conditioning barn
Inside of gray barn showing the 4X8X8 cages
All of these can be opened up to free range within fenced area's.
Walt
