Consolidated Kansas

[Prairie Fleur]

Happy New Year, everyone!!!!

Does anyone on here have BBS Ameraucanas? I'd like to get a trio or quartet this coming spring and am wondering if anyone will have breeding quality birds available in a couple months?

 

[cherwill]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Trish.

 

[Trish44]

Prairie sending you a PM.

 

[MsDebD]

Here is a link to picture of the new bought version of what we can get used and slightly damaged. It looks like the owners put the wheels on the back so it can be moved. The front is damaged where the handle or tongue would be. I think it was backed in to and will need a couple of simple board replacements. The roof also has a small bad spot over the run area that even my husband said he felt like he could fix with no problem, and he's not very confident in his carpentry abilities. So the question is....how many chickens would it hold? Note to Orscheln: "Several" is not a number! (We can easily make a bigger run and will free range in the afternoon/evenings when we are home. But if we get this the actual coop would have to do for our first year.)

http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/Ors...cken-coop?&query=chicken+coop&hits=12&offset=

 

[chicken danz]

Don't waste your money. That is exactly what my friend bought and it's total light weight trash. They paid $100 for theirs in excellent condition and still say it was the worst investment they ever made. You might have room for 3 hens at most. And any kind of predator can easily get in there. They had to stake theirs down to keep it from blowing across the yard in the wind. And then a coon tore in and killed their birds. The wood is thinner than lathe. If you can get it for free you might be able to use it for a pattern to build a building with stronger material but I honestly wouldn't do it. Hate to sound so negative but they just aren't practical at all.
Have you considered a hoop coop? They are easy to build, don't cost that much and can be made in various sizes. I have three of them. Two are more elaborate and have a regular coop built to fit the inside with a floor and all. The third is just a basic hoop coop with an earth floor. It doesn't take rocket science to build one. If you can cut wood and run a drill for a screw driver you can build one. There's a couple different ways to build them but the principle is simple.

 

[MsDebD]

Thank you danz. That's what I was afraid of but thought some professional input would be best. Since I've already talked hubby in to it, now I need backup to convince him I was wrong. (He's not used to me admitting that. It might frighten him. LOL!) I did look at someone's hoop coop plans and it looks like something we can do. I'm going to message you if I can figure out how.

 

[Ralph Moyer]

I agree with Danz. I do have a used one of that style of coop, but I only use for a pair of Silkies to hatch out chicks. As for the term "several", it means any number after a couple.

 

[Trish44]

MSDeb I agree with danz that coop is not worth what you would pay for it. Those things are made very cheaply & they're way too expensive for what they are. I have 4 hoop coops myself & have birds in there year round. I don't build coops inside of mine like danz does, she gets fancy. I do put a large tarp over the top & put plastic on the north sides for winter to help stop the wind. I have had some of mine for 3 years & they hold up great & aren't expensive to build. If you can find used cattle panels it's even cheaper. I have plans I can send you if you want. I built the first one I built by myself so even if you're not a carpenter you can do it. By the time I got to the others I had a little help at least to turn them over but most of it I did by myself on those too.

Boy I'm sure not looking forward to the weather coming in tonight, ugh I just hate it.

 

[MsDebD]

Excited about hoop coops! Excited about chickens! NOT excited about the weather coming either, especially when I have kids and grandkids who will be traveling this weekend.
I love the community and support here but I do have to say that the advice on "check out the breeds of chickens and decide what you want" is a bit unrealistic. So far I've looked at all the breeds suggested for this area and I like them all. I've yet to read an article where anyone says "Oh, you don't want to get these chickens. They're awful." Does not help with the narrowing down. If anything, I now want some of each.
Next question (you are going to get so tired of me). Do I want duel purpose chickens if I'm not going to get a rooster and hatch baby chicks? I had originally though the plan would be to eat them when they slow down on egg production and add more young ones. But someone told me they are usually tough by the time they slow down or stop laying.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I like the " easily connect additional pens for a larger living space (sold separately)" Nice touch!

You might be able to 'beef' it up a bit, but as Chicken Danz said, you can only comfortablely hold 3 to 5 standard birds in there, and 5 is pushing it.
What about finding an old storage shed, even if it needs repairs it would most likely be made of real wood at least. Not sure about your area, but where we are there are TONS of old buildings, that if you find the owners, are usually open to getting stuff off of their property! Repurposing can definitely bring down the cost of a big and safe coop!