Coop Conundrum HELP (Long, sorry!)

[Rare Feathers Farm]

What would you do?? My plans have been dashed for my “chicken village.”

Originally, I was going to build a few (like four or so) 4 x 4’ mini coops to house my trios of bantams, back on the east side of the house. However, hubby shot that idea down. He pointed out that we have no water or electricity to that side of the house & it would be kind of close quarters to the house. And it would be harder for Cash to guard the flock, if they are on opposite sides of the property. Sighs….and then he said that he doesn’t “mind” me having more chickens, but no more coops! AAHHHH! Right now, I have ONE coop. It’s an 8 x 8’ with two huge runs. It’s divided down the middle inside, as well as out in the runs. Currently, the ducks are on one side (but locked out of the coop) and my chicks (the older ones) and ducklings are on the other, with my very small flock of adult birds which I just got back on Sunday….the youngest birds are being brooded on the duck’s side of the coop, locked in with two heat lamps of varying height..

The ducks, we’re building a shelter for. We’re not sure where but it will be down near the coop. It probably won’t even have a run, but it will just be a shelter which we can lock them in at night with roosts & some nest boxes….

So here’s my issue….hubby doesn’t want a bunch of mini coops everywhere because he says it will look like a “white trash chicken compound.” LOL Maybe so…but how else can I keep all of my breeds separate AND in the same general area of our property, without a bunch of mini coops?

Or would there be a way to make them more eye-pleasing?

Also, I've seen coop designs where there are shelving type units within a larger structure, with a series of ramps which go out to a single run & the birds have alternate "turn-out" time....so that's a possibility as well...like I said, I have a lot of vertical space within my coop...it's like 8' tall in there...

My only other solution was to add onto the existing coop….it’s very slant-roofed so we could just do a mirror-image coop on the other side & then do runs in a semi-circle (sort of pin-wheeling out from the main coop). Which would make my coop 16 x 16’.

The breeds I have either in the ‘bator, adults/chicks and eggs on the way are:

1. Light brahmas (standards)
1. Golden Laced cochins (standards)
2. Sultans (bantams)
3. Porcelain d’Uccles
4. Mottled Houdans
5. Sumatras (standards)
6. Salmon Faverolles (standards)
7. Salmon Faverolles (bantams)
8. Lemon Blue Splash Cochins

Muscovies and turkeys!

Which I still have Buff Orpingtons (three chicks) & Cream Brabanters (two eggs in the ‘bator)

So I basically either have to house all of the banties together (which I’ll probably do for the winter, anyway) and all of the standards together—OR do the mini coops OR add on to the existing coop…I do have a lot of vertical space in the coop, as well…but I’m just not sure what to do…hubby would be most pleased if I could “prove” I was making money on these birds. He is VERY frugal & sees them as nothing but money pits. I was just beginning to make money on the eggs when I lost my flock.

Any ideas???

 

[hcammack]

Start collecting "junk" wood and material and then start slowly buying nails and then when you have slowly collected enough (it shouldn't take to long) you can build yourself a bunch of mini coops.

as long as you have a nice schedual the verticle inside space and alternate turnout times may work but you would have to have allot of space and quite a bit of time. It also depends on how many of each breed you will have hatching.

Good Luck crazy bird lady

Henry

 

[dangerouschicken]

May I suggest you need a subtitle change to Mini Cooper?

As it stands right now, we have to build two more coops and runs, as well, and with a lot of property around, we still don't have much room. The thing is, more coops was my husband's idea

I think you should just do what you want. Build them yourself. If you are taking care of them, what does it matter? I mean, I don't want to wreck your marriage, but he has to understand YOU ARE ADDICTED!

This is from one poultry addict to another.

 

[patandchickens]

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This would, far and away, give you the most scope and flexibility, and crowd the chickens the least, as long as you and your husband are ok for the expense and work.

OTOH the banties, at least, would seem like a logical candidate for housing in a 'second floor' around the walls inside the main coop. In fact if you did not mind having them on wire you could almost give each banty pen its own (small) outdoor 'sunporch' within the main run, by building a porch-roof-like second story with small wire-floored pens, and put slightly sloped plywood or corrugated plastic roofing under it to keep the poo from falling on the big chickens in the big run. If that makes any sense.

Dunno. Good luck,

Pat, mulling over this sort of thing on a MUCH smaller scale so's to keep 3 breeds or so separate

 

[hcammack]

I have a cool example of some minicoops that I think don't look to bad at all if ZuniBee does not mind me posting a link to his website here it is http://www.zunibeefarms.com/our-coops.htm

Good Luck with your crazy breeding flocks it will be so pretty when you have all those breeds favorolles are my favorites.

Henry

 

[GallowayFarms]

Ok here is my idea. Why don't you make your coop two stories? I could draw you up some simple plans, but here goes a verbal explanation.

If your door is in the middle of the 8' wall. Then measure 2 1/2 feet from each wall and build a 4 foot wall, that leaves you 3 feet in the middle to walk and turn around in. On the 4 foot wall put down some plywood or showerboard depending on your budget, to build your 2nd floor of nesting boxes on.

That will give you 4 2.5x8 indoor areas. If you build to ramps out the back you can have two runs behind the coop plus the two runs to the sides.

Bc it doesn't sound like you have tons of chickens atm so then indoor space needed isn't that much. Then i would def build an area for the ducks. they tend to get messy.

Good Luck

Nick

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Well, at first hubby's excuse was the cost of building lots of little coops or adding onto the existing coop. Then I discovered freecycle.org and now it's space. LOL Although adding onto the coop AND doing the vertical banty runs would be my idea! LOL

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Thanks!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

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[Rare Feathers Farm]

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Yes, I AM addicted.

And it's not like we don't have 10 acres & 120 leased acres. However, the way our coop was built, it's not impossible to add on to, but it can only really expand in two directions and not very far in one direction...this is due to the new round pen we built the coop next to & the future arena is going to be built behind the coop...

Unless, we expanded it eastward & made it a double coop? Hmmm.....