I have an 8 by 8 coop where I house my 11 hens & 1 roo. It is a great coop, built by DH 15 years ago when I wanted chickens! He has become less interested in my projects as the years have gone by & I really want more chickens! I am waiting to find another dog kennel for a day ranging pen only, for my present flock. In the meantime they get greens and some seed everyday and garden refuse etc. I am sprouting seeds this winter for them. I have decided with the cost of feed and the fact that 11 hens give us plenty of eggs, that I would like to get a couple bantams in the spring, just to get something different. We have a galvanized swingset frame in the woods from our kids (Perfect a-frame). It is in good shape and measures 6 1/2 by 13 ft. at the bottom. I am planning to build a coop on the one half about 2 ft off the ground. This will make the floor space about 5 1/2 by 6 1/2 feet. I want to cover the rest and with this design the chicks will have the whole frame area as their foraging area(including part under the coop). I figure this will be enough for 4-6 bantams. I will use T-111 board to cover the coop after screwing framing to the metal. I still have to figure out wheels to make it mobile & how to make the doors for collecting egss and cleaning it out. Have thought about using the plastic mesh livestock flooring for the floor and just covering it in winter(will make it lighter than plywood). I've seen this stuff in Farmtek catalogs. I love the a-frame designs I've seen on here. Anyone ever used a swingset? I am leaning towards Wyandotte bantams, anyone know a good place to get these? I know I will have to buy more than I will keep, so plan to sell the rest after they are grown alittle. Any pointers would be appreciated. Thanks.
