Encouraging exercise & sanitation (Getting 'em off the ground) = cotes

[MuckyPuppy]

Hmmmmmm, I was leaning towards deep litter for the floor of my semi-open air coop/run but now I don't know, maybe sand. I was also thinking of a poop board sprinkled with bokashi but now it maybe better with a hammock. I do plan on having a clear solid roof over the entire area and so rain won't be a problem. We kept the logs from some trees we felled when they died so that should help keep things interesting for them.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
Has anyone here tried building a "Monitor coop"? I'd been reading Dryden, reconnected with a former Si Valley co-worker, Robert Plamondon, and bought his Norton Creek Press reprint of Prince T. Woods' book, "Fresh-Air Poultry Houses." He has a range of designs, some quite small, that allow considerable ventilation while keeping the fowl warm.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I live in a suburb and have an Eglu to keep the city "Design Review Commission" off my back. The run is on a raised bed of topsoil that I rake out; the hut is washed twice weekly and has been lined with newspaper, which I just pull out. I'd like to do things differently; but that Dibble Design Review Committee would likely make me build a Mediterranean style stucco walled chicken coop if I built one from scratch.

I put two expansion sections on the run to provide more space, but it is still very horizontal.

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
Has anyone here tried building a "Monitor coop"? I'd been reading Dryden, reconnected with a former Si Valley co-worker, Robert Plamondon, and bought his Norton Creek Press reprint of Prince T. Woods' book, "Fresh-Air Poultry Houses." He has a range of designs, some quite small, that allow considerable ventilation while keeping the fowl warm.

Can you post pictures?

 

[The Yakima Kid]

I can give a reference to Robert's website, which has pictures here:

http://www.nortoncreekpress.com/fresh_air_poultry_houses.html

 

[KopyKat]

As long as we are giving links to sources in the early 1900's, here is one that is an excellent read. It has about 53 issues if you can find them all. Below is the link to Issues 1-9 that gives research done on poultry housing and construction plans. These are available free on Google Books.

General course in poultry husbandry, Issues 1-9 (Google eBook) Published in 1922. The first issues in this course are covering the subject of housing.

Links to the other issues are on Google Books as well.

http://books.google.com/books?id=BK...CLC46343822&lr&source=gbs_book_other_versions

The course of 53 issues (also referred to as volumes) has lessons and covers all aspects of poultry housing, feeding and care.

 

[off-grid hen]

Quote:
I have one. We (mostly hubby and his buddy- I was the helper monkey) built a woods style coop on a bri mar trailer with 2 fold -down ramps. It is 6.5' x 16'. Deep enough (as Patandchickens recommended WAY earlier in this thread) so that the drafts don't reach the back of the house when the monitor windows are closed. I will not vouch for this thing in the winter yet, as I just got my first chicks in April. It gets much colder here and more frequently than where JackE lives (I had seen the woods style coops before, but wasn't really sure til I read that thread) . However, I feel very confident about it performing well in the winter, or I wouldn't have harassed hubby to build it.

Here is the thread to show my coop. It has since been finished, I really need to take more photos. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=499098

JackE's thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=445004&p=1

 

[Yashar]

Quote:
I have his book. I really like his points on the Fresh-Air Houses. Like Resolution was saying, and Woods labours the point: Fresh air is vital for life.
I think I'm starting to get it, it not the cold that will do most of the harm, but the draft caused by the difference it temperature. It's a pretty convincing piece of literature.

 

[perchie.girl]

Here is a half monitor here on BYC....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=79197-half-monitor-chicken-coop

 

[Yashar]

I'm really happy at all the great responses and input that this tread has received so far.

I wanted to post some pictures of our small barn we converted to a hen house.

This is a shot i spliced together from 4 pictures. The front entrance is just to the right of the cabinet(bottom)/brooder(middle)/roost(top).
The rear entrance is the back left. It has a small door on the bottom and a plexi-glass window on the top.

All of our structures and aviaries use leaves as bedding.

This is the corner where I took the previous picture.
You can see the ladder leading up to the hayloft where there is plenty of roosting space. To the left is the feeders one atop the other. The water is below on a crate.

I'll have to take a picture of the new front doors. We replaced them with sturdy screen doors make from vinyl coated chicken wire.

This area is being used as a brooder for the time being.

But the middle partition can be removed to make a spacious breeding area in the spring.

I'll take some pictures of the loft also and post.