Great tip for When building your own coop- Make a Separation cage built into the coop!

[tigger19687]

So when you are designing and building your own coop make a section where you can separate a hen if/when needed.
Make it so you can clean it easily and disinfect it too.
Maybe you need to have it for a Broody hen..... bringing out chicks you hatched inside...... even a Time Out Room

But if you need to watch a chicken or separate them then it is there and you don't have to be crazy trying to find a cage or something.

Make it big enough so you can use it for broody hen and her chicks, a groove on the sides so you can slid in a "wall" either solid or wire encased in a wooden frame. Maybe even have it on hinges so it can be flipped up when not in use.


Someone on here had made one bumped out into the 'Human side' of the coop or the storage section. I can't remember who it was but it's Brilliant !

Why is it Brilliant................ because when you desperately NEED it, it is there !

For me, first time I'm needing it right NOW, I used the 1.5' deep x 7' long wired partition entry "Human side" so she could still see her friends and not feel so lonely.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I wanted to do this with my coop but we were building onto an existing coop and it just wasn't practical. I have an old prefab coop I use instead and that works well. About the only thing they're good for haha

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah I recycled my old prefab into an isolation cage/broody breaker/brooder as well. If costs were lower/the coop was bigger, it would've been nice to have something like that built inside the coop instead, since it'd be easier to keep dry, but for now the old prefab works just fine.

 

[aart]

So when you are designing and building your own coop make a section where you can separate a hen if/when needed.

Yes!
I did this with a temporary wall design and a permanent people door.
Later added a separate run and pop door.

 

[tigger19687]

Oh, and if you make it from an existing section like me .. BLOCK OFF the very top opening (5 feet off the ground) and only a foot open...darn hen jumped up there and got to the rest of the hens.
At least she didn't make a beeline for the feed and I was there !