Helpful hints for building coops

[jvls1942]

Here near Portland or Lakeside? Just down the road from the new place in Lakeside is a goat farm so I have to wonder if it's them?

it wouldn't hurt to check. see if they have a large white dog.
If I can trust my memory, the house sets sort of uphill.. I will search for pictures.
maybe can find an address, too.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Nice! Can I ask if those are for pet rabbits or meat rabbits? We haven't decided on broiler chickens or rabbits yet so I'm still looking at logistics.

I have only small pet rabbits, lionheads, mini rex, and Holland Lop.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Hi! New Boots says you are wonderful, so you must be. You also inspire her because you're about my age, she says, and I just turned 72. So that's who I am. I was hesitant to post this, as I'm afraid it might come off as critical, which I am not intending it to be. At all! But I'm going to be the one raising and tending to the rabbits we plan to keep after we get our land and move. I plan to get a buck and 2 does or 3 does and breed them a couple times a year for meat.
Looking at your current picture of the rabbit hutches you are building, I thought "But aren't those too small for a rabbit to live its whole life in? Like putting chickens in a coop or run that's not big enough for them? I mean...I want animals that have a good life. Or are those just 'grow out' cages for the babies you are going to kill? Since I'm the one who is going to build our rabbit hutches, I am keenly interested in how much space will be needed to be kind to our 'eating' animals.
Thank you very much!

I built this cage for bucks of small breeds, they weigh less than 5 pounds. I generally divide this size cage in half instead of thirds for does, since they have babies. So the girls get 30"x 3.5'.
This cage provides more space than the stacking wire cages, 30"×28". I do plan to attach runs to them, but right now i am trying to get the rabbits out of the barn. Hoping to get goats when i get the fence up.
I am always open to discussion. At 62 i still enjoy building for my animals!

 

[LuckyCluckyCA]

Make the run door open out rather than in, and if you are in a snow area make sure you have the bottom of the door higher than ground level so that you are not cussing ice that may build up in front. Poop boards are a must as are large doors for cleaning.
View attachment 1105098

 

[jvls1942]

If you are building a coop with a people door in snow country, make that door swing in.. also make it so that the bottom of the door is swinging at least 5 inches above the floor. then you are not plowing the litter on the floor.
make this door wide enough for a full sized wheel barrow to go through..

 

[NewBoots]

Well it looks like we won't be getting the acre lot. Nearly all of it is likely considered wetland and so can't have anything at all done with it. So we'll probably have to settle for 65x135 (more or less) lot. If we could afford two lots it would be better but that's out of reach I'm afraid.

Not sure what we'll do now.

 

[aart]

Well it looks like we won't be getting the acre lot. Nearly all of it is likely considered wetland and so can't have anything at all done with it. So we'll probably have to settle for 65x135 (more or less) lot. If we could afford two lots it would be better but that's out of reach I'm afraid.

Not sure what we'll do now.

Better not to buy a swamp

 

[jvls1942]

Keep on looking for land, something always comes along. just be ready to pounce ..
7 inches of snow. we were 30 miles from home when it began to snow. for the last 8 miles we went 15 MPH. windshield wipers kept icing up..
my eye exam went well, will be getting new glasses in about 3 weeks.. from the VA
they think by putting prisms in the lenses they can fix my split vision.. I have not been driving for the past few months..
I did not attempt to plow the driveway with the tractor. It is all glare ice under the snow. I would have to put chains on. that is one option that I can do without. they are hard enough to put on in the garage, but one spin of a tire and then a person is trying to put them back on in deep snow.
no thank you. BTDT.. each chain is over 100 pounds.. try fitting that over a tractor tire and then snapping the coupler links together.
supposed to snow 8 to 10 tonight.
I think I could get used to letting Bob come plow all the time..

 

[Eggscaping]

Better not to buy a swamp

Exactly! If we can't get this particular land, we'll just try to find another. Things will work out. No sense in buying an acre of land but we can only actually use one fifth of it! I have faith that we'll find something that will suit us!

 

[NewBoots]

Keep on looking for land, something always comes along. just be ready to pounce ..

I hope you're right, otherwise I'm afraid we'll have to choose a garden or chickens and garden wins that one.

7 inches of snow. we were 30 miles from home when it began to snow. for the last 8 miles we went 15 MPH. windshield wipers kept icing up..supposed to snow 8 to 10 tonight.

We got a little snow on Monday that's already gone but now they are saying more this weekend. Nothing like you folks but even a little here sets everyone back on their heels