How Do You............(question about multiple breeds) & BANTAMS

[Rare Feathers Farm]

How does everything with multiple breeds keep their chickens separated (to get purebreds)?

Do you have multi coops?

Do you have little cages?

Mini coops?

I want about 7 breeds (different) but I want them to be pure...

Does anyone have bantam coops or pictures of what I could do? I'd like them to be cheap to create. I've been searching for kid's playhouses to fix up, but no luck so far.

I also don't have a ton of $$ or space so I want some ideas about doing mini coops economically.

And I'd LOVE to see pics of whatcha have.

Thanks!

~Heather

 

[cjeanean]

LOL!!!! I have, all in the same coop/run:

Rhode Island Reds
New Hampshire Reds
White Leghorns
Buff Orpingtons
An Easter Egger
A Salmon Favorelle
A Barred Rock Roo
A Mottled Houdan Roo
Black Jersey Giants

Will be adding:

White Cochins
White Rocks
More Leghorns
An Ameraucana

They have no clue they're all different breeds. I think the more there are the merrier,especially since they're all so pretty together. I don't have a flock of all white chickens, or all brown....I have so many colors it looks like an earth-toned rainbow!

 

[Chirpy]

At this point I also keep all mine together because I'm not breeding for pure chickens. I just want eggs.

If you want to keep them pure then you have to keep them separate (as you know). People either divide their coop into separate rooms with separate runs off each room or they actually have totally different coops for each breed.

I've seen some really neat ideas from people on here that keep their breeds separate. Hopefully they'll repost their pictures for you as I don't know how to go about finding them.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Cool...yeah, I let mine pile together into one area in the winter time but come spring, I separate them all out. My current coop is split down the middle on the inside & the runs are separate. But that only allows me to have two breeds.

So I was thinking about getting one of those starplate building systems and splitting it up into three or four different areas with runs coming off of it in a pinwheel pattern....but I'm not sure I want to spend that much $ and I'm not sure how big one of those would end up being?

My current coop is 8x8 and split down the middle....I just want to be able to keep 3 or 4 hens & one roo per section...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
Yeah, I'd love to see some pics of how people do it.

I have:
Light Brahmas (standards)
Sultans (bantams)
Golden Laced Cochins (standards)
Unknown mystery chicks in 'bator, due in a few days

I want:
Salmon Favs (standards)
Sumatras (standards)
Crecouvers

So I need at least one more coop!

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Anyone?

 

[Dixiedoodle]

I am new to chickens, building the coop. I could never decide on just one breed. I couldn't afford several coops or a huge one. So, I decided to do it this way.

I wanted 4 hens each of RIR, Barred Rocks, Ameraucanas, and Marans.

I decided I could only have one roo! So, I decided I would get a Marans. Why, you may ask?? Because the Marans eggs would be a darker brown and easy to id.. That way, IF I wanted to raise pure breed chicks, I would just pull the dark brown eggs! I could have also done this with the Ameraucanas but chose the Marans instead! So, that's how I am going to deal with different breeds with only one coop..Dixie

 

[cjeanean]

I'm actually planning to breed here in the next few months. I've got a design based on the dimensions of one and a half sheets of plywood. The small coop will be 12 ft long by the width of the plywood (about 4 ft) and split down the middle, creating two halves two feet wide by 12 ft long. I will then divide each half into 2 ft sections, creating 12 (6 on each side) 2x2 sections. Then, I will place a run around the front 12ft section and the back 12 ft section, then divide those large runs into sections with chicken wire. This will give me 12 2x10 foot sections of run. this is to keep the roos separate, since they're the ones that I'm worried about being in with each other. I've heard that bachelors are okay together, but once they've bred even once they are more likely to fight to the death, so I will be keeping each of my 8 roos in the separate sections. The last 4 sections will be for my hens to brood in, since I want to keep them separate. Now, I may choose to just make it 8 ft long instead of 12, and just incubate the eggs, but I'm not sure if I want to do that. Depends on how many ppl want my eggs! I'll post pics eventually when everything is done.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
That actually sounds like it might work...but I'm wanting to get three or four of the "critical" breeds...so I need roos for all of them...and I'm hoping for 3 hens & 1 roo per pen...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
So why are you wanting the roos separate if you're breeding?

I'm easily confused, so don't take offense, LOL

That sounds like it may work, though...are those banties? My idea was for another 8 x 8 coop and split that down the middle with a lean-to on one side for my ducks. They are currently on one side of my coop and they're rotting the floor of it with their wet poops.

Of course my bantam breeds wouldn't need the 8 x 8 so but they'd need a covered run because we've got lots of arial predators around here....so I may end up putting my sultans in the existing coop (which has a covered run) and my Salmon Favs (if I ever get any) on the other...and then my GLC will be in the new coop, along with the Light Brahmas. Then, I'll need room for my Sumatras and maybe some Brabanters. Of course, I may have buttercups that hatch, too...