How many coop doors for 1000 chickens?

[SleepyChickens]

I'm planning to build 40ft x 80ft chicken coop for about 500-1000 egg layers. The chickens will free range daily outside in the forest.

How many automatic coop doors should I get? Or is there any other automatic system, so i don't have to get too many doors if i need them?

Cheers!

 

[Gigachad poultry]

I'm planning to build 40ft x 80ft chicken coop for about 500-1000 egg layers. The chickens will free range daily outside in the forest.

How many automatic coop doors should I get? Or is there any other automatic system, so i don't have to get too many doors if i need them?

Cheers!

you could make automatic sliding doors

 

[aart]

I'm planning to build 40ft x 80ft chicken coop for about 500-1000 egg layers. The chickens will free range daily outside in the forest.

How many automatic coop doors should I get? Or is there any other automatic system, so i don't have to get too many doors if i need them?

Cheers!

Boy, that's a hard call.....this is 'Backyard' chickens, not commercial chickens, so not going to be many here who would have any experience in the scenario you describe.

I would think you wouldn't need too many, it would just take them longer got get out there, if they even do.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

I'm planning to build 40ft x 80ft chicken coop for about 500-1000 egg layers. The chickens will free range daily outside in the forest.

How many automatic coop doors should I get? Or is there any other automatic system, so i don't have to get too many doors if i need them?

Cheers!

Just giving ideas but what if you did like the big barn door type things that slide to the sides and maybe figure out how to make it open on a timer or a big garage door that opens to the the top with a time or a remote to open it.

 

[perkolator]

Definitely not a backyard setup, haha.

At 50 chickens per door you'd be having 20 auto doors. At this point you likely want something more like a commercial roll-up door or maybe a big sliding barn door - both of which can be motorized and I'd imagine combined with a timer for open/close function.

I'm assuming this is a natural forest without any fencing or secure perimeter? With 1000 free-ranging egg layers not in an unsecured forest environment, I'd imagine you'll be attracting many local predators to that area who will take advantage of the daily buffet coming right to them.

 

[SourRoses]

Just chiming in that you may want to reconsider your starting number.
500 hens produce a lot of eggs. Businesses take time to grow, even if you have some clients already in line.
I'd start on the smallest workable side, and every 3-6 months raise another batch, as business keeps up, until you find the right level. This will also keep your layers productive through the seasons after their first year, and you can gradually cull the 2-3 year olds.

 

[Rangergord]

Just chiming in that you may want to reconsider your starting number.
500 hens produce a lot of eggs. Businesses take time to grow, even if you have some clients already in line.
I'd start on the smallest workable side, and every 3-6 months raise another batch, as business keeps up, until you find the right level. This will also keep your layers productive through the seasons after their first year, and you can gradually cull the 2-3 year olds.

Very Sensible Advice! I would add that if you want the forest free range to contribute to your birds diet in a way that improves nutrition and contributes to your profit margins, then a system oF rotational grazing would be needed and the area your birds can access will determine how many birds your land can support. Just 100 birds will deplete a lot of range!

 

[speedy2020]

I just go with 1-3 garage doors 6'-8' wide with actuator motor setup or even garage door opener. There is app for garage door opener, but not sure it has timer that allow you to set automatic open/close. Why have too many doors to deal with the problem?

 

[Bananabread]

1 door, a lawn chair and a cup of coffee each morning so you don't miss the excitement

 

[Mouthpear]

Why have too many doors to deal with the problem?

Well I don't know the whole story but I may be that they have several different types of birds and want to keep the separate. So one group gets let out on certain days and they alternate the groups.

OR Each group has their own separate run.

OR there are several runs called paddocks where you have different thing planted or just separated, so that so many birds will decimate the growth in a short amount of time, so to avoid that you alternate the paddocks.