How would you go about dividing this space?

[Drewnkat]

This is my most recently completed "coop/run" space. I have a solidly built wood coop with a hardware cloth enclosed run where my main flock lives. They free range in the yard all day.

This space is where I would like to set up some breeding pens and work on breeding projects. The overall size is 10' wide by about 24' long. The current tarps are cheap and flimsy, I already ordered replacements which will go further down the sides for better coverage. The sides are 1/2" hardware cloth and the top is 1" hardware cloth. It has a door at one end.

This shows the general structure.^^^

Here is a better view of the inside. Yes, I took this while in process putting the roof on. I'm only 5' so this was quite the challenge.

I'm thinking maybe divide the back half into 2 runs, 5' × 12' each and leave the front section 10' x 12' due to the door being right in the middle of the front panel.

I'm trying to visualize how to divide the space so I can access each run separately. There is hardware cloth left, and I do have some chicken wire. As the divider only needs to keep the birds separate, it should be fine to use less intense materials internally. However, the bottom of the divider would still need to have some structure. Got to figure some kind of door/door frame. Any suggestions or issues to look out for would be appreciated.

 

[Buckeye Amy]

Some of the nicest breeding pens I've seen belong to @Debbie292d !

 

[Debbie292d]

This is my most recently completed "coop/run" space. I have a solidly built wood coop with a hardware cloth enclosed run where my main flock lives. They free range in the yard all day.

This space is where I would like to set up some breeding pens and work on breeding projects. The overall size is 10' wide by about 24' long. The current tarps are cheap and flimsy, I already ordered replacements which will go further down the sides for better coverage. The sides are 1/2" hardware cloth and the top is 1" hardware cloth. It has a door at one end.
View attachment 4174827
This shows the general structure.^^^

View attachment 4174828

Here is a better view of the inside. Yes, I took this while in process putting the roof on. I'm only 5' so this was quite the challenge.

I'm thinking maybe divide the back half into 2 runs, 5' × 12' each and leave the front section 10' x 12' due to the door being right in the middle of the front panel.

I'm trying to visualize how to divide the space so I can access each run separately. There is hardware cloth left, and I do have some chicken wire. As the divider only needs to keep the birds separate, it should be fine to use less intense materials internally. However, the bottom of the divider would still need to have some structure. Got to figure some kind of door/door frame. Any suggestions or issues to look out for would be appreciated.

What have you planned for their coop for where they sleep, lay eggs, get cover when it rains, etc.? I'm guessing if this was ours, we would have looked on Marketplace for some dog houses or crates to remodel or make a few with roofs that you can raise to check for eggs.

These aren't our breeding pens, but grow-out pens. We have one that's pretty fancy hubby built.


From the pen side


So my thinking is, divide this into 8' wide pens. Cut out three chicken doors and attach three hutches/coops outside. The hutch either has a side door you can open up, or the roof.

Here's another one, rudimentary. This one's getting replaced in a few days but has worked well. This was made from a huge crate, and the roof raises.






You still have the issue of how to access the run part. We made doors for ours, and you could do something similar, but then the whole pen needs to be on a base to install the doors.





What about that door on the end being your access to all of the pens? You'll be separating the pens with HWC or fence anyway, so you just need to be able to get through one pen to get to the next pen. I think that seems simplest of all. Come up with a way that is easy for you to daily open that fence on the opposite end of the hutch, and close it behind you. You could have issues with one rooster wanting to get at the other rooster so finagle this so it's easy for you.

 

[perkolator]

^Solid advice there!

I too would divide into 8ft bays where the pole structures visually divide it already, likely using HC wall panel if you have extra material; if you don't, you can use cheaper fencing like chicken wire or maybe even netting since it's not the exterior predator barrier. Use a piece of lumber on the bottom for the missing framing. I don't know the dynamics of breeding flocks, but my brain says add some sort of solid panel at the bottom 2ft so adjacent roosters won't see one another and try to fight through a fence.

Small individual coops on each bay makes the most sense to me, attached on the exterior of the run so there's max run space. Maybe add a 2nd chicken door to the exteriors if you wanted ability to free range individual flocks. Definitely make sure you have good access to the interior of each coop, like suggested above.

I would add a human door to each bay so you don't have to walk through one to get to another if the only door is on the end currently. Shouldn't be too difficult on this structure, I would make a lumber door frame attached to the HC and tied into the upper/lower horizontal structural pipes of the pole structure, for more strength and stability (plumber's tape/hanger strapping works well to fix wood to metal posts).

Good luck!

 

[Debbie292d]

I don't know the dynamics of breeding flocks, but my brain says add some sort of solid panel at the bottom 2ft so adjacent roosters won't see one another and try to fight through a fence.

I too thought this could be an issue, between the pens, but the only time it has been is with one rooster, newer to being in a breeding pen. The rest of the roosters have their own hens to worry about now and seem content.

Where we need privacy is in the front, where the human doors are, and the outer sides.

When a rooster is traded in a breeding pen so released, he wants to get back into the pen. (You can see Buddy the cuckoo roo on the right in my picture above.) This goes on for months. The unused roosters pace back and forth, and don't generally fight each other. If a rooster in a pen comes up to the front, I've seen them try to attack each other through the fence a couple of times. The penned ones usually become accustomed to this and mostly ignore it.

Putting up a 18" - 2' high privacy border around the outside of all of them would help, just so the roosters outside of the pens can't see in.
It's on the list.

 

[Drewnkat]

Hello! Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and helpful replies. A lot to think about.

First, I can understand why it might look like the run is separated into three 8-foot sections, but it is actually four 6-foot sections, so there is not a good structural way to make 8-foot sections.

My reasoning for making 2 sections of the back is that I could attach the center wire along the top middle bar, and then the "front" of the two runs could be attached to the arch at that point as well. It would be easier to put a door into each side there, I think. I like the idea of using hanger strapping to attach a wood frame to the metal poles. I can also put boards on the ground to attach the HWC/Poultry netting.

I just got my upgrade tarps, which should go much further down the side instead of simply covering the top. Where I live we do not get snow, and the weather rarely gets below freezing. I have clear plastic sheeting I have used to eliminate drafts in winter before, so for now my plan is to put a bank of nest boxes in under the covered area, and some roost bars, and treat it similar to a Hoop Coop setup. If that doesn't work well, I will work out some kind of other house setup.

I hadn't thought of a visual barrier between them, I will keep that in mind to watch for. I could probably use one of the smaller tarps if it became necessary. My hope is the wire will keep them separate enough and I may simply use one side as a breeding pen and the adjacent area for grow outs. That way there's not 2 cranky roosters, just 1 roo with his hens, and clueless baby/teenage chickens next door.