Keeping separate flocks

[NagemTX]

So I really want to breed chickens. Not to the extent others might but a few breeds and a few projects. What I'm wondering is how to go about housing.

So far I have a plan on a 30ft by 16ft pen separated into six 10ft by 8ft coop/runs. May add four more of these later. I could change them into 10ft by 16ft later as well. I would keep each breed/color separate this way. Or should I keep smaller breeding pens and only separate from flock for the time of breedings? If I did that then would I need to keep the roosters separate or if they are good with each other could they just stay in the main flock?

So many questions. Answers and speculations welcome. Anything to help look at different ways of doing this.

 

[Derrick]

I built a 16x33 footprint run coop that I divided into two runs/coops. Actually the coop part is not even finished. I put the roosters on one side and hens in the other. Im now going to pair them off. Im using plastic fencing to divide the runs into three sections for six separate areas. That way I can open it up when im not breeding them. Still a work in progress. I hope this helps.

 

[Derrick]

These are earlier pics of the build

 

[NagemTX]

I built a 16x33 footprint run coop that I divided into two runs/coops. Actually the coop part is not even finished. I put the roosters on one side and hens in the other. Im now going to pair them off. Im using plastic fencing to divide the runs into three sections for six separate areas. That way I can open it up when im not breeding them. Still a work in progress. I hope this helps.

Thank you for the reply! This does help. Trying to get a feel for how I want to do the pens and I'm move visual when trying to nail down a concept.

That set up looks great even for a work in progress.

 

[Derrick]

I don’t want to have to make a lot of cuts so I used 8 ft as the lengths of wood since that is how it comes. No plans just started to build from my head.

 

[Derrick]

Got my wire and plastic fencing from here

https://www.critterfence.com/

 

[NagemTX]

That's how I'm going be working 8ft and 10ft. Actually I work at lowes so the lumber is easy to come by. Just keep my eye out for a good cull pack or something the store is just going to throw away.

I'm currently not doing a rooftop. We are getting a bar in the future so the pens will be moved later to attach to it on one side.

 

[Derrick]

Good luck

 

[LTAY1946]

That's how I'm going be working 8ft and 10ft. Actually I work at lowes so the lumber is easy to come by. Just keep my eye out for a good cull pack or something the store is just going to throw away.

I'm currently not doing a rooftop. We are getting a bar in the future so the pens will be moved later to attach to it on one side.

I've had 2 deliveries from Lowes of cattle panels for hoop coops that are either 3,4, and soon to be 6 panels long as well as 8', 10', 12', and 16' PT 2x4's. Depending on breed I'm using 3 panels for a rooster to 8-12 hens. 4 panels for 20 hens and 2 roosters. A run is to be finished that is partially covered for rainy days and partially covered with fish type netting to keep aerial predators out. One common electric fence around the entire group of pens. The 6 panel coops with have an exercise run and small breeding pens of 3 hens each on one side and individual rooster pens on the other side. Each bird will have a numeric tag so I can track pedigree of each bird produced. These are research birds not production birds. Some of these are AI bred birds because like broad breasted turkeys they cannot reproduce naturally.

 

[SourRoses]

Ideally, I want a barn with lots of stalls.

In the meanwhile, for practical reasons, we're using the shed & stall originally meant for my horse (he passed), and we built an additional coop. The last we split in two (each 4x8), the stall split in two (each 5x10), and the shed split in 3 (not evenly, but it's 20x8 overall).
So that's 7 in total and with the different breeder pens we only have two grow-outs. Ahhhhh, not enough room!

Anyway, look at this cool coop a friend sent me on FB (sorry no pics of the inside, I want to see too!)
It looks like each is one door wide.