MJ's little flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I've been trying to figure out a design with multiple runs, so the grass can grow in the runs they're not in and then move them from run to run with fresh grass. This is a definite brain teaser.

I seem to remember seeing a design for that idea somewhere.

The chicken coop had 3 pop doors. One at the back and one on either side, each leading into a separate run. So the 3 runs surrounded the coop in a U shape or a 3 sided rectangle and there were 2 fences coming off the back corners of the coop to runs' perimeter fencing.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Chicken Palace plan
I hope you weren’t just being polite. Here is the plan for the Chicken Palace.
Covered run #2 has an open run on each side. I can close off access to each of these open runs so I can sow pasture and let it grow. They aren’t open to predators - they will have hardware cloth over them - but open for rain to water the pasture. I plan to alternate sides so that while they are destroying the pasture on one side, the other side is growing.
I will probably switch sides every 3 weeks (depends how fast the pasture seeds grow).

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This is how i hoped it would look.
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And this is what it looks like now (not quite finished but I am sowing pasture seeds this weekend).
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And here are the ladies enjoying their new day roost in covered run #2 (I salvaged some fancy old porch brackets).
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I really love your Chicken Palace and all the clever decorative touches. The floor plan really helps to understand the layout. Very clever RC!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Ok here is the current versionod Cluckerston Hall.

Not remotely to scale only for conveying broad concepts.

Floor plan
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Roosting box with covered run on both sides. LHS is a "look but don't touch" run for new pullets. RHS is covered section of long run.
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Roosting bars.
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Ramp with pulley system.
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Front view.
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Your "unknown breed of chicken" is adorable too MJ! ❤

 

[Grammy60]

Good evening everyone

 

[MaryJanet]

Love it. So exciting all the designing!
A Couple of thoughts from my own journey with the Chicken Palace.
Storage: my garage, kitchen, living room seem to be taken over by chicken stuff. How can chickens have so much stuff??!! Food, bedding (even though I mainly use leaves from the woods), egg boxes, first aid kit. It takes up space and I am beyond excited that I built the servants quarters in the palace for all that.
I love ‘look but don’t touch’. I had a similar idea originally but decided that most of the time I would want the space for the runs. So that is why I have so many doors. I can isolate the sections of run for that purpose. But most of the time it is all connected.
Hope that helps. It will be great. Have fun with it!

It's very sensible to build storage in and I considered it but decided not to because the woodshed is mere steps away and it's been working well for the chickens' things so far. It still has lots of empty space.

 

[MaryJanet]

Your "unknown breed of chicken" is adorable too MJ! ❤

Is it even a chicken?? My artistic skills are naive at best, but I have a dream to take up art classes at some point.

 

[Shadrach]

This is Moon and Hurry. Moon has tried to sit and got evicted. She was back today to lay an egg. Shortly after Hurry turned up.
The second picture shows Moon making sure she has dragged any eggs fully underneath her so Hurry can't have any. Hurry did still lay an egg though.

 

[MaryJanet]

This looks great. How will you segregate the roosting area while integrating? Are you planning a removable wire wall or similar?

In my mind, I imagine a frame with wire mesh stapled to it, hinged at the top. So it can be opened up out of the way. Come to think of it, how am I going to get in there to do it? So that's a do-over.

 

[MaryJanet]

This looks great. How will you segregate the roosting area while integrating? Are you planning a removable wire wall or similar?

Sorry Bob, i misread your question. I don't know is the correct answer. I may re-do that whole concept.

 

[Grammy60]

Good morning everyone