Multi Breed breeders please-

[hunterjumper999]

Can you please show me your setup/runs I'd love to have a nice coop and run but unfortunately I have too many breeds and it would take up ALL of our property!


I plan on Actively working to improve my Blue/Black/Splash birds . . . would it be better to break these off into color types or keep a large pen of all of them together.

Also I would like to work on Lakenvelders , Cuckoo and BCM's .


Plus my eggs coop which is currently a few EE's and my culls.

 

[Illia]

I work with a lot of breeds, but honestly how I run the program is through 3 separate areas.

The first is the hen's area - All the hens and pullets are mixed and share a 3 acre pasture.

The second is the bachelor pad - All the cockerels and cocks share an area and are also mixed and mingled.

The third is the breeding pen - This separate, small area is where I pair up what I want. Then, I put the female and male back where they belong, and collect the female's eggs.

 

[hunterjumper999]

That is interesting. I honestly never even thought of doing it that way

 

[kathyinmo]

This is part of what I have for breeder pens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31282-breeder-barn-pens

 

[cashdl]

I only have one breed Araucanas but I have several colors and they are divided into pens. I have 3 16 X 20 pens for either growing babies or a couple of roos together with their girls. I also have 4 pens that are 8X8 and these are for 1 roo and 3 girls. Then I have a 8X8 pen that has 4 brooder boxes on one wall and the rest is for a gang of 2 month olds as they get used to free ranging during the day.

It works out great for me. It should work the same if each pen had different breeds. They don't take up a lot of space and my egg layers have their own house and they run loose during the day.

My broody boxs

My breeding pens

Lanae

 

[shelleyd2008]

One of my pages shows an example of what I'm currently using until my breeder house is finished. The size pictured is big enough for 5-6 silkie/cochin bantams, 8-9 OEGB, or 3-4 LF.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=15806-mini-coop-tractor

 

[cpartist]

Quote:
What a great setup Illia! You can really do some selective breeding this way, and know exactly which parents are producing what.

I have my breeds in separate pens, but am in the process of building several small breeding pens to more accurately tract who throws what
when bred together and to do some selective breeding of the best of my breeds...but I have to wait the required month to make sure the eggs are pure.

I like your way as it involves less housing and you can start collecting your eggs so much sooner

.

My setup is posted here FWIW https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=373143
I've since added a large 6' fenced perimeter around the "compound" in a large area, so I can let select groups out to free range at various times.

Kathy...very nice setup and a good example of working with what you have...

.

I do miss your old "crazy chicken lady" avatar though

.

 

[Mahonri]

I have a coop and two pens.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Maybe I should bring her back.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Quote:
Interesting Illia!!! Do you have any trouble when you return roosters to the batchelor pad after breeding? I mean, do they have to go thru figuring out the whole pecking order again? And while in the batchelor pad, can the roosters SEE the hens at all, or not?

My set up has my birds separated by breed, but I don't have enough pens to separate by color anymore. So I pull out a pair/trio/quad at a time and put in a separate breeding pen - but then I have to wait a month to even start collecting eggs (so that they'll be pure for that color). Takes a lot of time, and problems occur with roosters fighting when I return them to the pen. But I could separate them by sexes - the roosters would, however, be able to see the hens and vice versa because of the way things are built. And I'm guessing that wouldn't be good, right?