We decided to start a flock of chickens, having very little knowledge of how fast they grow etc. My wife came home from the farm store with 24 pullets and we put them in the bathtub with a lamp, waterer and feeder.
They outgrew the tub very soon and I had to quickly slap together a larger pen in a spare room. But before they were a moth old they were able to fly up and perch on the edge of the 2 foot wall.
Fortunately I was finished with the basic structure of the chicken coop by then and we were able to move them outside. I am still working on perches and a few other details, but so far I am pretty happy with the coop.
I decided to have it "on stilts" for a couple of reasons. I think the birds will be safer from rodents and skunks at night, and it should be easy enough to bring a wheelbarrow up and and clean out. It also gives the birds a nice shady place below.
I made 2 structures that would face one another and basicly be combined together as a whole. I started with a sturdy frame with a 4x8 deck 2' off the ground and a roof with very generous overhangs.
They outgrew the tub very soon and I had to quickly slap together a larger pen in a spare room. But before they were a moth old they were able to fly up and perch on the edge of the 2 foot wall.
Fortunately I was finished with the basic structure of the chicken coop by then and we were able to move them outside. I am still working on perches and a few other details, but so far I am pretty happy with the coop.
I decided to have it "on stilts" for a couple of reasons. I think the birds will be safer from rodents and skunks at night, and it should be easy enough to bring a wheelbarrow up and and clean out. It also gives the birds a nice shady place below.
I made 2 structures that would face one another and basicly be combined together as a whole. I started with a sturdy frame with a 4x8 deck 2' off the ground and a roof with very generous overhangs.
