My Lg Fowl breeding pens

[farmhand]

For some of you who keep roosters separate part or all of the year unless breeding, I have two questions.
1. Do roosters thrive if kept in separate pins from other chickens? Does it make a difference if their separate pin is close to other chickens or not?
2. How well would it work to keep most hens together and selectively remove a hen(s) from the group and place her with a roster and later return her with the flock of hens?

 

[dolfi]

Ok Chris, you have been our inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing... I hope my breeding pens will be finished this weekend. We used your design as our base model (hope that's ok), and modified it some. I thought I'd share our progress... I would also love to know what you do for nesting boxes? The changes we made... I have 4 pens instead of 3... they are slightly smaller, but will only house pairs so that works fine. The lower portion of the back will be hinged plywood to allow access to nesting box and a mounted feeder easily. The middle 2' tall partitions are easily removable so that I can use 2, 3, or all 4 pens as one for use as a grow out pen in the summer. Now that you've used your pens for a season I'd love to know if you wish you had done anything differently.

Can you post some pictures

This is what I use for a brooder and chick pen... we "think" it was an old rabbit hutch (it was in the barn when we bought the place). So we enclosed the bottom and added removable partitions. Because I don't brood chicks inside I cover the ends and part of the top with towels at night when I have chicks under a few weeks old and the temps are below freezing. Water is with bottles and buckets with chicken nipples from the time they are hatched... I never provide water any other way so it's all they know.

Sounds great to have the chicks outside from the start. My DH is already complaining of the smell coming from the garage. Lol. Regarding me cleaning every other day.

 

[Chestnut]

Excellent post! Thanks. Answers a lot of the questions I have about planning my breeding pens.

 

[bucky52]

Wow.they are nice.My DH is planning on building a coop and pen for two young roosters.I will show him this.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Chestnut]

Your rooster condos inspired me to build some for two red dorking Cockerells I just bought. Mine are solid on three sides and have solid doors. I'm wondering if they'll be warm enough as is for our winter. Thoughts?

 

[sdc04]

I was wondering how you installed the lights in the breeding pens? Also, Is the plastic on the outside enough protection from the cold nights that we still have sometimes in the spring? Have you made anymore since this post? If so, did you make any changes?

By the way, this is an awesome post! Thank you so much for it.

 

[RedRidge]

Hope this isn't hijacking this old thread, but I was asked to posts some pics of my finished breeding pens and what changes I made to adapt to my situation...

This first pic was right before it was complete... The plywood part of the partitions are removable to make a double wide, or even 2 doubles, a triple and a single, or just a quad wide using the entire pen. This is handy once breeding season is over as I tend to take out two of the three partitions and use each half for a grow out area.


This next pic shows the hinged lower doors on the back side... handy for egg collection.
It also show the removable vinyl I use. I keep the 2 lower side pieces on in Jan and Feb but flip up the top pieces on the sides and back most of the time except at night when temps are supposed to get below 20.



I don't have electric at these pens (maybe some day), so no I don't use lights.

 

[Bean789]

I am looking at these designs in this thread to glean some ideas for breeding pens. I had planned on building another coop with large run for my chickens.

But now I have 2 different breeds that I will be breeding and selling chicks and fertile eggs.

Great jobs on these!

 

[RedRidge]

I am looking at these designs in this thread to glean some ideas for breeding pens.  I had planned on building another coop with large run for my chickens.  

But now I have 2 different breeds that I will be breeding and selling chicks and fertile eggs.  

Great jobs on these!   

Quite the undertaking.
I have two breeds but partner on one. The breed I do not partner with requires a lot of room. As a minimum you need 4 breeding pens, 8 cock pens, a cockerel grow out area, a pullet grow out area, and a layer area. Of course this is in addition to brood space.

I don't need even half that on the breed I partner with... I cull harder and faster on that breed knowing I have off site backup.

 

[MsKay]

Chris, Thank you so much for sharing these photos. I used a modified version of your doors on my new coops and I love them!