Hi there. BTW I love this site!
I am starting to design my first coop and I had some questions. But here's a little background first:
This is our first time at poultry, and yes, we got turkeys. Well it's only one turkey now
but we also got 2 Rouen ducks and 3 chickens (2 Golden Wyandottes and 1 surprise Silver). I do want to get more chickens and maybe another turkey so Rudy doesn't keep thinking he's a duck.
I already know that the coop is going to be 3-4 ft x 8 ft, not sure about the height yet, kinda depends on the turkey I think. I know I want to have a side storage bin for hay and food. I am going to have a 2-stage attached run as well (1st phase is going to be 8 ft x 12 ft, 2nd phase is 2 sides of the garage). I have a small window, and I think I want the side to open up so I can clean it out well... but I would still like some advice. We are in Northern California, it rains a lot here and doesn't usually get above 70. It frosted this week.
So my questions:
Is it a bad idea to keep chicken ducks and turkey together in the same run?
Besides a bigger sized roost, what other elements to turkeys need; would they use an enclosed area?
What design elements could I incorporated to make my coop 'portable' (I want ease of disassembly for when we move).
How is a dropping pit different from having a door to get into the coop to clean it?
Is there a particular angle to the ramp leading into the coop that is most comfortable for chickens?
How raised should the coop be? I was thinking 18 inches so they can run around under it, but is that too high?
Are ducks just too messy to keep with chickens?
For a run roof, any pros/cons to the translucent plastic siding, or would the metal be better?
Thank you!
I am starting to design my first coop and I had some questions. But here's a little background first:
This is our first time at poultry, and yes, we got turkeys. Well it's only one turkey now
I already know that the coop is going to be 3-4 ft x 8 ft, not sure about the height yet, kinda depends on the turkey I think. I know I want to have a side storage bin for hay and food. I am going to have a 2-stage attached run as well (1st phase is going to be 8 ft x 12 ft, 2nd phase is 2 sides of the garage). I have a small window, and I think I want the side to open up so I can clean it out well... but I would still like some advice. We are in Northern California, it rains a lot here and doesn't usually get above 70. It frosted this week.
So my questions:
Is it a bad idea to keep chicken ducks and turkey together in the same run?
Besides a bigger sized roost, what other elements to turkeys need; would they use an enclosed area?
What design elements could I incorporated to make my coop 'portable' (I want ease of disassembly for when we move).
How is a dropping pit different from having a door to get into the coop to clean it?
Is there a particular angle to the ramp leading into the coop that is most comfortable for chickens?
How raised should the coop be? I was thinking 18 inches so they can run around under it, but is that too high?
Are ducks just too messy to keep with chickens?
For a run roof, any pros/cons to the translucent plastic siding, or would the metal be better?
Thank you!
