Need design help for breeder coop

[LoneCowboy]

I had my breeder coop all designed out and went a bought all the materials today, and DH doesn't like the design.

He thinks I need to make it taller, easier access, blah blah blah. Of course, he's probably right, however I was designing for cost and ease of building because I'm doing this myself. I have a definate limitation when things get heavy.

So, I have some questions. Can you seperate breeds with just chicken wire or do they need a solid wall so they can't see each other? I'd like to share heat and light sources. I heat the water with a red heat lamp, but I have limited plug ins available and need to use only 1 light for water heating and one light for extending the days in the winter.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go, since I have to totally rethink my plans. un

 

[coloradochick]

Hey D,

Check your emails

Cara

 

[ZuniBee]

I separated mine with chicken wire at first. As soon as I put the chickens in their respective sides the roos did nothing but kick at each other. I thought they would eventually get tired and get used to each other but after only a few hours one roo's feet were bleeding..... So, I put a sheet of OSB at the bottom. This particular coop is 8 feet tall so I just put and entire 4 feet high sheet.

In the smaller coops I made wood up to about the top six inches and left it chicken wire so they can share heat.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I plan on raising them together, then seperating them when breeding time comes along or the roos don't get along anymore. But it's good to know. I wondered if they would do that.

 

[speckledhen]

Suede and Hawkeye spar through the fence all the time. Hawkeye's comb gets scraped and bleeds on occasion or he'll cut his foot on the fence. I finally put some 1" green plastic garden fencing up on the fence that runs between their pens so at least they couldn't really reach each other. They still run up and down the fence constantly, the big goofballs. I may put up something solid at some point so they can't see each other.

 

[justusnak]

I have my breeder coop set up with 4 pens inside and out. The roos that are next to each other...Langshan, and Silver pheonix...do not fight. However, my NEW roo..a rumpless Aracauna( i think) is a fighter...so I have his seperated by the hospital pen..usually hens in there from bare backs.

This is not the best pic...but you get the idea...the coop is 12x14....6'6" in the front....5'6" in the back(roof levels) Each pen is 6ft long...and at least 3 ft wide. The last pen is 5 ft wide..more chickens in that one.Hope this helps.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Cool. How many chickens per pen? Do they roost on the ladders to the nesting boxes?

 

[justusnak]

There are roost in there....just cant really see them in the pic...No, they dont usually roost on the ladders. In the first pen 3'x6' there is a pair of Silver pheonix. The second pen..3'x6' there are 4 Langshans.( they are going in the new coop to a larger area this summer) The 3rd pen 3'x6' there are 3 hens currently( thats the Hospital pen) for injured not sick chickens.( sick ones are in isolation, far from the others) Oh, and last night I had to put my little Silkie Roo in there, he was getting beat up.
The 4th pen 5'x6' there are 7 hens and a roo...EE's. Each has thier own outside run...the same width of thier inside pen, but about 15 or 20 ft long. ( so 3x20...or 5x20) The pop doors are under the nest boxes...and the pop doors are opened and closed by ropes....from my area. That way I dont have to go in each pen, to close or open them.

 

[LoneCowboy]

That's great, thanks that will be lots of help

 

[justusnak]

Not a problem, glad I could help!