Need your help, Please

[yelim]

Am thinking of this chicken house with 2 25'x25' runs how many standard layers could I house? I am liking Rhode Island Reds.
http://msucares.com/pubs/plans/6248.pdf[/URL]
Also need some advice on absolute don'ts. Things I really don't want to do.
Floor type?
Insulated central Florida?
Pressure treated wood?

 

[chickaddict]

4 square feet per bird. RIR's take confinement very well, New Hampshire reds are also a wonderful bird.

 

[Intheswamp]

Quote:
Your run area will handle many more chickens than will fit in your coop, so no problem there.

If you go by the "4 sqft per large fowl bird rule" then you should have room for 22.5 chickens in the coop. (.5 could be a bantie

). That is stated as being a minimum amount of area per bird. Some people go with more or less. More room is better.

I personally would hold back to around 16-18 birds just for a good buffer. If you live in an area that might call for the chickens to be coop-bound for any length of time (days) then the little bit of extra room will come in handy. More space the better. Also, just starting out it would be good not to overload your poultry environment so that dealing with the feed, water, poop, etc., doesn't get overwhelming.

That is a nice plan, I've considered it myself.

For some reason through the last year I've gotten a less than favorable impression of RIRs. Seems maybe they've been noted as being a bit aggressive for my likes.

Floors... Dirt, wood, or cement.

If your area is well drained where water dosn't drain into it and heavy wire mesh can be buried around the perimeter to keep digging predators out then a dirt floor will work fine.

Going with wood will get your coop up off the ground and digging predators are not an issue there. Use pressure treated lumber for the floor beams and joists. Either heavily paint your plywood floors or cover them with linoleum or vinyl flooring (remnants can be bought at building supply stores)....this will help keep the plywood in good shape and make cleaning easier. Build the framed floor at least 18" off the ground...building it closer to the ground encourages rats to move under the house and also puts the floor lumber closer to the ground moisture (rot danger). 24" would even be nicer, in my book. The coop can be within the run fence and under the coop could be a good shade spot and dust bath spot.

Cement is good. Easy to clean. More expensive. Long lasting.

Insulation.... The only insulation that I would put in would be under the roof and maybe on the west wall of the coop. Otherwise, I don't think your area will need heavy duty insulating. Insulating the roof will help lower the probability of condensation forming on the inside of the roof and dripping into the coop.

Ed