New building for my birds

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Wow. Just wow. This is the most amazing setup! Thanks so much for posting all these pictures and showing how you put it all together. This is like my dream barn, and reminds me very much of the one Shelby Harrington had, but in some ways is better than his was!

So very cool...

Thank you. I must say it makes caring for my birds. That makes it easier to get my wife or a neighbor to do chores when gone. Also have NO fears of predators getting to my birds at night after everything is closed up. The vinyl coated poultry wire was one of the biggest wins. 6' tall made for easier install and in my mind better security.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Liking the waterers so much. Have not had any poo in the water since I did them . Why did I wait so long to do this? This is the link to where I purchased my supplies for the water system. Family owned and very helpful. http://www.poultrysupplies.com/index_files/Page435.htm

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Thought it was time to update what I have learned.

The automatic waterers are GREAT! I also found out that a leak will drain 15 gallons of water. Easy to troubleshoot and fix.

I had used a course wood chip bedding for years and did not know any better. A friend got me to try the mini flake wood bedding that she used when she showed horses.. I have found it to be more absorbent and longer lasting. I did not even know it existed until this past year.

I use an digital oil filled electric heater to keep the building from getting cold enough to freeze the water for the birds.I set it for 40 degrees and let it run. The dust in the building settles on the heater reducing the efficiency. I dust it off as needed.

I am going to put the automatic waters in the single pens also. The males often get their wattles in the water when drinking and get their breast soaked. Not an issue for most of the year but not that is is occasionally sub zero it is becoming an issue. The small cups on the auto waterers are much easier to keep clean and to clean up.

I would put in larger windows if doing it over. Possibly Double hung rather than the slide type I have now so I could open them at the top to keep Rain out and allow good air flow.

I found I opened all the doors and windows from March to November during the day and locked doors at night.

I find that I have to scrape the floor under the overhead door weekly to remove the debris or it will not lock at night.

I would have sealed or painted the floor before starting the finish work on the bldg. Would make sweeping the floor easier

The air filtration benefits can not be overstated. That said it requires changing and or cleaning filters on a very regular basis. I tried many of the brands available locally. Not all 16 x 20 filters are actually the same size. I have found that the glass floss brand filters are the best combination of size, efficiency, and cost that I can find locally. When cleaning the filter I recommend wearing a N95 rated mask.

I find I let birds run on the floor more than i anticipated.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Next step is a brooder set up for the young birds to grow in. Still trying to decide if I should build or buy a commercially available one.

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

If doing this over again I would have sealed the floors before doing anything else to make clean up easier. I bought a GQF 5 level brooder for chicks to use in this building. Found I don't use the lowest level since old knees don't live bending that low. With AI prevention in mind I think I would add storm doors to front and back doors to allow fresh air and natural light in but prevent sparrows from entering. I still use the old building in the summer for young birds and older birds that aren't needed in breeding pen. They run outside on grass during the day and locked up securely at night. Not lost a bird to predators in over 4 years. New building is only place I keep birds in the winter. I heat it to low 40's so auto waterers don't freeze up. The birds can handle it much colder. We sit outside with the birds most afternoons for a little while. Calms us and the birds. Protection from weather and predators was the main reason for the new coop. Glad I did it.

but the waterers won't

 

[M.S. Matthew]

Having lost over 100 birds in 2 predator attacks this year it was time to build a predator resistant building for them. This is what I am building for them.

Concrete floors to ease cleanup.

Windows for cross ventilation and doors at both ends to let them out in the AM and keep them safe each night. The old red hog house in the background is my old coop. We had to drag it to current location so we could build on the old site.














Power is trenched in to the building but nothing is completed yet.

but before we could start anything my neighbors came in and helped me split and move my coop. Then helped put it back together

Sweet...

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

Sweet...

Thank you. I try hard to do a good job caring for and protecting my flock.

 

[chaidarling]

This is absolutely amazing! You've done a fantastic job and your birds look so happy!

 

[Black Cochin Bantams]

I have had 7 full winters and working on #8 in the coop. What I have learned.
# 1 There is a limit to the number I can keep healthy even though they are bantams due to air quality issues.
#2 The air filtration helps a lot. Can walk in and not see dust floating in the air. New air filter every week in winter and clean it daily.
#3 If I keep the number between 50 and 75 I have very few bird health issues. I have kept up to 100 for a short period with no issues but longer caused respiratory and it was harder to check them all for pests. I no longer try to keep that many.
#4 We have not lost a bird to a predator that was in that building.
#5 4 years ago I got a barn cat and have not had a bag of feed get chewed on since Cooper got about 6 months old. I have seen him kill a rat in the yard. He also patrols my old coop that I use for growing young birds from spring to fall. He was neutered when young and grew up in the growout bldg. Never hurt a chicken but he is death on sparrows.
#6 In my situation I found mini flake bedding works best for me. I can go from early November thru February without changing it out. If we get a mid winter thaw-40 I will change it out when I can open the doors and not have the water freeze.
#7 My autowaterers are the best. I did learn that I needed to have the water tube an inch off of the bottom rather than in the bottom because then no sediment gets to waterers and cause leaks when sediment trapped under O rings. Live and learn.
#8 It wasn't cheap to build and finish but putting lots of outlets in the building and on at each end on the outside has been nice. No need for many extension cords. I heat building to 40 so water does not freeze.
#9 I bought some pet exercise pens that are 40" tall. They allow for pens to be made of any size in just a few minutes.
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