This one is 3' wide, 2' deep, 3' tall in the back, and 4' tall in the front. The bottom 10 1/2" is open on the sides and front, the back is solid. The roost is about 9" up from the bottom of the sides(about 20" from the ground), the nest box(es) will be on the back outside with hinged lid(s).
I'm putting 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom sides, the front bottom will be left open so they can enter there. I'm making 'runs' that are house-shaped, 1' straight up and 2' angled to a peak (think of a house lol). That will make them 3' high in the center, and wide enough on the sides (straight part) to cover the opening in the bottom front. This will also make them only use 16 foot of 3' wire, instead of 24 foot like the other ones I have.
The run will be 8' long, 1' on the sides, 3' dead-center, and the top will be sloped. I'll be making the runs detachable for easier movement, I'm sure the birds will go back to their 'house' to sleep if they get loose.
The 'peaks' of the run will make it easier for water to run off them, so the tarps that I put on there won't wear out too easily. The feed and water will be in the run, I'll make that end of it like a door.
I don't have any predator problems in the few tractors I use now, the only troubles there is with the rats eating the food. If the rats become a problem with the birds in these, I can always put a floor in and cut a door. My predator problem seems to be all daytime, so they need to be locked up.
All my birds have been 'living' in the barn since I've gotten them, it is 3-sided and very open. So if they can survive that (cold), they'll be just fine in these
I soooo wish I had my camera, I'm pretty proud of my little coop
I'll be making at least 6 more of these unless I run out of OSB. I need at least 5 more of these right now to get all my breeds in individual pens.
Question: My LF breeds have only a pair or trio, so these should be just fine for them. My cochins (bantam) and d'uccles are all groups of 4, so these should be okay for them too. The thing I'm wondering about is my OEGB and silkies, I have 6 each of those. Granted, they are pretty small, and the pen ('floor' space) is 3' wide by 10' long, but is that enough space? 6 birds with 30 sq. ft.? It doesn't seem like enough, and I don't know how to make it bigger
Any suggestions?
The biggest wire I can get here (1" chicken wire) is 3' high that I know of. I could possibly make the run longer, but that would be a major pain to move. I only have 1 roo in the OEGB, and I think only 1 of the silkies is a roo. So I can't very well split them up.
I'm putting 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom sides, the front bottom will be left open so they can enter there. I'm making 'runs' that are house-shaped, 1' straight up and 2' angled to a peak (think of a house lol). That will make them 3' high in the center, and wide enough on the sides (straight part) to cover the opening in the bottom front. This will also make them only use 16 foot of 3' wire, instead of 24 foot like the other ones I have.
The 'peaks' of the run will make it easier for water to run off them, so the tarps that I put on there won't wear out too easily. The feed and water will be in the run, I'll make that end of it like a door.
I don't have any predator problems in the few tractors I use now, the only troubles there is with the rats eating the food. If the rats become a problem with the birds in these, I can always put a floor in and cut a door. My predator problem seems to be all daytime, so they need to be locked up.
All my birds have been 'living' in the barn since I've gotten them, it is 3-sided and very open. So if they can survive that (cold), they'll be just fine in these
I soooo wish I had my camera, I'm pretty proud of my little coop
I'll be making at least 6 more of these unless I run out of OSB. I need at least 5 more of these right now to get all my breeds in individual pens.
Question: My LF breeds have only a pair or trio, so these should be just fine for them. My cochins (bantam) and d'uccles are all groups of 4, so these should be okay for them too. The thing I'm wondering about is my OEGB and silkies, I have 6 each of those. Granted, they are pretty small, and the pen ('floor' space) is 3' wide by 10' long, but is that enough space? 6 birds with 30 sq. ft.? It doesn't seem like enough, and I don't know how to make it bigger
The biggest wire I can get here (1" chicken wire) is 3' high that I know of. I could possibly make the run longer, but that would be a major pain to move. I only have 1 roo in the OEGB, and I think only 1 of the silkies is a roo. So I can't very well split them up.
