number of brama's can I keep comfortable

[Sjisty]

Quote:
I'll have to go out and measure. We actually had someone give us nest boxes and we took the middle partition out to make it a "double."

 

[twisted-acres-farm]

Just saw your blue brahma's may have to re-think my choice of the light variety. Stunning absolutly stunning birds!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bryan99705]

If you keep 50 birds in a run that size, they will have the grass destroyed in a few months. That's just how they are. I made the mistake of housing 200 birds, to butcher, for a week in a 50x50 lot and it was destroyed in a couple days and took almost 2 years for the grass to come back.

A nest box 12x16 or larger will be plenty big and you should have 1 per every 6 birds (with that many, they will all still try to use the same one anyway

) With extra floor space you have, you might consider throwing out milkcrates with a little straw in them on the floor.

Ambient temprature is what matters with chickens (wind chill only measures effect against exposed skin) just stop the wind and drafts (just like your winter coat, once you stop the wind, it's easy to stay warm). As to sealing and insulating the coop, don't bother, the heat they generate will be so moist and full of ammonia fumes it will have to be ventilated out so the birds can stay healthy. Turn on a few heatlamps above the roost bars when it gets colder than about -10 and they should be fine. Make sure you have heated water founts as their water demand is high even in the winter. Remember that in the summer you willl need a lot of coop ventilation so removable wall panels may be a consideration.

Suggest you cover some space in the run or build a porch with some roost poles and a snow / wind block for the winter so the birds can go out to sun themselves and dustbathe. This also gives them a spot outside in the spring, during breakup, to stay out of the mud.

Make sure the run wire is tall with welded or wovenwire that has openings 2x4 or smaller and skirted about 18" against daylight diggers like fox and dogs. Covering the lower 12" of the run will be needed to keep the fuzzy butts in till they grow. A coon proof coop that is ventilated and lockable will be required, which means if you can see light thru it it should be sprayfoamed and wired.

I don't suggest a top rail on the fence as it gives the chickens a perch to hop onto as well as a spot for hawks and crows to sit and pick their lunch from. Also a shakey top fence will discourage fence climbers like grey fox.

 

[twisted-acres-farm]

Thanks never thought of the top board as a perdator perch. but what's to stop them from just resting on the fence support poles?? plan on have a smaller area off the brooder room with smaller and covered fence for the fuzzy butts. The windows are recycled for a house and have screens and open and can also pop a few boards off the ceiling that goes into the attic for ventilation.

 

[bryan99705]

They may sit on the posts but if you drilled a hole in the top of the post and had about 6" of heavy wire standing straight up from the center of the post, they wouldn't perch there but once!

 

[twisted-acres-farm]

cool will try the wire or something very spikey and sharp.. Scott