Pens in a Barn

[jenjscott]

The banty side is planned for a trio or quad in each pen. This is fairly generous for breeding pen space, but my banties are Japs, and will have to spend a large amount inside due to plumage issues. Large fowl, unless I add a raised coop area, could have up to six hens and a rooster. With a raised coop area to effectively increase floor space, I could add a few more. Especially where I live, with mild winters, there are very few days my buckeyes, or anything else I have had, don't spend most of the day outside.

 

[LynneP]

We built in a horse stall, but I'm not sure that's what you want. If it applies, it's on my BYC page!

 

[jetto]

Wow Jen!! Nice plans! Now I'm getting more ideas!

OSUman....We don't have electric in the barn so run an extension cord for a light we have hanging right outside of the chicken run. My pullets are only 5 months old and I have two laying so the one light must be enough for the chickens at least. My quail are another story. I have two pens giving me some eggs but not my third- too dark for them is what I was told.

My quail pens are built up against the walls of one of our stalls which works out nicely but now I need to find room for rabbits! Hubby just shakes his head....Kristi

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I bought out the previous owner of two pens. They had them made and I sure could not reproduce them for the money I bought them for.

They are made of 1 by 2 mesh heavy wire wielded to 1 x 1 heavy metal frames. They are hinged and have doors made of the same material. We love them. The birds get put up every night in them and they can roost on top of them.

The ones that are good at fly can get out in the morning, but the Cochins and the silkeys and the babies have a hard time of it.

I let them out in the morning and they are so accustomed to going in at sun down, they put themselves to bed there.

 

[ginbart]

I have my chickens in part of the barn. Some of it has a dirt bottom it used to be for milk cows but I used chicken wire to close off the dirt part and they are in that side. I had to put a couple of tarps up because it's windy in there. And on all the other sides I used my empty food bags to block off the wind from coming in. It's a little hard with the water because I had no power out there. I did take 2 - 100 feet extension cords and run them to the barn. Now I use a heat lamp out there, it helps the water from freezing, keeps them a little warmer, and since I was only getting 3 to 4 eggs a day from 25 hens I'm now getting 5.

The size is about 45' x 25 and I have, I think 28 chickens in there.

Sorry I don't have any designs. I didn't see you needed that when I read it the first time.

 

[biddyboo]

We built a pen of dog kennel panels inside our 30' X 40' metal barn. The pen is 12' x 6' and if I had it to do over, I'd trump my DH's preference and build it at least 12 x 12 if not 12 x 16. However, even though squished, my 15 standards and 5 Silkies spend lots ofo their time in their indoor pen during these frigid snowy wet winter days than they do in their outdoor run (20 x 20) or their coop. They seem to like cozy and we provide lots of scraps and scratch to keep them busy when indoors. They have access during daylight hours to the outdoors and their coop for egg laying through a small pop door in the end wall of the barn, under the coop space. Our kennel set up is 6' high and one end is sectioned off with a 4' tall gated panel that we use to separate the Silkies from the standards so we've ended up with two pens: 4 x 6 and 8 x 6. As for pen hopping (we have not covered this structure, we have only two who hop. One Americauna consistently hops over to the Silkie side, but she's the only one doing that. One Cinnamon Queen roosts nightly on the 6' high rail on one end of the pen. I've never seen her get up there, but she's there every night, so...so be it ~G

 

[CARS]

Let's see if I can explain my set up.

I think my barn is 30' x 65' (aprox.). Every 9' there is a pole to hold the hay loft up, so there are two rows of poles going down the length of the barn. Right now I have 2 pens that are 9'x20' , they each have access to the outdoor run.

Here are some pics, but they aren't taken back far enough to get a good idea of the layout.

The first pen I built:

And here is the second pen I built (in two pictures):

If you look at the second picture you'll notice a wall. The pen can be divided in half when the need arises (like when they are just babies).

If you look closely at the pics, you'll see the railroad ties that hold the beams for the loft floor. Railroad ties were cheap and available.

And here is a picture of the outdoor run. Again, about 30'x65' divided up in sections so they can't rape the land.

In that pic, the rabbits are getting some exercise.

Then in one 9' x 9' section I have my quail pens:

And in another 9' x9' area I built a brooder room:

I use that room for brooding, 3 rabbits, and at the moment 4 silkies and a hospital for a one-winged rooster!

I still have a couple more 9' x 20" areas to develop. And then I still have the whole loft left to expand into!!!!

 

[CARS]

I found some more!

Here is the structure (still in remodel mode):

Another picture of the yard with chickens in them instead of rabbits:

Another shot of the quail pens:

Inside the brooder room/rabbit room:

 

[jenjscott]

I love the wreath in that last picture!

 

[OSUman]

Cars did you have to put the wood in the ground or did you just put it on top and is that 2x4 welded wire with poultry netting at the bottom?