Leave the brood pens in place....... Chicken math will catch up to you soooooooon
Just went out to check and get a better pic, set my phone on flash and here is what i found:
This all happened in one day. Yesterday i checked and they were all in a pile on the floor of the large brood pen and the white turkey was outside next to the screen because the tunnel was blocked. Today the white turkey got stuck in the brood pen and couldnt find her way out so i had to help her out the top. I noticed that a few were getting brave and perching in various places in the coop and some were eating and drinking in there. I was getting excited, my plan was coming together (A Team)Now they are roosting like big girls
So, new to chickens and you guys have been super helpful so far, thanks.
I decided to build my own coop, as I needed one that was larger than most commercial units. It addition, I wanted something that could be moved with me if needed. This caused me to think of the design of the coop differently. I decided that in order to get both of these items I would need to build a coop that can be modular. To accomplish this, I made it so that with the removal of 16 lag bolts my coop can come apart into 7 separate pieces (roof, four sides, floor, and nesting boxes). Any of these pieces could be moved by one person, although two is easier. I am so far pleased with the finished product. Would love your thoughts though.
Here the coops is from the back, nesting box on, pen fenced in, and doors mounted. The chickens seem to like it.
Front side, showing the entrance ramp (and closable door should I decide to do that), and better view of the nesting box.
In the back hatch. You can also see the roost ladder we made out of cut tree branches. The chickens are still young enough that they don't use it very much. Hopefully time will fix that.
With all that said, super curious for others thoughts on my first try at coop design and construction.
Will--
We sell chicken vents for diy chicken coops! Mine works wonderfully. It comes with a damper so you can shut it when it gets to cold and open it when it's to hot! I took it from my husband shop he makes window dryer vents and I thought hmmm this would work and it does! Just in case anyone is looking for an easy ventilation for your coop! It's not listed on their website but you can call them directly and they will ship to you! vent-works.com
We sell chicken vents for diy chicken coops! Mine works wonderfully. It comes with a damper so you can shut it when it gets to cold and open it when it's to hot! I took it from my husband shop he makes window dryer vents and I thought hmmm this would work and it does! Just in case anyone is looking for an easy ventilation for your coop! It's not listed on their website but you can call them directly and they will ship to you! vent-works.com
where do you find plans for the Canadian coop?So that teeny-tiny little square, is your ventilation, that you worry about enough to shut, when it gets cold? Check out the pic below. The whole front wall is wide open, year round. A proven 100+yr old design, that was used up into Canada, in -40F temps. Chickens need fresh air/ventilation in the winter, that's waaaaaaay more important, than to worry about them getting chilly.
