Started out as one plan...ending up as another!!!

[X2Farm]

So, I ordered some chicks and guinnea keets a few weeks ago.... Hubs was ok with the idea, though a bit standoffish...

Especially when I said I ordered 21

AND I'll be getting a few more guinnea keets from a friend, since they to better in bigger numbers

He was nice enough to gimme a hand building what we thought was a good nesting box, and had planned to just build a small 3 wall area as a "coop"

Here's how far we got... all free material

THEN I found BYC

and realized my idea was just not really workable.... so, after many hours and late nights spent scouring round here in the coop/run section, we've come up with a new plan...

8x12 coop with a 15' run, possibly 20' depending on how things pan out

We'll be putting the coop long ways, so the short side is facing the road and backyard, and the run will connect and go farther back from there. I, being the shmart one that I am

, also told Hubs we can just add an overhang off the front (towards the road) to use for storing stuff.. He liked that idea

I have a plan somewhat laid out, of course, its ever changing

I'd wanted to put 6 nesting boxes along the 12' side facing the house, so its easier to collect eggs, all in one long row. Though now I've got the thought it might be better to stack 3 on 3 and take up less space?

Here's my first thought as to layout..

Though maybe it would be better to have roosts in the corners opposite the nesting boxes and food/water in the center area?

Not really sure which idea would be better to keep the poop out of the food and water.

Or, if I stack the nesting boxes 3 over 3, then I'd have extra room on that side to put the feed/water...


I think I've been reading too much and its all floating around in my head

Any thoughts/ideas/problems with this yall might be able to point out for me?

( I still can't believe I got Hubs to agree to an 8x12

)


Thanks for listening to me rambling on and on, I do appreciate it!!!

 

[joletabey]

Looks good- be sure you have lots of ventilation and that the roosts are higher than the nest boxes.
Also, if you can, make it tall enough to stand up in-cleaning will become much easier! Good luck!

 

[NevadaRon]

Quote:

LOL, he must be getting into the whole poultry thing more than he is admitting!

 

[eleanorkay]

It does get addicting. Your plans look great. Its so much fun. We don't know what we did with our before the "chciks". BYC is great!

 

[X2Farm]

Jolet- it's gonna be 6ft at the lowest point, bein Hubs and I are both 5'9" we should be ok

Noted on the ventilation

NR- He must be

cuz he's actually looking over my shoulder here at BYC a good bit. Usually he ignores whatever I'm checkin out on the puter

El- Thanks!! Somehow, I'm sure they'll still end up changing between now n then.. since we're moving to a farm in a couple weeks

we're holding off on building. Much easier to move when its just boards and plywood

Thankfully, the deck at the place we're gonna move into needs replacing, and the guy said we could have all the lumber they take down

so thats that much less spent

which means I can get the extra guinneas I'm wantin