blallik
Hatching
Wanting my pullets to get more full-size before try to introduce them to the flock, I decided to build a little transitional coop this year out of the brooder, which is an old metal stock tank. I just used three 3'9" Home Depot calls ledger board – rough cut 1 x 8 – screwed to 3 short pieces of 2 x 3. I used the bandsaw to cut the ends of the two by threes to fit into the groove on the stock tank, and put an eyebolt into one of them to receive an old tent stake that secures it when shut. I cut the two by threes snug enough to be friction tight, but the eyebolt and stake give me peace of mind. The cut out for the door is 8 x 10", with a piece of 2 x 3 across the top to stop it from swinging in, leaving about an 8 in. square opening – big enough for pullets. An old closet rod serves as a perch, both for the brooder and the coop, which I'm keeping outside in a garden hoop house that I covered with chicken wire. I had all this stuff on hand, but apart from the stock tank, materials would come in at under $20, and the chickens, having been raised in the stock tank, knew right where to go when I put it outside.
Having received good advice on these forums, I thought I would share my idea with you.
Having received good advice on these forums, I thought I would share my idea with you.