As we have had the chickens a year and the ducks for 9 months we are still working out the kinks. For me I have used the buildings already on the old farm that we bought and rearranged them for coops. One is an old shed that is open on one side- Awesome in the summer but lacking in winter (we did not winter them in this) and the other is the big barn.
1 lots of space!!! I have 40 x 20 in which I dedicated to sleeping and nest boxes I also have one bin of food in this room. I can also close off this space in the winter on the coldest days and they stayed pretty warm. 20 x 60 in which I have food on one end and water on the other end in the winter (in the summer I am trying to water them outside). A run 20 x 40. The open space is 20 x 20. So for 60 birds I have a lot of space (that is the # I wintered with)
2. Electricity I like that I can go out and check them in the middle of the night without a light or if I have to do repairs the plug is handy.
3. Water/ storage. There is water pretty handy in the open shed and it is nice not to have to haul water, the barn I do have to haul and it kind of stinks. I like that I have a spot to put my feed bins that is right by the birds and yet in a seperate spot so they don't roost on the handles and poo on it.
1 lots of space!!! I have 40 x 20 in which I dedicated to sleeping and nest boxes I also have one bin of food in this room. I can also close off this space in the winter on the coldest days and they stayed pretty warm. 20 x 60 in which I have food on one end and water on the other end in the winter (in the summer I am trying to water them outside). A run 20 x 40. The open space is 20 x 20. So for 60 birds I have a lot of space (that is the # I wintered with)
2. Electricity I like that I can go out and check them in the middle of the night without a light or if I have to do repairs the plug is handy.
3. Water/ storage. There is water pretty handy in the open shed and it is nice not to have to haul water, the barn I do have to haul and it kind of stinks. I like that I have a spot to put my feed bins that is right by the birds and yet in a seperate spot so they don't roost on the handles and poo on it.
