True it is not a great picture. It is cold here and my chickens are scared of the camera.
The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site
- Thread starter Robert Blosl
- Start date
I have nesting boxes that attach to the back corner of each pen, I simply haven't put them in yet since there are no hens in the pens right now, only cockerels. The overall dimensions of the entire thing is 6x12 it is 4' high at the back and 5' high at the front. So each pen is 3x6. Perfect for a pair. .. possibly doable for a trio. Too small for 4 birds.where do they lay there eggs? And how many can you fit in each section?Chris's pens were my inspiration... Still need to finish the front and rear trap doors on the two end pens, but putting the clear vinyl on at 7am this morning was a higher priority... gonna be in the teens here tonight. I need to add hook and eye latches too - as you can tell from the logs holding them closed in front. Right now they are simply housing two cockerels, but will be used for breeding pairs and trios over the winter. The clear vinyl is attached with Velcro and rolls up and down depending on the weather. The lower half on the back side is a hinged door that flips down for easy access to both feeding and egg gathering. The plywood partitions on the lower interior half are removable to covert the entire thing to a grow out pen over the summer.
HAHAHA! Most of mine are too.
I got yea. I need them for at least 4 or 5 birds. Thinking more for the future. Only like to build things once. LOL How about rain. Do they not get wet since all sides are open. I have seen people with pens like this. I'm just asking so I understand how it all works.
I may just have to build houses like I have but smaller. I have sections fenced in 8x8. Maybe put up 4x5 houses in each one.
You already have a fenced in 8x 8 area? Then maybe a roof on the back half and a billboard tarp to wrap the sides is all you need. For easy to install roofing check out the metal roofing or plastic corrugated roofing at lowes. It may not be the cheapest roof but wow is it ever easy to install. Just build the frame at the right slope, add 4 - 5 panels to cover your pen and done. no felting no shingles = so easy.
There is also the hoop coop method: http://www.raincreekpottery.com/Pages/HoopCoopChickenTractor.aspx
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Yea those r even a bit expensive at the moment. My house's are built from fencing at Lowes. They are the cheapest boards to be found. Like a $1.20 a 6' board. The pens are just 4' chicken wire around the metal posts. So couldn't really put up a roof on it.
I got yea. I need them for at least 4 or 5 birds. Thinking more for the future. Only like to build things once. LOL How about rain. Do they not get wet since all sides are open. I have seen people with pens like this. I'm just asking so I understand how it all works.Just wondering when it's windy, rainy, winter.
After this cold front moves thru I'll get some better pics. I have clear vinyl I cut to each opening which is attached with Velcro. In the summer it is totally removed. .. in the winter I can roll it up or leave sections down depending on the weather. I tend to roll all side down on cold nights. If it isn't going to get below freezing then I don't bother rolling the top sections down, just the bottom.
I toyed with just tarping or stapled plastic but when I found this clear vinyl it was perfect for letting light on bit breaking the wind. And reusable from year to year. Check out the MyTarp.com Web page. They sell it by the yard.
Lowes sells fancy plywood that has grooves to interlock, it is thick stuff. But the groves are not thick and they get damaged easily by the forklifts in the store. Our lowes leaves the damaged ones on the shelf but when asked, they will sell them for $10 each instead of the almost $30. Then there are the piles of 2 x 4 x 8 #2 wood pieces that are just under $3 each. If you have a way to cut the plywood, you can make some cheap doghouse style chicken coops that have a door opening into your 8 x 8 area. If you make a 4*4 sleeping area only coop to connect to the 8 x 8 pen it should house 5 chickens. It would take 3 pieces of plywood, a pair of hinges, less than 6 of the #2 2x4x8 wood, and a cheap milk crate or free bucket for a nest. $30 for the plywood, $20 for the 2x4x8 wood, $10 or less for hinges and a latch. Less than $75 total including tax. Cheap but it would be only a night time coop it would not really house them during the day if they did not want to go out and play in the snowYea those r even a bit expensive at the moment. My house's are built from fencing at Lowes. They are the cheapest boards to be found. Like a $1.20 a 6' board. The pens are just 4' chicken wire around the metal posts. So couldn't really put up a roof on it.We are paying for our daughter to finish school these next 3 months or so, so I'm looking for cheap cheap cheap. Even if it's for 1 year. Which I really don't like.
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