Ok so this is our first really good year going at this on the new farm. The first year was a dud so I am ignoring that one. Ok so here is what we have. Right now I have a mini coop that is like 4x8 for 5 bantam birds but my son wants more. We have a HUGE cattle barn that we converted over to a coop that now houses my 11 layers, 4 roo's and 4 geese. The geese are being kicked out because they killed a couple of my layers. We are getting 25+ chicks in january. All of this is contained inside a very large fenced in run.
The geese are not a huge issue because we have a pond that is fenced on 3 sides already and we are just going to run that 4th side and build them their own little barn to sleep and have babies in. Knowing my mother it will not be so little but thats on her plate, not mine.
The bantams I was thinking maybe of building a new coop that is closer to our building site. ( we are building a house next year too) That way next winter getting heat to them would be easier. I was thinking one of those all enclosed types with the coop up top cover about half the space and then the bottom being all run. Very self contained. Egg box located on the outside to make it easier. Access door to make getting into the coop area easier for cleaning. I think that might work maybe.
The current bantam house I am trying to figure out how to make it into an outdoor baby brooder because there are too many of us in this house right now for me to really deal with babies inside. Its insanity. It is wood floor on one side and hardware cloth on the other. That might have to change. This large box standing on 6 legs/ slanted roof. Front in hardware cloth but the rest is done in wood barn siding. The hubby is trying to figure out how to do a solar heater for them since its hard to run electric to where they are now, although I guess I could move it closer.
The calf barn converted into a coop is going amazingly well. The birds are warm enough even without a heater and it seems pretty secure so far. What I am not happy with is the nesting boxes. They seem to hate them anymore. I have only a couple now that will use them. I provided a few with a small galvanized trash can with bedding in it to lay in since they refused to use the nesting boxes and now they are all fighting over the stupid can. My hubby followed plans for them but these seem to not meet their needs. Its in a dark isolated corner sort of, as dark and isolated as anything can be in our coop. I don't know what else to offer them. I guess they could just keep using the cans. Lord knows they are super easy to clean.
Any ideas on all this. I really need to rethink how everything is done right now because we want to get more birds and seperate our smaller ones and try to not use electricity so we do not have to run extention cords. ( little mini electric fire prompted this one)
The geese are not a huge issue because we have a pond that is fenced on 3 sides already and we are just going to run that 4th side and build them their own little barn to sleep and have babies in. Knowing my mother it will not be so little but thats on her plate, not mine.
The bantams I was thinking maybe of building a new coop that is closer to our building site. ( we are building a house next year too) That way next winter getting heat to them would be easier. I was thinking one of those all enclosed types with the coop up top cover about half the space and then the bottom being all run. Very self contained. Egg box located on the outside to make it easier. Access door to make getting into the coop area easier for cleaning. I think that might work maybe.
The current bantam house I am trying to figure out how to make it into an outdoor baby brooder because there are too many of us in this house right now for me to really deal with babies inside. Its insanity. It is wood floor on one side and hardware cloth on the other. That might have to change. This large box standing on 6 legs/ slanted roof. Front in hardware cloth but the rest is done in wood barn siding. The hubby is trying to figure out how to do a solar heater for them since its hard to run electric to where they are now, although I guess I could move it closer.
The calf barn converted into a coop is going amazingly well. The birds are warm enough even without a heater and it seems pretty secure so far. What I am not happy with is the nesting boxes. They seem to hate them anymore. I have only a couple now that will use them. I provided a few with a small galvanized trash can with bedding in it to lay in since they refused to use the nesting boxes and now they are all fighting over the stupid can. My hubby followed plans for them but these seem to not meet their needs. Its in a dark isolated corner sort of, as dark and isolated as anything can be in our coop. I don't know what else to offer them. I guess they could just keep using the cans. Lord knows they are super easy to clean.
Any ideas on all this. I really need to rethink how everything is done right now because we want to get more birds and seperate our smaller ones and try to not use electricity so we do not have to run extention cords. ( little mini electric fire prompted this one)
