Annie! How you set your coop up is going to really determine how many birds it can hold. Remember if you have chickens that live on the floor you could easily have twenty chickens there. Then remember with chickens on the floor anything above the knees is wasted air space unless you do what I did and build a couple of pens on legs. If you had two pens on legs you could have one on each 8ft wall and have your broodies in there. Two eight ft pens would hold about twenty broodies each. After your through those broody pens could be used for mating or what ever. But the potential for that size coop is up to sixty birds, again making good use of your air space is really something to think about. If interested I could send you a few pic's or maybe you have already seen them...Hay
Heres my income tax splurge for the year!
Great, Haystack, I'd love to see pictures of what you did with a coop that size! Please post them!
I had planned to have roosts and some tree limbs in there to make it interesting for them. 6 x 8 floor space doesn't seem like enough space for many LF chickens so I want to make full use of the upper space as well. I'm looking for fence panels on CL to make a secure pen around the new coop. It will take time to put it all together. For now there is no hurry since I have no babies to put in it LOL.
Interesting - I talked to the lady who has the BCM's raised by Goat, the drama momma who attacked me whenever I got near them. She said the chicks are WILD (could be that she hasn't handled them enough??) The other lady who has the ones raised by Charlotte (very protective but quiet) said the chick are VERY friendly and are always under her feet or always trying to get on her lap. I know there was a big difference in the amount of chicks, (Goat 13, Charlotte 7) so that may be it too.
The offspring learn their behaviors from the parent. Goat acted as if people were a threat and the chicks believed her.
Goat, away from babies, is always underfoot, the first to beg for treats and sit on my lap. I think she was an excellent mother even when she was attacking me, I love her for being so protective.
I thought this was really funny... I ordered some blue Cochins a while back, the order kept getting delayed, they were delivered today. The people who have Goat's babies are taking the cochins - when they came to pick them up today they brought a bunch of her babies ---- loose in their SUV---- for me to see!!! They said the chicks are wild, I guess, but so are the owners. They take the chicks for car rides a couple times a week, is that crazy or what??? She said the chicks LOVE their rides and hop right in. They were perched on the seats and when they rolled down the window they gave me some treats (bread) to feed them. It was a frenzy! But then they settled down and took their place on the seats again. Via e-mail she always said she was doing things to keep the chicks entertained, I had no idea she went so far out of her way to entertain them! I'm still laughing and so glad I'm not the one who has to clean out that car!
Oh, and the Cochins... since the order was delayed for so long the lady kindly sent me 18 of them instead of 8. I wasn't going to do it, but, there are now 8 babies in my living room, there is nothing cuter than a baby Cochin. This time I'm the mother so we'll see what their behavior is like when they grow up LOL
I love it!
Hi Annie: Here is a picture of the pens that I build to use inside of my coop. In my 16 x 16 coop I have four of them. I uses 2X2's for front leggs and the back of the coop is screwed into wall studs. This has allowed me to triple the amount of chickens in my coop and I can use the pens for broodies, and when finished I use them for mating pens...Hope this helps...Hay Annie it's hard to see in the pic but there is a door on each end of the pen. The hole in the lower right was used to let the girls go outside from their pen when I opened it. The next pic is not great but is one of them inside of my coop...Hay
This message was edited Mar 30, 2011 8:06 PM
#2
#3 This is one of the pens inside my coop with Dot. That gorgeous bird came to me from ZZ's. This pen is screwed into the studs with one front center leg just to support it. It works wonderful. Again I hope this helps...Hay Notice the chickens on the floor.
This message was edited Mar 30, 2011 8:28 PM
This message was edited Mar 30, 2011 8:40 PM
Wow Haystack.. that is awesome.. Great idea and great work! Love it!
Annie Congrats on the Coop!
Haystack, Your Broody coop looks a lot like the older one I have in my big hen house, I really would love to have two more like it! They are so versatile when you raise Seramas or any Bantam.
Ive been flat on my back with Sinus Infection this past week , so I havent been able to get out to the new coop and paint it yet! The weather hasnt been cooperating either, so Im hoping next week will be better! I cant wait to get the new one set up with the brooder light for the new chickies .
Ive been flat on my back with Sinus Infection this past week , so I haven't been able to get out to the new coop and paint it yet! The weather hasn't been cooperating either, so Im hoping next week will be better! I cant wait to get the new one set up with the brooder light for the new chickies .
I know your pain. Year round here it is either cedar fever, mold or oak pollen and sometimes they overlap. Thank goodness for pseudoephedrine and Naproxen Sodium (Aleve). Taken together this is the only over the counter drug I can take to get relief from sinus headaches.
Can't wait to see pictures of your new chirps. Mine have been here a week yesterday. They are growing like weeds during a wet Spring.
Hope you get to feeling better soon.
This just reinforces the idea that we all need to get together for a Coop Building Party!
They're awesome, Hay, I'm going to figure out how to put one in the main coop since it needs redone anyway - roost areas will be above nesting boxes with a poop tray to make for more floor space. I really think I could make one of those myself with pre-cut wood from Lowes. I see you have a Shop Vac in your work area, Mrs. Hay must love you for cleaning up after yourself LOL
Great coops, Hay!!!
texasrockgarden, you are having a wet spring!?!?! We haven't had rain at my place for over six weeks....send some of that my way if you please =D! I'm getting sick of hoses =8~0. Caterpillars all coming out early. I'm picking them from my freshly leafing out roses and throwing them to the chickens. Does that count as growing my own chicken food? The chickens are loving it!
For all of you that are having flu, colds, sinus problems, I hope you get better soon. It's not fun being under the weather. Also those of you that are having rain, ship to those who are having none...Let's all share. And for those who can build, go share your skills with those who can't build...Thats my solution...Please seriously get well and have a better comming week...Hay
I think the major rain is over with here.. We were a little worried about flooding for a while there..
I hope you get well soon Eufaula..
I wish we could have a coop party.. oh how fun would that be!!??
Wouldn't it be nice if people still helped each other like the quilting bees and barn raisings they used to do? Wonder why that died out? They all had barns after awhile perhaps, or bickering, greed or jealousy.
LFJ... wouldn't that be fun if we could all meet at someone's house and raise a coop, and then the next month, (or trip) would be someone else's? I know I'd enjoy that! Ahh to dream. :)
It really would be.
It would be nice to feel some peace and love for a change.
I think it would be so fun for all of us to get together! I'd bet we'd be too busy taking to get anything built LOL
Thanks for the well wishes Guys! Im doing much better now! The rains here have been relentless, ( Im going fishing for catfish this weekend in my Drive way)! ....but the good news is that our water table is getting much better now and the pollen has been washed away, for a while at least!
I just do not have any close neighbors that would or could help with a "coop raising", and all my family lives so far away. I belong to the Atlanta backyard Poultry meetup group , with many wonderful members but once again I live entirely too far away from most of them to even ask for their help. .......so its me and me, and ME will get er done! Oh if only I had as much money as my Ideas and wants demanded, Id have a regular Hired hand, carpenter and plumber within reach.....oops that sounds like a Husband to me! LOL!!!! Cant seem to find one of those either>>>> Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
What makes you think husbands are that useful?
Porkpal, that made me laugh! My DH is a great guy, but not handy or useful when it comes to building or gardening.
"OUCH" Annie I forgot to tell you that the pic with the shop Vac, is a pen that I built for a customer. She uses it for a mating pen. The chicken wire works well for bantams and standards but not for baby chickes as they can squeeze through the chicken wire. However six inches of hardware cloth around the bottom takes care of that issue.
Eufaula, it's a shame we are not close. I enjoy the building more than anything else and would love to be close enough to help you build all the pens or coop's your heart desires...Hay
.......so its me and me, and ME will get er done! Oh if only I had as much money as my Ideas and wants demanded, Id have a regular Hired hand, carpenter and plumber within reach.....oops that sounds like a Husband to me! LOL!!!! Cant seem to find one of those either>>>> Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
As far as marriage, you don't know how lucky you are! ^_^
At our age about the only thing out there is old dogs that you can't teach new tricks or just plain old throw backs. ^_^
Now if I lived close, I'd come help you built a coop or two for a few good home cooked meals.
Awww, Hay, the Shop Vac comment was a compliment!
;0) , Thanks Hay and Texas, I know you would and Id cook up a storm!!
Thanks Annie, I was saying "OUCH" to Porkpals comment...LOL...Hay
Well I thought Id have enough time to get the new coop painted and shingled before Id really need it! WRONG!!
My little TSC babies started growing like weeds and I had to get them out of the 2X3 ft rabbit cage that I was using. Im so used to raising bantams in it that I forgot how fast LF grow! I had to separate the 2 tiny Sultan and 2 (unknown) bantams,from the LF yesterday and give them their own space.
Since the nights are still pushing the upper 30's here and the days are starting to get warmer and warmer, I decided that they really needed to get used to being in the sunshine. I can turn on the brooder light at night and slide their door closed so they stay nice and snuggly.
Ive been pulling clumps of tender grass and weeds , leaving the little bit of dirt around the roots. I then place them on a plastic tray, a living carpet . the babies love it and spent hours today picking , sunning and dusting in the grass.
Since I have several of these trays, I thought that I would buy some potting soil and some inexpensive bird seed or wild bird seed, and plant a grass tray every two or three weeks to keep a supply of "grass carpet' going for them.
That is a wonderful little set up Eufaula. Those little ones are no doubt in paradise...Your one great chicken mommy...Hay
The birds are so pretty, and the coop awesome.
Thank You hay and LFJ.
What a great set up you have going for them! They look like they really love the grass. It's fun to entertain them, isn't it?
They are so cute when they are that age! Thanks for the update!
Glad to see you are giving yours greens. I garden some in wheat straw bales and there are always wheat sprouts. Gonna cut some for the chirps today!
Here is a pic of my little chirps uder the red light. They go thru a qt of vitamin water and a tray of med starter food a day. They are starting to use their baby roost already.
This message was edited Apr 4, 2011 10:32 AM
Eufaula, that is a fantastic idea! I love it! Apparently, the chicks do too. :) Everyone knows I'm a strong believer in giving them greens and dirt at a young age.. The tray idea was perfect!
That's a great looking set up too Texas.. :)