CHICKEN COUPE
- Thread starter chili
- Start date
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dlabrie
Gold Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( By the way backyard chickens.com is a great site, but it appears to be gone. Haven't been able to acces it for 3-4 weeks now. )</font>
Backyard chickens is still on line. I check in just about every day, just like here/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif There are over 6400 members! Check it out.
Backyard chickens is still on line. I check in just about every day, just like here/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif There are over 6400 members! Check it out.
ALBALD1
Silver Member
glad to see backyard chickens still up. i haven't been able to get it home or at work, but just got it thru your link. so i re-added it to my favs. great site for chicken info.
Varmintmist
Platinum Member
The most important factor in buliding a chicken coupe is to ONLY put 1 door facing north and ONLY one door facing south.
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If you put in 2 north facing doors and 2 south facing doors you have built a chicken sedan.
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If you put in 2 north facing doors and 2 south facing doors you have built a chicken sedan.
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cmhyland
Platinum Member
Chilli,
How cold does it get there? It makes a difference. I had laying hens for 10 years and winter in New England can change your design.
I had a man door facing east and a hen door facing west. I had a 10x12 coup andthe walls and ceiling were insullated.
The building was up off the ground with mesh wire from under the skirt boards to 16 inches into the ground to keep preditors out from under the building. The floor inside was 3/4 inch plywood with 2 inches of concrete poured over it.
I also had a caged in area out back covered in tight mesh wire on the sides and top, and the mesh went 16 inches into the ground. The area was 12x20.
The feeder was hung off the ceiling and I had two sets of commercial nesting boxes on the walls. I had 20 nests and that will accomodate 60 hens fine. The waterer was on a stand on the floor.
I used lights on timers (16 hours of light) to keep the girls laying. I also ran infrared heatlaps in the winter. They layed all year round.
Pine shavings in the nest boxes is the best. Hay is very bad and can cause respiratoy problems ( mold) in the birds.
I used coarse saw dust for floor bedding from a local sawmill.
I would recommend a roosting bar in the coup, about 2 feet off the floor. It's best to provide space for the birds to roost off the floor . 12 inches of roost space for each hen.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Chris
How cold does it get there? It makes a difference. I had laying hens for 10 years and winter in New England can change your design.
I had a man door facing east and a hen door facing west. I had a 10x12 coup andthe walls and ceiling were insullated.
The building was up off the ground with mesh wire from under the skirt boards to 16 inches into the ground to keep preditors out from under the building. The floor inside was 3/4 inch plywood with 2 inches of concrete poured over it.
I also had a caged in area out back covered in tight mesh wire on the sides and top, and the mesh went 16 inches into the ground. The area was 12x20.
The feeder was hung off the ceiling and I had two sets of commercial nesting boxes on the walls. I had 20 nests and that will accomodate 60 hens fine. The waterer was on a stand on the floor.
I used lights on timers (16 hours of light) to keep the girls laying. I also ran infrared heatlaps in the winter. They layed all year round.
Pine shavings in the nest boxes is the best. Hay is very bad and can cause respiratoy problems ( mold) in the birds.
I used coarse saw dust for floor bedding from a local sawmill.
I would recommend a roosting bar in the coup, about 2 feet off the floor. It's best to provide space for the birds to roost off the floor . 12 inches of roost space for each hen.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Chris
Raising chickens is pretty easy. As for housing them they dont need a whole lot. I ended up using a spare stable stall 12x12 with an outside wall to another 12x12 area. Inside I have nest box for 10 birds ( i have 18 birds). A handing feed trough and a waterer on the ground.
I dont have much of an issue with preditors so the outside area is pretty much just mesh and 2x4 setting on the ground. I know some people use dog runs for small flocks.
Winters you will see a drop off of production but with a lamp and timer and pleny of non frozen water they will still produce.
We have an over abundance of eggs in the summer (12-15)/day. In the winter we end up with 2-6/day.
I dont have much of an issue with preditors so the outside area is pretty much just mesh and 2x4 setting on the ground. I know some people use dog runs for small flocks.
Winters you will see a drop off of production but with a lamp and timer and pleny of non frozen water they will still produce.
We have an over abundance of eggs in the summer (12-15)/day. In the winter we end up with 2-6/day.
cmhyland
Platinum Member
Just remember never hardboil fresh eggs.... You'll never get the shells off.... Eggs should be about a week old before hard boiling.
Regards,
Chris
Regards,
Chris
btolle
Platinum Member
I thought chicken coupe was spelled chicken COOP! Maybe I have been wrong all these years.
BTW, I don't know about other parts of the country but in Texas the hawks love to have baby chicks for lunch so you may need to put some wire on top of the enclosure.
Bill Tolle
BTW, I don't know about other parts of the country but in Texas the hawks love to have baby chicks for lunch so you may need to put some wire on top of the enclosure.
Bill Tolle
BillyP, that sure is one big coop you have. Sorry i spelled coop as coupe. I hear the commercial growers get their feed from the processers. Is that stuff pumped up with steriods or something? Sure seems like something is going on to grow them so quick. What's up with that. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
dlabrie
Gold Member
I believe that chickens are one of the best animals for converting feed into meat. A meat bird is ready for the table in just 7 weeks!
