Hi All:
I want to convert this kit into a chicken house.
http://www.gtsales.us/products/ez_up.html
It will be 8x6
Do I need to have electricity?
How about windows or skylights?
I was going for a modified version of this
http://www.backyardpoultry.com/index.php?page=./articles/aframe/aframe.html
Any ideas would be appreciated
BB
Chicken House Ideas
That looks like a great idea.
SInce i m a newbie i wish i could offer you more, but i too am looking to make something similar
Are the birds freerange ? or is it for allday confinement, then if that is it i would go for the convenance i would add electricity or a sunroof . Would be cool
hope it helps
sorry i m not more experience :)
sue
What ever it's worth MHO.
This idea has it's pluses and minuses.
Pluses:
It can be moved and the area can be tilled and provide a wonderful growing environment for your veggies.
It's inexpensive and easy to set up.
Minuses:
It will be hard to build roosting and nesting areas.
You will have to build a human door and a chicken access door.
You will need a window on at least three sides for ventilation during summertime especially in Georgia.
If a fabric cover is to be used it's going to get torn up. (Yes by the birds)
These are things that first come to mind. You have to remember I would never raise less than 25 hens. Perhaps if you're just raising a few this would work however. The reason for 25 hens is I can sell the eggs to neighbors, there's safety in numbers, 25 hens guarantee me 20 eggs per day. A dozen eggs brings in $1.25 a piece and that pays for the feed. I also need at least that many to supply my garden with fert. As you can see production is my goal. But not everyones.
If you just want to raise a few chickens in Georgia you really don't need a coop. Just fence in a small yard. Build a house a couple feet off the ground similar to a rabbit house with scrap lumber. Put an old broom handle or even a fat stick in it for them to roost. Throw some straw in the bottom. For the nest use a plastic five gallon bucket placed in the yard on a stand you build from scrap wood about a foot off the ground. Mount it horizontally with the bottom a bit lower than the top. Drill a drainage hole in the very bottom and throw in a small handfull of straw. Use a old clean dog dish for their food and a old clean 21/2 gal. dish tub for their water. The food dish will have to be kept dry so a spot in the house may be best just not under the roost. The water dish can be kept in the yard so a hose can easily reach.
You see how easy it can be. As far as lighting, I have to keep a light in the coop on a timer during the winter so the hens continue to lay. But you certainly don't have to. I do let them molt for a while each year before I turn the light on.
I need more info on your goals.
Thanks,
JB
Thanks JB
Just want to raise a few hens to learn how to care for them etc before we start raising eggs for market.
Just curious. How big a coop do you need for 25 hens?
BB
BB, The idea will fly literally ....... right out of your yard.
Definately, you need electric, both for working and for extra light to keep them laying during the winter. I also have water (at least in the summer). It's WONDERFUL not to have to haul water to them or drag hoses.
LOL
My coop is 8'L x 6'H x 6'W with a lean-to type roof. The easiest thing to build was the floor. It's dirt.....LOL.
I have 1 long roosting post about 5' high on one wall. But this is way more than you actually need. I have 5 5gal buckets as nests on the other wall. 1 nest for every 5 birds is the rule.
Every 2 years I rotate my stock of hens. I raise Rhodies so I have to incubate the eggs myself. (Broodiness has been breed out of Rhode Island Reds). I built my own incubator (very easy to do). Once fully feathered they have to go out to the coop so I section off about 3' with wire to separate the young ones. The remaining 5' is still plenty of room for the others.
So I think in all a 6'x6'x6' is plenty for 25 birds.
JB