My dad has been raising chickens for a few years, so I decided to join in. He's picking up 8-10 australorps for me, and I'll get them when they are at egg laying age which is in about 8-10 weeks. So, first step is to build a coop. I wanted something that would be low to zero maintenance, so I went with a plastic shed. I figure it will be easy to power wash when needed.
The shed is 7x7 which is plenty for 8-10 chickens and still allows me to expand if I want to. I raised the shed two feet off the ground so the chickens have more room and to keep mice from nesting under the shed. Surrounding the shed will be a 13x14 enclosure which will be covered by 1/2 inch hardware cloth. This area will be filled with river sand. The back half of the enclosure will have a steel roof which will provide protection from the elements for the chickens and their feed.
On each corner of the enclosure will be an access port which will allow me to move my 10x18 chicken tractor when needed. This will allow me to move them to "greener pastures" which will be a combination of grass and clover.
Right now, I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate, so things are kind of slow going, but here's a picture of my progress.
If anyone has suggestions, I'm open to them.
The shed is 7x7 which is plenty for 8-10 chickens and still allows me to expand if I want to. I raised the shed two feet off the ground so the chickens have more room and to keep mice from nesting under the shed. Surrounding the shed will be a 13x14 enclosure which will be covered by 1/2 inch hardware cloth. This area will be filled with river sand. The back half of the enclosure will have a steel roof which will provide protection from the elements for the chickens and their feed.
On each corner of the enclosure will be an access port which will allow me to move my 10x18 chicken tractor when needed. This will allow me to move them to "greener pastures" which will be a combination of grass and clover.
Right now, I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate, so things are kind of slow going, but here's a picture of my progress.
If anyone has suggestions, I'm open to them.