Picking up Chicks...

Befitting Spring, we recently picked up some new chicks, the avian kind. Meat birds - Cornish Cross - not laying hens (we are trying another breed, Freedom Ranger, later as well). Our hens are in overdrive and we only add new blood to our laying flock every two or three years.

You may already know we go to extremes to house our happy hens (see our post "Coopus Optimus" ). While we love the birds, we love even more being able to tend to them with ease and convenience. If it's easy, we find we keep their lodging cleaner and well tended as we should. We are happier and the chickens are healthier &, presumably, happier, too.
To this end we built a brooder to replace the annual foil lined cardboard boxes we raised chicks in until they are big enough to be out on their own. Now in it's second year I am happy to report it is a great success and am willing to share it's design.

Using 1"x1/2" hardware cloth, J-clamps for connectors (Your local feed or hardware store should have these and the tool to clamp them. They are used for building cages), a utility tray (hardware store), the foil covered bubble insulation often used to wrap water heaters, and a couple miscellaneous handles, we built the cage.

The key to the project was wanting a brooder that was easy to clean. This entailed a removable pan that can slide out and be cleaned without disturbing the chicks.
 After much searching (baking pans, tupperware, etc.) we found these great Utility Trays at a local hardware store. They were big enough (18"x30" or more), but too deep (4" - 6"). But nothing else was even close to what we wanted. However, as there were heavy plastic we were able to cut it down to the 2" we wanted.
To finish it off we added a handle to one end.
Now we had the template for our brooder.

We hang short pieces of the insulation with wire to keep heat in.

 Next we built an elevated cage. The floor is very slightly larger than the dimensions of the tray, so it will slide in and out. The walls are 10" tall from the floor to accommodate the growing chicks for several weeks. To make it fit over the tray, that means the side & back walls are made from pieces of hardware cloth 12" tall, with the floor attached 2" from the bottom. The front wall is only 10" high and attaches at the floor, allowing a space to remove the tray.
We put a solid 'roof' on the back half of the brooder, and loosely attached the front half so that it could be opened to tend to our chicks.
We cut holes in the front to allow the use of a couple of rabbit feeder to use when the chicks were older. As new chicks they are not tall enough to access those feeders and we place a smaller chick feeder & waterer inside the cage.

Wooden knob is to open front 1/2 of top

Now, the most important thing for raising newborn chicks is keeping them warm. This is easiest to achieve using a light bulb. As we are off-grid and produce our own power (Power in the Storm), our out buildings are wired to 24vt power, similar to a boat. So we use marine 24vt bulbs.

Place insulated cover over lamp...

We use the insulated metallic bubble wrap to keep the heat in. We construct a 4-sided box to cover the back half of the cage, top & 3 sides, using duct tape to fasten the pieces. In the top we traced the edge of the lamp. Using that circle as a guide, we cut slits in the shape of pie slices so it fits over the lamp & keep the heat in.

$6 indoor/outdoor thermometer keeps track of conditions.

This year it was so cold when we got the chicks we made an additional 'inner sanctum' from a 10" wide, 3' long strip of the bubble insulation with a doorway cut into it. Taped into a cylinder, it fit right under the light to concentrate the heat (see final photo below). It works perfectly.
Now that it's warmed up we removed it and they are roaming more.

We regulate the temp. by wattage of light bulb (25wt or 50wt)

Now all you need are wood shavings, newspaper, or other bedding to put in the tray for the manure to fall into (it's just too disgusting otherwise). Turn on the light & add chicks!

Later in the season (when it quits raining) we plan to make a portable pen/chicken tractor so we can range our meat birds on our hilly pasture. We'll keep you posted.

Cozy in their new home

Coopus Optimus...

This post is for the birds. Chickens in particular. Our laying hens had lived in temporary housing since we moved here in 1977. This year we put the finishing touches on the Ultimate Hen Coop and the girls finally have the deluxe housing they so richly deserve. Our steady egg production and happy hens indicate that they appreciate it.

It's testimony to how easy it is to raise poultry that they did so well in the various housing they were given. From a tiny 4 foot high by 4 foot wide by 2 feet deep coop to refurbished pig and goat pens, they still provided us with eggs and meat. Unfortunately they also provided a lot of the local wildlife with meat and eggs as well.
EVERYTHING likes poultry! And we have a wide variety of predators here: coyotes; fox; hawks; skunks; bobcat; cougar; raccoons... All fond of a chicken dinner. And rats, snakes, and squirrels enjoy eggs. And mice like the feed... The list goes on and on. Our eggs were fabulous but, given all the native competition, they were also rather expensive.

We had plenty of time to ponder the perfect hencoop and all the features that would make it most useful to us and the hens. Here are the things that ended up on our list:

1) Roomy. We wanted to make sure there was enough room the hens would not be too crowded. When crowded they have problems from illness to aggression. We also wanted to have room to raise meat birds part of the year. The bird's indoor portion of our coop is 6 feet by 10 feet in size, with a covered enclosed 10 by 10 foot space outside.

2) Easy to clean. Chicken manure is a wonderful thing. It can also be really disgusting. We wanted the main poop collection area, that is, the area where they sleep, to be dry and easy to access and clean. And cleanliness helps prevent parasites and other negative health issues.
One big step toward this was pouring a cement slab for the chicken's living area and putting their roost on hinges so it could easily be raised out of the way. It attaches to a hook in the ceiling. We also have a hinged lower wall behind the roost that opens so we can easily shovel out the manure mixed with bedding (wood shavings).

3) Safe. With all the hungry critters in the woods we know we have to be able to completely lock up our birds when there are predators in the area. We wanted to have both indoor and outdoor safe areas. This means a roof to protect from hawks as well as fencing that a skunk won't dig under or a raccoon dismantle or climb over. Foxes and bobcats can get in tiny openings, too. We also have a door that closes from indoors via a pulley system to lock the girls in at night, and a door separating their covered yard from the larger outdoor run. On nice days when there have been no predators about recently we can turn them loose into the world at large.

4) Sturdy. We can get a lot of snow here in the winter. We learned that chicken wire holds snow really well, until you are under it trying to do something. And it will also collapse under the weight of snow, taking wooden supports with it.  A solid roof that sheds snow was a must.
Also, any loose boards that can be pried make entries for a variety of critters. Solid siding is important.

5) Well ventilated. It gets hot here in the summer. Poultry wilts, wings sagging, which can result in health issues and egg production going down. Having good cross ventilation in the coop makes a world of difference. We were lucky to have scrounged 3 free windows that open from the dump/recycling center. We also put in a solid vent that is "screened" with chicken wire.

6) Versatile. We wanted ample room for the birds, to separate an injured bird, broody hen, or raise hatchery chicks. We wanted this space to be flexible, so in the chicken part of the coop we made chicken wire doors that could separate an area when needed, but open out of the way otherwise.

7) Human friendly. This means storage space, easy access to all parts of the coop, and lighting. It also meant a covered entry so we wouldn't get soaked unloading feed during the monsoon... I mean, rainy season.

You can see the nest boxes are located in the "human" area, taking no space from the hens at all, And are "double decked" with 4 boxes proving plenty for 14 hens.
The hens indoor area has a ceiling which creates an overhead loft for storage of various tools which are not in constant use. We also have a hinged shelf that holds a brooder (read: foil lined cardboard box) for hatchery chicks when needed, but otherwise folds out of the way. We keep the chicken feed and hen scratch in a metal garbage can for further protection from mice and such.

Everyone will come up with the design that best fits their needs and terrain, but we are tremendously happy with ours. 10 years in the planning, it paid off when we finally had the opportunity to build it.