The Goose Pen


It doesn't have geese anymore, but this was built to be a "range shelter" for the geese we used to have, back in the olden days. :-) It's painted plywood over a frame of 2 by 4s. The whole thing is about 3.5-4 feet tall (it slopes), 3 feet deep, and 6 feet wide. It has a shingled roof to keep the rain out, and a PVC pipe secured inside as a perch. The outside "run" is one of a few such panels that we made ages ago. It's called hog wire, and it's about 4 feet tall. We attached chicken wire to that, and the pen has plastic tree netting over the top. This was meant to be a temporary setup when we first moved here, but like most things that are supposed to be temporary it has become pretty much permanent. It comfortably holds about 6 bantams.

 


The Brooder Room


As you might have guessed from its name, this is one of the main pens for brooding chicks. For the first week I keep them in a cardboard box, then into a round metal wash tub for the second week, then into a series of livestock troughs for the third through fifth weeks. Then when they turn six weeks old I move them outside into this brooder room.

It's 4 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 8 feet tall. It's a 2 by 4 frame with chicken wire and some plywood. My brother made this coop, and it's great. It's located in the corner of the barn, so it only has two walls and a roof. The other two walls are the barn itself.

I also sometimes keep show birds in here after washing them, since I don't brood chicks during the fall and winter (show season). But the door should have been taller. I always whack my head on the frame!

 


Bub's Coop

I acquired this from a very generous friend of mine. This photo was taken during the disinfection process (yes, even new coops get quarantined!), so no birds are in it yet. It's 6 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet deep.

I've since moved this coop and have birds in it and I really like it! I covered the top and upper part of the walls with heavy clear plastic to keep the rain out, and it stays nice and dry in there.

 


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