We've decided to get a couple laying hens. Our plan is to buy 3 hens that are already laying, then get 3 chicks during Chick Days at Tractor Supply to replace the older hens. That being said, last night I started construction of the chicken coop.
After looking at dozens of plans, pre-built coops, and kits, I decided to design my own. Our coop is 4'x4' with a roof that goes from 5'4" to 4' (16 inches of drop in 4 feet = 4-12 pitch). The coop will be raised off the ground 16 inches on 4x4 stilts, allowing the chickens to have that 16 sq.ft. of shade as part of the run. The whole run will be approximately 20x5 or 100 sq.ft. The laying boxes will stick out from the main coop for easy external access. That will also allow my wife & kids to harvest the eggs without having to enter the run or the coop.
Last night I got the floor done, the short wall and high wall, and the rafters on. Tonight my goal is to have all of the framing done and ready for sides. Our goal is to be ready to pick up our hens and rabbits in 2 weeks and the pigs shortly after. So with so many new projects, hens, rabbits, pigs, commercial garlic growing, it should be a more exciting blog this year.
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