Designing a chicken coop

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by sbrokvam, Oct 1, 2009.

  1. sbrokvam

    sbrokvam Junior Member

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    Hi, I am getting ready to build a chicken coop. I have an area lined up, about 3 x 3 metres. I'm thinking I'll fence this area (with chicken wire 1.2 metres wide) and build a house for them as well. They'll get some time each day to roam more freely in the garden as well. Does this sound like adequate space?

    Do you reckon I need to worry about predators when I live in suburbia, with at least 10k to the city limits (Gold Coast, Qld)? I do live next to a small park, but have never seen anything nastier than a magpie in the area.

    Also - and this is my main question - can you recommend any good sites for chicken coop designs? The maximum number of birds I can have on this size block is six.

    Thanks!
    Ståle
     
  2. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: Designing a chicken coop

    Hello sbrokvam there is a good design on the web associated with the Dept of Ag. I will get back to you on it but as for preditors - I sometime think the burbs are more feral with foxes roaming shopping centre and dog abounding. If you look to make their house safe and look to locking them away each night it would be best IMHO
    regards
     
  3. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Re: Designing a chicken coop

    sbrokvam, it sounds like the parameters offered my be determined by external influences...

    Making a double pen is always smart, you can grow all sorts in that size pen.

    All I would advise is that you build/make nice nestboxes with external access, the rest is up to you. Chook pens can always be modified or extended and you may with to do this in the future. I dont know if you need to roof it but I dont live anywere near the Gold Coast.

    enjoy the chooks..

    ho-hum
     
  4. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Re: Designing a chicken coop

    I can't find the site but if you do a search for chicken penthouse you can get the idea and if you are interested I will search further as the designer is at the Tocal small farms field day each year and sells the plans for not much.
    regards
     
  5. sbrokvam

    sbrokvam Junior Member

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    Re: Designing a chicken coop

    Thanks guys for all the advice. In the end, I chickened out :) and found a good-looking one on eBay from close by and for an okay price. I would have preferred to build it myself from all recycled materials, of course, but have so many other projects going that it probably wouldn't have happened this year, and I'm keen to get some fresh eggs going for brekky soon!
     

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