Go one big...or a few small?

[Wegs813]

I am having a really hard time deciding what I want to do for coops, so figured I would come to the place that I know can help me decide. Last fall we had the plans all drawn up to go with one rather large coop, now I'm not so sure.
I will need the space to hold about 100 birds, maybe more. Would like space for my layers, a grow out area, and a couple of breeding pens.
We will also be going with automatic feeders and waterers...my husband has that all figured out I guess.
What would you do, and why would you do it?
What do other people have that have a larger number of birds?
A year ago I never would have thought I would be asking this question, but obviously I have issues like a few others on this board.

 

[BrianT]

Chances are pretty good that you will eventually want even more chickens. If you have the space and means to provide it, GO BIG!

 

[Ivywoods]

I've been in the process of trying to decide this very thing all winter. The weather has kept me from doing anything, and yet maybe that is good. While waiting for better weather I have changed my mind several times about what I am going to build. I'm thinking about the same numbers as you list, several different breeds.

I had drawn up a "nifty" set of plans for the small individual breeder coops along with the runs for each coop and how I would run the automatic waterers and feeders. Now I've changed my mind again.

[/img]

Here is the barn that blew down last summer. Actually, only the back half blew down. The upper roof you see and the back wall you don't see are gone. I've decided it would be a heck of a lot easier to have everything enclosed, and runs off the front of this old barn. It is block walls with cement floor. I was just going to build back the half that is standing, but my husband says let's build the whole thing back, only we won't use block where it is missing. We will use lumber and tin. It will be about 20' x 40' when finished. I think it will be better than individual housing. I can keep my supplies and feed all inside, work inside with them when the weather is bad and will have plenty of room.

It's going to take longer to do it this way with just me and my hubby working on it, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. My breeding plans may have to wait a few more months.

Good luck with your plans.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Even more than 100 chickens! Yikes! Any kind of housing for 100 chickens is going to be big; more than that, you're talking GIANT.

 

[patandchickens]

One big is generally cheaper per sq ft to build (unless you get into wide free-span buildings). Also more efficient for you to work in. Also more flexible (more ways to change dividers around to meet future needs). Also only ONE place to run electricity and water to... and if you are going to have 100 chickens you WILL want a waterline and probably electric too. Make sure building is designed with good forethought to how you will arrange runs around it.

OTOH there is something to be said for having at least one 'satellite' building, for starting baby chicks.

On the *other* other hand, plenty of people do start their chicks in the same building as the adult chickens without having anything excessively catastrophic happen. Yet, anyhow.

So in a lot of situations I think one big building would be more efficient... but, that does not *guarantee* it'd be best for you.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[gryeyes]

My back yard is a Chicken Coop Compound, with multiple coops and attached pens on some. I built 3 (and A-Frame, a plain old box with a lid Duck House NOT used by the ducks at all, and a 4 x 8 coop), transmorgrified a plastic Little Tykes playhouse into a coop, and put up several coop "kits" as grow-out coops.

I am now having an 8 x 8 coop built. I'll continue to use the coop kits as grow-out coops. The A-frame appears to be a sort of day-care and layer place, but only one hen sleeps in it; it was a great place for my broody BO's "confinement" period, too.

My chickens do a certain amount of "coop hopping" as they develop different friendships.

If I'd had any sense that I would go chicken crazy back when I started with chickens, I would have built one really big coop. But this is okay, as I'll have plenty of places to house convalescing chickens, new additions for integration, etc.

The BAD thing is that there are more coops to clean, and more places to look for eggs!

 

[BrianT]

Quote:
Classic Calvin and Hobbs! Nice!

 

[Judy]

I'd definitely build one big building with dividers, as Patandchickens talked about, making things as easy as I could to change around if I needed to. To me the only reason you'd want another would be if you planned to bring older birds onto the property regularly, so you'd have a good downwind place to quarantine. I don't think most people quarantine new chicks; I wouldn't, and if I brooded new chicks I'd still want them in the same building. Cornish X, too, if you raise them, you might want separate.

Living where you do, one building also has the advantage of keeping all that body heat in one place, maybe keeping them a tad warmer.

 

[secuono]

I would do one long horse barn type coop. Easy to divide it all up and add the runs.

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly if one is going to have a whole lot of chickens then personally I think it is pretty unwise to do things that would *require* quarantining. If one is going to, it should probably be just a couple-few chickens and I would make a totally separate setup for them on the faaaarrrrrr end of the property.

The thing about raising baby chicks separately applies even when they are hatched from your own flock... it can protect them somewhat from whatever diseases are asymptomatically resident in your flock (e.g. Mareks) til they are older and their immune system is better equipped to fight the bugs off. Some feel it's important, others don't; but it is something to at least read up on and think about whatcha want to do.

Pat