Key Design Features for Small Hatchery and Brood room? Love to see everyone else designs

[RememberTheWay]

I am currently redoing a four sided metal carport (sides go to the ground) into a small private hatching room, processing area for packaging hatching eggs and chicks for local sales (possibly shipping too). So far what I am thinking is we will close in the open end and install a door. I am also going to install a new door on the back of the carport that will open up to a covered breezeway that the entrance to my breeder coops will be in. Which will be a commercial sized high tunnel cut in half.

Anyways - I am planning (possibly) to put a wall half back in the carport to divide it into two equal rooms. The front portion will be closed in with another door and that room will house my incubators, stored eggs, and maybe a beginner brooder for the first WK of life. It will also keep my supplies for packaging and shipping, wing bands, leg bands, etc.

The second half of the carport will be devoted to a large indoor brooder, an "evaluation station" with three small cages that I intend to use for sorting chicks and evaluating grow outs/mature birds. Maybe I should keep the banding station here too? I am thinking I will build cages along the walls of this room of various sizes for pair mating and grow outs to be housed during the winter so I can provide heat/climate control.

I am still very much in the designing phase and none of my plans are set in stone. I would love to hear from other breeders who have built similar facilities. Photos would be amazing! I would love to hear about what you love about your rooms, what you did that you would change because you thought it sounded good but in functionality it doesn't work, and what you wish you had built for features. I need floor plan ideas and inspiration on number of cages, sizes of cages, types of cages, storage, etc.

To add- I plan to process whole birds and quail here as well. I think I am going to upcycled a small camper I have on the property to use for processing. I would love to hear all the same ^ for your processing facilities too. And what kind of things I should think about while designing the processing camper.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a cute picture for your enjoyment and of course attention

 

[Alaskan]

I haven't ever done wing banding.

I have done metal bands on parrots, and zip ties for chickens, but never had a set up for it.

I haven't ever done large scale... but for some odd years I sold fertile eggs, eating eggs, chicks, and chickens.

So.....

As to breeding cages etc.... depends on what you are talking about...quail? Which kind? Coturnix quail, or buttons, don't need much space... others need more... some tiny bantams don't need much space...

Anyway... my point, no idea on what sizes you would need.

I set up my chicken coop so that I could divide it into multiple sections as needs dictated.

I have greatly admired the setups where many pens or runs all come off of a center access area to reduce work with feed and water.

Feed and water are your biggest time investments. Figuring that out is most important.

You need no spill feeders and waterers that stay clean, are easy and fast to clean, and easy and fast to see the level/amount of feed and water.

I have no idea where you are located... but it sounds like you are where it is cold... so figure out the freezing water issue.

If I could redo everything, and money were no option.... I would have communal nest boxes where the eggs roll out into a holder with pipe insulation that has heat tape in it (a lady in Soldotna, Alaska area had some... she posted photos someplace here on BYC, excellent design).

I would have as many pens as I could afford, with the feeders and waterers all accessible from outside the pens. And each pen with as large of a run as possible, all of the run covered.

Frost free running water to easily fill all waterers with minimal hauling.


As to butchering... eh... as a kid I loved my grandparents place... roofed and screened porch with concrete floor. Very comfortable place to butcher.

She had built a sort of shed that connected to that screened porch with processing counters and a huge area to smoke meat... AND SHE NEVER USED IT. We always used the table on the screened porch.

We either use a plastic table outside, and/or inside kitchen counter or dining room table (just cover with trashbags or a tarp)

I see no reason to have more.

I do sometimes think it would be nice to have that screened porch my grandma had... but in Alaska I might put up a few plastic walls to block wind but not sun....

Comfy to butcher... or picnic, or chat... multi- use

 

[RememberTheWay]

As to breeding cages etc.... depends on what you are talking about...quail? Which kind? Coturnix quail, or buttons, don't need much space... others need more... some tiny bantams don't need much space...

Anyway... my point, no idea on what sizes you would need.

Several things actually. I have Large Fowl, Bantams, and Quail. So I will need numerous cages and what not. And right now the quail are Coturnix but I am adding Pansy soon.

Breeds for poultry are Salmon Favorelles, Bresse, Ameraucana's (LF and Bantam), crested cream Leg bars, bantam Cochin and silkies, and a couple sex link crosses I do too

I have greatly admired the setups where many pens or runs all come off of a center access area to reduce work with feed and water.

I recently saw one a woman and her husband did that was octagon shaped in the center (I think) and all the pens came off that center work area. It was absolutely AMAZING!

I have no idea where you are located... but it sounds like you are where it is cold... so figure out the freezing water issue.

I'm in Tennessee and yes we freeze here. Not as hard as Canada but still an issue

I would have as many pens as I could afford, with the feeders and waterers all accessible from outside the pens. And each pen with as large of a run as possible, all of the run covered.

All totally sound advice. I think you mostly hit on everything that I would make sure I did from my experience as well. Covered runs are a Must for me. Watering system is a must and outside access for food/water/eggs is a key Design Feature I really appreciate too!

I think maybe part of what I was looking for was photos of other set ups for inspiration and input on floor plans and layouts that make sense to others after actually functioning in a space for similar reasons. Like the nuances of -"i would definitely put this next to this next time because I don't like walking from here to here when I have to do X" type stuff if that makes sense