The pullets have outgrown their brooders. I phased out the heat lamp about a week ago. They are big enough to knock over their waterer on a daily basis, and their chick feeders are getting filled up daily with litter. The last straw was yesterday's escape when I didn't tighten down the top netting well enough.
The problem is that for various reasons they are not ready/able to be moved into their permanent adult housing at this time. Among the pullets are thirteen birds I'm starting for other people. One, like me, doesn't have her full coop set up yet. The other has a bunch of older birds so these would have to remain separated for a few more months.
I have a pretty big horse barn, which includes one stall I've already converted to a coop for the meat birds. The logical thing would be to convert another stall to a coop, but I don't need anything quite that large. The solution - convert part of a stall to a sturdier chicken coop. I was planning on having something more storm-ready than a chicken tractor for my laying hens anyway.
Hence the MiniCoop!
First step was critter-proofing the stall windows with chicken wire.
Then I needed to build the fourth wall.
Stand it up and attach more chicken wire. Put in a roof. Build a door.
Periodically stop to wash various cuts and wounds on my hands and apply antibiotic ointment. (I'll spare you that image).
Put down bedding, hang the feeder, place the waterer, and move in the birds!
The only thing missing is a roost system. For now I've moved over the cinder block perches from the brooders.
They're too busy exploring and scratching to notice. But I did have two fly from one end to the other. Finally enough room to spread their wings!
And this morning they were pecking the wall separating them from the meaties. I wonder if chickens know Morse Code.
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