Bantam Condos update

[John W Blehm]

I built my "bantam condos" about a decade ago to fit into six 8' by 12' pens that I had.  I tore down the pens and am incorporating the condos (coops) into smaller 4' by 10' moveable pens.  They could be considered chicken tractors (arks) with the addition of wheels, skids or some means of easily moving them around.  All the lumber is treated and I'm reusing as much of the old lumber from the pens that came down as possible.  Here again I've included steel roofing to keep the birds dry. 

They should have vents near the top of each to let the heat out, if used in the hot summer months or leave the doors open and cover the openings with wire as I do.  I don't have any plans drawn.  They are made of treated lumber, using 4 by 8 sheets of plywood, 2 by 4s, miscellaneous lumber for framing on the inside and coated screws.  I used clear acrylic trimmed with a vinyl siding channel to let some light in on the East, West and South sides.  Each unit has a Fowl Stuff nest box.  Also each unit has two roosts and a rabbit style feeder inside.  I keep the water outside the coops - in the pens.  I use wood shavings, in stead of straw, for bedding and it is very easy to scoop out for cleaning.  A light has been installed in each unit that works off a timer to increase egg production.
The outside piece, with the door in it, is 4' by 54" high.  The doors are 17" by 28" and centered.
The inside piece is the left over plywood from the other side, so it is 4' by 42".
The side pieces are 24" wide by 54" on one side and 42" on the other.  This means the outside (total) width of the sides is 25" when you add in the 1/2" plywood of the front and back pieces to the side piece dimension.
The total width of the front and back is 48" - the width of the plywood.
There is very little material waste, if figured properly.
Let me know if you need more info.

The first photo is of the old pens and then 3 shots of the first of the new ones.

[John W Blehm]

I've finished rebuilding chicken tractor style pens around my old bantam condos.  I don't plan on moving them around, so I've placed them all side by side for now.  Each is an individual unit, so when I'm ready to sell them they can be loaded on the back of a pickup or trailer and hauled away.

[Mike Gilbert]

They look really good John.  Maybe next year I will get off my butt and do something similar.  But I would want mine to move around so the birds would get fresh grass every week or so.  I'm thinking maybe some type of retractable wheels. 

[Suki]

So since the condos are stationery, I take it that they are also winter worthy?  What do you have the ground covered with?  It looks like some type of outdoor carpeting?  I do think that the improvements have made a difference over the years.  You mention putting them on a truck and hauling them away aren't they heavy and very large?  They look so in comparison to the residents.

[John W Blehm]

So since the condos are stationery, I take it that they are also winter worthy?  What do you have the ground covered with?  It looks like some type of outdoor carpeting?  I do think that the improvements have made a difference over the years.  You mention putting them on a truck and hauling them away aren't they heavy and very large?  They look so in comparison to the residents.

They are movable and could be pulled around.  The two long 2 by 6s are a little lower than the other boards, so they could act as skids.  Ideally, retractable wheels, as Mike mentioned, would be the way to go if someone wanted to move them around.  I used my tractor bucket to pick them up and move around. 
Since I will use them as breeding coops/pens for 3 to 4 months.  I will run electricity to them for both lights and heated waterers.  That is the main reason I put them side by side and don't plan to move them around.
That is just the sod/soil inside. 

[Beth Curran]

They look really good John.  Maybe next year I will get off my butt and do something similar.  But I would want mine to move around so the birds would get fresh grass every week or so.  I'm thinking maybe some type of retractable wheels.

If you do one with retractable wheels post some pics - I have been trying unsuccessfully to come up with something like that.

[Suki]

We did a tractor with retractable wheels, but found that rain often made it hard to get the wheels out of the ruts.  Probably the same as what happened to the old Conestoga's and digging them out afterwards rough work.  Eventually we made it stationery on blocks.

[John W Blehm]

Most of my bantams roost outside year round, so the light inside the coops isn't helping much to stimulate egg production from most.  I have some LED ropelights that I had used in my barn and put them in the outside bantam pens, under the roofing.  The lights are on for 16 hours a day and I think this will get more results.