THE REALITIES ABOUT POULTRY The Modern Farm - The Realities About Poultry_Seco | Page 45

run can be converted into a small, short-term shelter for his or her birds. Just remember that a
farmer needs about 4 square feet of space per large chicken he or she plans to house.
Once the farmer has located a suitable basic structure to make his or her temporary chicken coop
out of, he or she will need to customize it a little bit. He or she must make sure it has a roof of some
kind to prevent his or her birds from escaping and predators from entering. If the structure does not
have a roof, for example, if he or she is using a chain-link style dog kennel, he or she can construct
one by attaching sheets of plywood to the top of it to create a roof.
Clean out the makeshift coop thoroughly and place nesting boxes with built-in roosts inside the
coop so that the birds have a safe place to sleep. Fill the nesting boxes with hay or straw bedding.
The farmer should make sure that feeders and waterers are placed inside the coop.
A farmer can build a temporary chicken coop from scratch. He or she can build a box by nailing
together five sheets of plywood for four walls and a roof, and cut a door on one side to allow the
birds access to the outside. The farmer can also use four (or more) fence posts to create a run. He or
she can place the posts in a square or rectangular shape, and then run wire fencing around the posts
to create a fenced in enclosure. He or she can place plywood sheets over the top of the enclosure to
create a roof.
Baby chicks can be safely housed in virtually any type of large tub. The farmer should just make sure
to place the tub in a safe, dry location that is free of predators (i.e. inside his or her home, barn, and
garage, etc.). Put feed, water, bedding and a heat lamp inside the tub to make sure the chicks will
have all their needs met until they are large enough to be transitioned into a regular chicken coop.
Semi-Permanent Poultry House
Semi-intensive systems are commonly used by small scale producers and are characterized by having
one or more pens in which the birds can forage on natural vegetation and insects to supplement the
feed supplied. Provide at least two runs for alternating use to avoid buildup of disease and parasites.
Each run should allow at least 10 to 15m 2 per hen and be fenced. A free-range allowing 40 to
80m 2 per hen is required where the hens are expected to obtain a substantial part of their diet by
foraging.
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