I am looking for some plans to build an IN-EXPENSIVE simple type of rabbit hutch out of wood and wire. I will be using this to keep some of my chickens in. My wife and I have obtained quite a few chickens(as well as ducks, geese, and turkeys) from an unfortunate circumstance with a friend. some of these chickens are pure breeds of silkies and others (I don't know them all by name)But, my goal is to keep the pure breeds breeding pure ;-) I have other barnyard chickens (28 to be exact) that I pretty much let run loose in the stables and pastures as they will even though I did construct them a HUGE coop with roosts and nests. but I don't want the luck of the draw going on with these new breeds. If anyone can help me I anxiously await your response. In all we have acquired about 2-3 doz. more chickens. as well as all the other birds. Also should I keep the turkeys in a large cage until they adjust to their new surroundings. any and all help will be appreciated. Thanks. L8r Michael AKA "STICKS"

-- Michael & Mary Colville (SIMPLICITY@skantech.net), December 18, 2001

Answers

Response to Need plans for building a rabbit hutch and a few other answers

Michael,

Where are you located? Want to sell any of your silkies?

Chuck in MD

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), December 18, 2001.

Response to Need plans for building a rabbit hutch and a few other answers

Page 73 of Countryside 85/4 (July/August 2001} has plans to build a simple hutch.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 18, 2001.

Response to Need plans for building a rabbit hutch and a few other answers

Before letting turkeys run with chickens, go to www.google.com and do a search on "Turkey blackhead". It's a deadly disease of turkeys, carried by chickens and residing in the soil. Not saying you can't do it, but know the facts beforehand.

As for the rest, have you considered just letting them all run together most of the time? If you have a few isolation cages or fenced runs, put the hens you're interested in breeding in there for a month, then take the rooster to them (leave together if you like thereafter) then start collecting eggs for hatching. You can re-use a cage several times during the year for different breeds. This is done by some show breeders who have multiple breeds.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), December 19, 2001.

Instead of hutches, consider Chicken Tractors. See the older messages by category (archives) under the category for poultry housing and equipment.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), December 19, 2001.

Here's something that is neat. Get that dog fence, the squares are about 2" x 4", comes 6 foot high. I got a 50ft roll for about 50 dollars. Cut off a 10ft piece and hook the 2 ends together and stand up. You should have a 6ft cylinder cage. Put sticks across the top, and a piece of tarp down a few feet to give them a dry place on top. You could wire wide boards up there, and a way for them to hop up, and some kind of nest box.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), December 19, 2001.

I have designed a chicken tractor to keep a small amount of chickens in. Right now I have 4 tractors - Buffs in one, Black Stars in another and Wyandottes in another - Mixed in the other. Each tractor has 5 hens and a rooster. I hope to hatch eggs in the spring and keep them pure. The tractor is moveable. If you are interested e- mail me and I'll get you more details.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), December 19, 2001.

I do appreciate the responses. One thing I forgot to mention is that I have miniature horses that run lose in the stable area and pastures. I have stables to put them in when feeding or as needed but I generally let them run loose. Anyway, the chicken tractors and freestanding wire cages don't work for me here.(because of the horses) as far as the turkeys go they have been around chickens all their life as the friend I'm getting them from has had them since they were chicks. I have a couple of old school buses and My idea is to build cages along each inside wall thus shelter and protection. The chickens I allow to run loose have very aggressive roosters mixed in with them and I feel this would be hard on the smaller breeds of chickens. Plus I feel a set mate with a hen is a sure way of getting pure breed eggs for hatching, with no chance of a luck of the draw fertilization. I'm new to this breeding thing and I only have two males and two hens of the silkies I feel I need to keep them for now to expand with. so Chuck, I'll have to get back with you on the selling silkies thing in a few months. also I feel I need to read up on these various breeds can anyone recommend a good book with descriptions, habits, and identifying pictures? Thanks again for all your help. Oh, PS chuck I'm in Ayden, NC and my place is called SIMPLICITY RANCH!

-- Michael & Mary Colville (SIMPLICITY@skantech.net), December 19, 2001.

hehe, wouldnt it be called a chicken hutch?

-- =) (naw@dont email.com), December 19, 2001.

Ayden NC. Howdy neighbor! We are in Spring Hope, near Rocky Mount. I just moved here not too long ago, Cant place where Ayden is, but I know ive been there before. If you and Chuck in MD want to do business, I would happily haul those silkies to MD, as I got through there frequently- but it would have to in the spring. I would offer a meet me here and chuck meet me there kinda deal and I would do it for free, provided i dfont have to way off the beaten track. Chuck-- what part of MD, I often travel 83 or 81 and sometimes 15.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), December 19, 2001.

If I was you I would try to keep the silky roosters separate from the hens most of the time. At one point we had two roosters and three hens and the boys almost killed the hens with their "attentions". We ate one of the roosters and then kept the other one seperate till the hens recovered. One had permenant feather loss on her back.

-- buffy (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), December 20, 2001.