A few working definitions, so you know exactly what a plan, a breed note or a stock line is telling you before you commit to a build or an order.
Coop dimensions assume 0.35 square metres per dual-purpose bird inside, plus run space on top of that. Bantam and heavy breeds sit either side of that number, and we say so on the plan itself. If your birds free-range most of the day, treat the indoor figure as a roost-and-lay minimum, not a target.
"Highveld winter" means frost, dry cold and wide day-night swings. "Coastal humidity" means damp air, salt wind and rust pressure. A plan written for one will underperform in the other. We tag each housing plan with the zone it was drawn for, and we do not stretch a single design across both.
Where a brooder or incubator depends on mains power, we flag it and list the passive alternative: hot-water bottle brooders, hay-bale insulation, or a schedule that shifts hatching to warmer weeks. We do not assume you have a generator, and we do not pretend a heat lamp is optional in a cold snap.
Stock notes reflect what is on hand at the time of writing, not a permanent promise. Mesh, fittings and treated timber move in batches, and coastal orders can sit longer in transit. If a line is short, the note says so plainly rather than holding your order open without word.
Heritage and dual-purpose labels describe laying pattern, hardiness and temperament as keepers report them, not as a show standard. A breed that handles the Karoo cold may still struggle on the KZN south coast. Read the note against your own conditions before you build the flock around it.
Our health and biosecurity lines cover cleaning, footbaths, quarantine spacing and basic supplies. They are not veterinary advice and do not replace a vet or state vet for notifiable disease. When a note says "isolate", it means a separate pen with its own drinker, not a corner of the same run.
If something in a listing still reads two ways, that is worth a message before you order. Reach us at info@redfoxfowl.com or on 0180850775, or write to 740 du Plessis Lane, Thandiport, NW 4898.
If a breed listing, a coop dimension or a stock note does not line up with what you keep at home, get in touch before you build the order. Someone who works with the birds daily reads every message.
740 du Plessis Lane
Thandiport, NW 4898
Come through to look at mesh samples, feeder sizes and nest box builds in person before you commit to a plan.
0180850775
info@redfoxfowl.com
Best for questions about breed availability, brooder alternatives during load-shedding, or whether a housing plan suits your climate.
Collections and larger fencing or coop orders are best arranged ahead of the day you travel.
Breed and stock questions
Email works best when you need a written answer on heritage breed availability or chick rearing schedules you can keep on file.
Housing and dimensions
Call if you are mid-build and need to check floor space per bird, vent sizing or run length against the plan in front of you.
Orders and collection
Phone the yard to confirm what is on the shelf before a long drive, especially mesh, drinkers and bedding.
Biosecurity and health supplies
Send a short email describing your setup and flock size, and the reply will point you to the right basics rather than a full shelf.
Most of what lands in our inbox is about sizing, delivery of bulky items and how to match a housing plan to the birds you already keep. The answers below cover the common ground. If your situation is different, the contact page is the fastest route.
For dual-purpose and heritage breeds we plan on roughly 0.35 square metres inside the coop per bird, plus about 1 square metre in the run. Heavy breeds need a little more, bantams a little less. If your birds stay in during Highveld cold snaps or long coastal rain, add space rather than crowding, because damp litter and ammonia build up fast in a tight coop.
Inland frost calls for insulation, a raised floor and a wind-blocked run, which is what the Highveld plan sets out. On the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coast the problem is humidity and rust, so the coastal plan uses a slatted floor, a wider roof overhang and stainless fittings. Read the notes on ventilation before you cut timber, since that is where most home-built coops go wrong.
Yes, and it is worth planning for it rather than reacting at 9 pm. A hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel inside a draft-free brooder box holds warmth for several hours, and a thick bedding layer underneath helps. Our brooder notes cover the swap from a heat lamp to this setup, including how to watch chick behaviour to tell whether they are too cold or too warm.
Standard chicken wire is not enough against jackal, caracal or a determined dog. Use welded mesh at 50 mm aperture, at least 1.2 m high, with a 400 mm skirt buried and turned outward at the base. Overlap panels at the corners and clip them tight, because that is where gaps open. Mongoose and rats will work any hole bigger than a matchbox.
Coop panels, mesh rolls and feeder drums ship on a pallet and need someone on site to receive them. Rural and farm addresses usually take a day or two longer than town deliveries. If your gate is far from the house or the road is rough, mention it when you order so the driver knows what to expect.
Send the details of your flock, your climate and what you are trying to build, and we will point you to the right breed index entry or housing plan. Start on the contact page or read how we handle your details in our privacy policy.