Redfox Fowl is a working catalogue for backyard keepers, smallholders and small-scale breeders. Dual-purpose and heritage breeds sit alongside incubation schedules, coop and run dimensions drawn for Highveld frost and coastal damp, feeders, drinkers, bedding, nest boxes and predator mesh. Everything is grouped by bird type and life stage, with plain notes on floor space, ventilation and feed storage.
Start with the breed index if you are still choosing, or go straight to a housing plan if the flock is already in the yard. Stock notes are written for South African conditions, and brooder alternatives are listed for load-shedding hours.
Not sure where to begin? Read the getting started notes, or ask us about your setup.
Three things smallholders ask about first: a coop that suits the climate, a run that holds up against predators, and the right gear to go with both.
Insulated dual-purpose housing for frosty inland nights
A drawn-to-scale plan for six to eight birds, with a raised floor, 40 mm insulated walls and a vented ridge that keeps ammonia down without letting the cold in.
Open the planRaised, cross-ventilated housing for damp air and salt wind
Built for the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape coast, where rust and mould do more damage than cold. Slatted floor, 600 mm roof overhang, stainless fittings noted throughout.
Open the planBuried skirt, heavy gauge mesh and clip-on hardware
For runs near bush, koppies or open veld. 1.2 m welded mesh with a 400 mm buried skirt, plus notes on why chicken wire alone fails against jackal.
Open the kitStill mapping out the flock? The getting-started guide walks through breed choice and brooding order, and the programs page covers incubation and rearing schedules by life stage.
Most first-time keepers lose birds to draughts and damp, not to feed. Pick the coop plan built for your region, then work outward to feeders, bedding and mesh. If you are still deciding on breeds, the breed index is the better starting point.
Before you order
Still unsure which plan fits? Send us your setup.
Redfox Fowl started as a notebook of coop measurements and breed notes passed between smallholders. It is still that, just organised into a catalogue you can order from. Here is what the listings actually do for you.
Dual-purpose and heritage entries carry notes on laying pattern, hardiness and how they handle Highveld frost or coastal damp, so you are not guessing from a photo alone.
Floor space per bird, ridge vent sizing and run length are written out in metres. You can check a plan against the space behind your shed before you cut a single beam.
Incubation and brooder listings include alternatives that hold heat through an outage, from hot-water bottle setups to insulated boxes, alongside the usual lamp and plate options.
Trough lengths, drinker capacity and sealed feed bins are grouped by bird age, with notes on keeping mash dry through humid weeks and away from rats.
Fencing and mesh specs cover aperture size, buried skirt depth and corner overlaps, aimed at runs near bush and open veld where jackal and mongoose test the perimeter.
Footbath placement, quarantine spacing and basic health supplies are listed in plain steps, so a new batch of chicks does not walk straight into the existing flock.
Start with the breed index, then pick a housing plan that fits your ground. The full range sits in the catalogue, and the Highveld winter build is detailed on the winter coop plan page.