Hey.... Lets keep Chickens..!

Gigervamp

The problem I've found with a lot of broody coops, is that they don't have closing pop-holes. The coop we bought at the smallholder show was one of the rare ones that does.

Looking at that coop you've posted Heather, I'd wonder how easy it is to clean out. You'd have to take the roof off and lean down into the coop. Our duckhouse is like that and it is a pain, it's also difficult to sweep out the corners.

HeatherintheHills

Gigervamp wrote: »

The problem I've found with a lot of broody coops, is that they don't have closing pop-holes. The coop we bought at the smallholder show was one of the rare ones that does.

Looking at that coop you've posted Heather, I'd wonder how easy it is to clean out. You'd have to take the roof off and lean down into the coop. Our duckhouse is like that and it is a pain, it's also difficult to sweep out the corners.

The back comes right off for cleaning Giger. I'd love to find one with a pop hole door though, I've never been able to work out why broody houses so rarely have one, surely chicks need more protection, not less?

I'm not in any rush for a broody pen so am having a good look around. Maybe I need to go to more shows (any excuse)

nykied

Sorry for asking so many questions but I'm currently painting my chicken coop before putting it together. Should I be painting the inside?

Shortie

Thanks HeatherintheHills and Ionahenor2, we think we've sussed it now... We're renting my current home so there will be a week or two with no-one in there. We'll have a little bit of grace period I recon now to get sorted and move the girls in a little bit more leisure!

The house is about an hour and a bit away from where we are now and I don't want to do too many journeys back and forth if I can help it (to reduce stress on us all and petrol). I don't have anyone who can have the girls for me, and I won't be able to get to the new house in the run up to feed them etc though I'm sure the current owner won't mind them being there - but he doesn't live there now and I'm not near enough to 'nip over' a bare minimum of twice a day

But I do have someone at my current home who can feed the girls me if we stay at the new house overnight at any point - phew

Thanks for the suggestions and replies though

HeatherintheHills

nykied wrote: »

Sorry for asking so many questions but I'm currently painting my chicken coop before putting it together. Should I be painting the inside?

Sorry not to have responded earlier Nykied, yes, paint the inside too. There is a sort of plastic finish paint which is really good for keeping the mites down, but I cannot remember where I read about it or find out what it is called. Anyone else know?

Shortie, that sounds like a great plan. Good luck with the move

Eclecticmermaid

Hello all,

I'm a three weeks into a life of chicken-keeping and very much enjoying it. Can anyone recommend a disinfectant for when cleaning the house out? Currently I'm just poo-picking and changing the bedding every week-10 days or so.

Many thanks

EM

ljonski

jeyes isn,t too bad

Shortie

HeatherintheHills wrote: »

Shortie, that sounds like a great plan. Good luck with the move

Thank you Still waiting on the survey to be done on the house we're moving to so fingers crossed there!

artichoke

Hi all

It's my first post in this thread, we have 3 new hens who are enjoying free ranging in our garden, the do have a run 160cm x170cm ark which we put them in about 7pm, and then close the door on the house later. But the run is old and I am not sure the way it attaches to house is fox proof.

I am trying to find the best option for creating a more permanent and larger run for them for when we are not at home so much as we are over the summer months. I am also trying to decide if the need to be nearer to our house during the snowy weeks of winter.

I am used to working on farms with flocks that free range and are locked in after dark, with people around every day, so I am not sure about back garden hens and what the usual expectations are! when I put them in the run, it seems such a small space compared to when they are free ranging I feel quite guilty!

so my questions are

What size permanent run should I build for a garden chicken run? we will probably get a few more hens for the kids so want the run to accommodate say 7 hens when we are away or out all day.

Second question what do people do when they go on holiday? do you think building as fox proof run as possible and leaving the hennhouse door open would be ok? Ie getting someone to call in and feed them once a day? Or do you get someone to call in twice a day early morning and at dusk? at the farm someone has to lt them out and in every day because there is no run, they just free range but there are people around all day, and then hen house is quite near to the farm house.


I have looked at the houses on eBay with attached runs and they seem quite small 170cm x 75cm depth - is this ok to leave them in for a week when we are on holiday?

I am starting to realise that keeping chickens in the garden as pets is quite different to keeping a commercial free range flock! More emotional investment, plus the need to pen them in at home sometimes. Plus the hens house in my garden is further away from any houses than the hennhouse at the farm, which is at the side of the yard and so has people and vehicles passing by all day. My garden is more remote with cow fields and moorlands behind, so probably more likely to get a fox prowling.



Art

artichoke

hi

just updating from my earlier post....

i have this afternoon been clearing out an area at the very far end of our garden which is about 4 metres by 2 metres which i am thinking of making into a permanent run for them, and the hen house can sit inside the run. Would this be enough run space for 7 or 8 birds?

I could make it 4 metres by 4 metres but that would mean that the extra 2 metres would be built on a steep slope. I will make the run as fox proof as possible ie the sides dug down into the ground, with a roof. Would building the run on very hilly ground make it harder to make it fox proof?

Behind the run is a dry stone wall and then cow field leading onto moors. We hear foxes at night and have badgers in the cow field which i suppose could damage the run / hen house.

So do people think this run is big enough?
They are large hens mainly sussex and other larger birds and a few warrens. I would have a door in the run leading into the garden so when we are home they can free range in the garden / fields when the kids are out in the garden.

Do people think this run size is ok? i could make it bigger - but obviously it gets more expensive with the materials.

I am thinking of getting an automatic door opener with a timer so that when we are away the hens can come out into the run in the morning and then get locked in at dusk. Do they quickly learn to go in when they hear the noise of the door closing?

thanks for any advise, at the farm we accept the occasional bird gets taken but at home i am petrified my DD's pet might be harmed!

Art