Chicken Coop Construction Help Please

livefornewt

Thanks Beki

skipton

If you have a look on the Omlet Site they have lots of photos of runs/coops. Most of them are eglus or cubes, but a few at the end are wooden.

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=12663

My hen house and run are on a 5m long raised bed of wood chip left by the tree surgeons so they have lots to dig in. At the moment it looks like the Gaza strip with all the craters they've dug.

Ilona

I am a moderator on the forum on this site, it has a big chicken following, lots of info and pictures. www.downthelane.net You can ask any questions you like, they are very helpfull and friendly. Ilona aka Meanqueen

livefornewt

Thankyou for your replies i will have alook thru. I looked on first link at the pictures.....GEEZ the size of them runs :O they must have to get rid of alot of sawdust!!! i wouldnt know where to get rid of all that sawdust!!

border_collie

well would it be better to have less chooks rather than have them in all that mud?

I would be putting loads of straw down in that shed. Then again I am used to sheep and horses.

dora37

You can use absorbant horse bedding in the mud - Hemcore or Auboise, however the best solution would be to cover the run, to prevent the rain getting in.

betterlife

hi, ive got an area in my back garden which is 15ft lng then at one end its 9ft wide and at the other end its 7ft. i would like to use this area for chickens so any advice would be great, the 9ft end and one length has a 6ft fence so i just need to fence the other 2 sides. the 6ft fence is ground level do you think i need to add some manybe chic wire at the bottom and did/bury under the ground to stop outward and inward digging. also the fence i need to build for the rest of the enclosure how high should it be. the chicken house we are going to build ourselves but where would be best to position it, if i had it at the 7ft end it would give more room to clean out etc as i will have veg patch/raised beds the other side of the chicken area. but would it be better to maybe have chicken house bang in the middle so it would sepperate there outside area so maybe for 4 wks they would be in left side then the next 4wks in the rigt side givng the left side time to regrow a bit. what do you think?

livefornewt

I have already sorted the floor so notmuddy like i said th epicwas when i first got them. And i have a new home for them now i have gota huge double 2 floor rabbit hutch and a enclosed run

arkonite_babe

We have a thread similar to this already, I'll add your query to it so all the replies are together. Posts are listed in date order so you'll need to read from the beginning to catch up

rhiwfield

Ok, after deliberating for a long time, I'm (very slowly ) inching towards introducing chickens, but would welcome comments on plans.

I'm going to get 3 pol hens, probably Warrens, on sale locally at £5.90 each. Main use is to get supply of eggs and I'd expect 2-3 eggs a day when in full lay.

Garden space is limited since converting most of lawn to veg but planned arrangement is to use existing rose trellis, expand and raise, to create a trellis 6'6" high. This will enclose a fixed run measuring approx 11' x 3'6" but with a slightly wider section at one end where the coop and entrance door will be. The run will be surrounded by gravel board sunk partly into soil. Sides of run will be chicken wire attached internally to trellis/gravel board and top will be covered as well. On ESE external side of trellis will grow roses over run for shelter/screening and wildlife attractant plants. Door to run will be full height with base protected by gravel board/wire (plenty of foxes locally)

The coop, which will need to be custom built to fit, will slot into an opening in the trellis/wire, be 2'6" square with external nest box on N side. Planning to put coop on tanalised timber legs 18" high to provide shelter. Front of coop will face ESE, have a wired ventilation slot, and have a roof sloping down WNW. Plan to hinge back of coop for cleaning. Floor of coop to be marine ply (??) , prob with wire fixed under floor to deter vermin. Will put roosting pole (how high?) running front to back on a removable support for thorough cleaning.

The run should give about 42sq ft of space (14 sqft per bird) while the coop will give just over 2 sq ft per bird. I will probably also allow hens to scratch by hedge and compost bins (another 70+ sq ft). We're surrounded by countryside so no shortage of hedgerow plants to supplement feed.

Still looking at design of coop, frame prob tanalised timber but what materials to use for sides and top??. I dont want to create a haven for mites so what do people recommend. Its unlikely that I'll want to do the groundworks until the autumn (when the horseflies die off) but I'd like to get the design sorted and maybe the coop built in the garage.

Comments and suggestions please.