Hi, I'm a newbie to both this site and chickens. My partner and I are looking into keeping chickens but we would obviously like to get the accomodation sorted first. As I am reluctant to pay for a ready made coop I would like to build my own.
However, I haven't the first clue as to where to start. I'm reading up on minimum space requirements and we were hoping to build a house/coop which is 3' by 2' with 2 nest boxes, 1' by 1' each, added onto the side and a run 8' by 5'. The chickens will need to stay in the run because we don't feel that the garden is safe enough.
We were thinking of getting 4 chickens to start with and if we (and the chickens) were happy enough, bring in 2 ex battery hens.
I'm quite sure the space is all ok, but I don't know how to make my plans a reality. Both my partner and I are quite 'handy' and our fathers will be there to help!
So, basically, what I guess I'm saying (after the longest post in history) is: Does anyone have any plans that they could send me? Please.
I'm in the process of building a chicken house and run, but with a view to sell some during my winter months.
As far as plans go, I've scoured around and haven't found any. There's a book available on Amazon (type Chicken House and arrow 'books', but this hasn't very good reviews.
What I did was to look at as many chicken house ads (ebay's a good one), save the pictures and wrote the dimensions down.
Also popped down to a couple of pets shops and tried to triple up in the imagination, the Rabbit Hutches etc.
In fact, I'm sure I've seen Chicken House plans on ebay?
Hi T_Steadman
We have a coop (home built) and I did as Richard said - go to the local library, search hen houses etc online and copy the measurements.
If when we make another one I will not attach nest boxes on the side- they are quite fiddly and you have to make them waterproof.
I went to B&Q(c) and bought sterling board. They will do 4 cuts from the sheet free so you can get it in the car. You will then have to cut the slope yourself.
We had roofing felt lying around and used this for the roof. I would in future use onduline with a fine weld mesh underneath for protection and ventilation in the future.
As far as a run if they are to be alone during the day make a walk in one. We made a 8x3x4ft high one and to crawl into it was not funny....
We originally had a back door to it and the pop hole at the front - due to putting it in the walk-in run the pop hole has been blanked and the door and pop hole are together.
Happy chicken keeping!
Thanks for all of your advice, it's really appreciated.
The trouble with all of this reading up before hand is that I think I'm in overload with lots of conflicting advice!
My first thought was to buy a shed and make some alterations on it, but I thought that a shed may be a bit draughty. Is there any specific draught protecting that needs to be done?
I may have the chance of getting an old dismantled shed.
Are metal sheds ok to use?
Sorry if I'm being a pain and asking too many obvious questions, but I'd like to make a lovely cosy home and get it all right first time.
I dont think 'draughty' is much of a problem, they need to be 'ventilated'. Maybe there's a difference but I don't know what.
We went round the poultry show at Stafford and looked at the housing for sale, we had decided beforehand that we wanted a moveable arc so we tried lifting some of them, then ordered the one we fancied.
That's the expensive way but 30 years ago we tried the cheap way - an arc made from an old garage door, a run from wire panels leaning on each other. We found out the hard way, too heavy to move, not fox proof!
So this time, as OH didn't have time to do a proper job but I wanted hens we bought.
You could get some DIY ideas. (It might have been the National in December, we went to; this year its in Worcs)
Hi there, from a fellow newbie (had my two girls about a month now) - just a few tips from my own experience, don't know if they're technically right but I haven't had any problems yet :
I already had a garden shed in my yard - about 5ft long x 3ft wide x 4ft high - so I cleaned that out thoroughly and converted it. I put a little hinged door on one side panel leading into an enclosed 8ft run to leave them in when I'm out (made out of 8 fence battens @ £1.20 each from Homebase and a roll of chicken wire!).
I also got some very fine green plastic garden mesh to make a ventilator panel for one side of the shed, as it lets air and light in (the chickens need to know when it's light to they can wake up, start feeding and laying) but keeps the rain and wind out. I think you do need to make sure the chicken house is free from major draughts and damp, but this should be fairly easy to do with wood filler, or plastic sheeting. I'm not sure of any specific way to do this, just as long as it's dry will do. Maybe you could get a shed and leave it for a bit to see if the rain gets in anywhere (heaven knows there's enough of it about!) and then let it dry out, fill in the gaps and treat it with non-toxic woodstain or varnish.
The interior of the shed can be really basic - just wood shavings on the floor, droppings tray, a perch and a nesting box in a dark corner - though having said that, my girls don't use either (nnnghh), preferring to cuddle up together at night and lay in opposite corners of the shed floor. They won't really spend much waking time in it anyway, as during the day they will be roaming in the garden or run. I'm not sure about fox-proofing though - I'm in a smallish walled garden and don't think there is a problem where I am (touch wood). You may have to raise the coop and get extra fencing.
Hey,
Thanks for that. Really helpful.
I was hoping to make an 8ft run too. I have a dog and high fences, so I'm not too concerned about foxes, but I'm hoping to build a house on stilts, so that vermin find it harder to reach. (I'm also thinking of making the run so that it fits over the top of, not connected to, the house).
I was also thinking of doing something similar to the 'eglu' I'm not sure if you've seen it, but the runs' mesh goes out at a 90 degree angle along the ground for about 6 inches. This should help against creatures trying to dig in under the run.
www.omlet.co.uk[/url]
i built my own
it took me less than a day
it would take me forever to type the intructions
give me a ring
and i can explain what i did
Please pm me for phone number i will call you back (free calls)
Dave
(phone number edited by Richard)
WHOOPS
Last edited by Dave on 18 Jul 2007, 21:36, edited 1 time in total.
"The trouble with quotes over the Internet is that you never know if they are genuine." -- Abraham Lincoln
I got my hens at such short notice, we had to use a large dog kennel. My boyfriend made a door for it, but left a tiny bit at the top for ventilation and light.
It's a work in progress, cos its difficult to clean out (cos of reaching in) and we intend to make a hinged roof so its easier to get in and clean. I have mine raised up on two pallets so it's off the ground and we used an old piece of laminate flooring to make a ramp (onto which I nailed twigs and bits of wood to make 'steps'!). it's pretty basic, but seems to do the trick.
We don't have perches or nesting boxes, but as they're ex battery hens, they don't seem that bothered. I have sectioned off part of the lawn with cheap green plastic fencing - it's about 5ft high and they don't seem bothered about jumping over it. HOWEVER...I did let them have the run of the garden for a week or so and one of othem got over a 7 foot fence into the neighbour's garden - dunno how she did it as they were so bald and scraggy and had so few feathers I don't know how they managed to fly!
with a fine weld mesh underneath for protection and ventilation in the future.
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