Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

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organica2016
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Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by organica2016 »

Hello!

I recently joined the forum to get reliable advice on chicken coops.

I have recently moved house with my kids and partner. Its a much bigger garden than we used to have so rather than keep talking to my friends about getting chickens in, I actually want to do it! The chickens are NOT to eat and would just be used for eggs and my kids can learn also by helping to look after them and they love animals!

I am looking to get around 2/3 Hens and 2/3 roosters.... I think any more will be too much! I am open to suggestions on how many people think you really need!

So seeing as there are ALOT of options in regards to coops, sizes and shapes and materials ....I would love to hear about ideas and what kind of coops people have! And also coops that protect the chickens well!

Thanks in advance!

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Mad Chick
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Mad Chick »

Hi Organics, welcome to the lane )wav(

2/3 roosters with 2/3 hens wouldn't be a good idea. It would be better to have 4/5 hens and one rooster. They can be very dominant and having a higher ratio of hens will spread the love rather than having 3 hens permanently pestered (if you get my drift).

Are you UK based? If so I would recommend Solway Recycling. A fab little company with excellent customer service and very cleverly designed coops all made from recycled plastic. Having battled every year with red mite, I would always now choose plastic over wood - far easier to clean, doesn't rot and no pesky infestations.

http://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/recycl ... hen-houses

Good luck with your new venture :-D
Lucy x


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organica2016
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by organica2016 »

Hi Mad chick

Thanks alot for your response! Was very helpful! Especially your advice on the number of hens to roosters! makes sense! So I am thinking to get 3 hens and one rooster! I shall look forward to being woken up in the morning! haha

I am based in Ireland actually so although the link you sent looks fab I need to get one closer to home! However this is a great starting point for me to research chicken coops that are for sale by me. I didn't consider getting a plastic one actually and is very good idea in terms of infestations!

Also what do you recommend for a good natural feed for the chickens? Ideally something I could make myself with the kids rather.than buying an expensive feed, we have the space to make our own for sure.

Thanks again and look forward to your response!
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Mo
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Mo »

You probably know that you don't need a rooster, hens will lay unfertilised eggs (though why they should is another question, I don't think wild birds do).
When my grandson was asking me to buy a cockerel to go with my 5 I was advised here that even a ratio of 5 to 1 was a bit small, and also that they can sometimes get very possessive and aggressive, so might not be a good idea with a young child (he was 4 at the time).
Some pictures of members runs & coops here. The first picture is a Ketter garden store, size of 2 wheelie bins. Cheaper and bigger than some purpose built henhouses.
A common feature seems to be either
We start letting the hens free range a lot but see what damage they do to the grass - wouldn't mind them eating it, but they scratch it up, or dig deep holes to dust bathe. So build a big fixed run
or
We buy coop and run 'suitable for 6 hens' and realise that the run is hardly big enough for one. So build an extension. Fill that, want more hens, need to extend again.

I think it's a good idea to build twice as big as you think you want, and resist the temptation to fill the run in the first year. After a year or two of egg-laying production will drop and you may not want to cull (as commercial producers do), so room for a couple more is handy. And when introducing they need plenty of space to get away from the top hen, crowding brings out the worst in them as they sort out the pecking order.
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Grannyof4
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Grannyof4 »

To be honest I wouldn't even go down the route of one cockerel and have 4 lovely egg laying hens. As regards the house for them, if you can get plastic it cuts down on redmite infestations and is much easier to keep clean. A good basic layers pellets isn't that expensive and it does contain all the vitamins etc a laying hen needs. You can supplement this with fresh/cooked veg and a bit of fruit as treats but these should only really be fed later in the day as hens need to get their fill of pellets. A bag of mixed corn is quite cheap and a very small handful thrown about for them keeps them busy.
organica2016
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by organica2016 »

Mo wrote:You probably know that you don't need a rooster, hens will lay unfertilised eggs (though why they should is another question, I don't think wild birds do).
When my grandson was asking me to buy a cockerel to go with my 5 I was advised here that even a ratio of 5 to 1 was a bit small, and also that they can sometimes get very possessive and aggressive, so might not be a good idea with a young child (he was 4 at the time).
Some pictures of members runs & coops here. The first picture is a Ketter garden store, size of 2 wheelie bins. Cheaper and bigger than some purpose built henhouses.
A common feature seems to be either
We start letting the hens free range a lot but see what damage they do to the grass - wouldn't mind them eating it, but they scratch it up, or dig deep holes to dust bathe. So build a big fixed run
or
We buy coop and run 'suitable for 6 hens' and realise that the run is hardly big enough for one. So build an extension. Fill that, want more hens, need to extend again.

I think it's a good idea to build twice as big as you think you want, and resist the temptation to fill the run in the first year. After a year or two of egg-laying production will drop and you may not want to cull (as commercial producers do), so room for a couple more is handy. And when introducing they need plenty of space to get away from the top hen, crowding brings out the worst in them as they sort out the pecking order.


Thanks ALOT for all this info! haha I never knew actually that hens could lay unfertilised eggs! so good to know I could get away with not however are the eggs better if they are fertilised?

I will take a look at all the photos , look great! will get back to you ! thanks again!
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Grannyof4 »

Eggs are definitely not better if fertilised. I have kept chickens for over 25yrs and never had a cockerel and had the most fantastic eggs.
organica2016
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by organica2016 »

hello folks

So after reading others suggestions and going off and doing some research I found a number of options that court my eye..

For plastic ones I found these:

Image

Image

but seems abit too small ...

similar to one that was in the other reply on this thread is a wendy house style coop....

Image

I know people mentioned the problems of wood coops... they just look so nice! and surely the wood can be treated? can you put coat it with petrol to stop mites? or that just generic mites and not these red mite critters?

here are some ones i thought were quite interesting ...raised areas for them to sleep

Image

also you can get plastic covers :

Image

also any experiences with Ark type coops?

one thing I didnt ask is FOX's!!!!!! as someone told me foxes kept getting their chickens attacked.... I could build extra walls to go underground ?? as they dig...

look forward to responses!
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Mo
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Mo »

Grannyof4 wrote:Eggs are definitely not better if fertilised. I have kept chickens for over 25yrs and never had a cockerel and had the most fantastic eggs.

Some people ask the opposite question. 'Can you eat fertilised eggs?'
Old fashioned hens would lay every day until they had a 'clutch' (a dozen or so eggs), then start to sit. The eggs would then all start to develop, (so that they hatched at the same time). So until she starts sitting the eggs are identical fertilised or not. After that there might be a speck in the yolk where the embryo had started growing. Now, thanks to the marvels of modern breeding not all hens go broody. Just lay eggs all year.

So unless you want to breed your own chicks, no need for a cockerel. And that is an added complication. Buying a few Point of Lay hens is much simpler, for a start at least. And if you stay around on here and join the discussion you can learn about chicks from other peoples mistakes before you decide if you want to try that.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by lancashire lass »

I have 2 wooden coops - one bought flat packed similar (but bigger than those in the photos) and a home made one. I wouldn't suggest petrol although the old version of creosote used to be effective (contains solvents no longer available for health & safety reasons in the new version) For the flat packed coops, I used filler to seal any gaps/cracks/knots on the wood and then after a primer coat, finished off with several layers of gloss paint - it's as good as plastic and easy to wash down. Touch wood, red mites haven't been a problem but then I do all the other preventative measures such as use DE and cleaning.

As mentioned before, the size of ready made coops described in the blurb are very deceiving - if it says up to 5 large hens, then it really means 3 or less. I got 4 hens for the ready made coop which suggested up to 6 large chickens ... at first when they were still young it looked fine, but in summer when it was warm, I often thought the coop was too small. The ones pictured in your post look on the small size although I've seen others use converted Wendy houses or mini shed/storage containers which have been fine. Photos of the flat pack version I bought is in my chicken diary and home made one in gardening diary (not sure why I posted the construction in there) Both the flat packed version and home made coop have a "mini run" where the girls run and hide when something spooks them as well as a bigger run for feeding and scratching. Perches and raised balconies in a run go down very well with the girls - they love to be somewhere higher to get a better view of their surroundings.
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Willow
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Willow »

Hiya and welcome )wav(

Good to see that your're doing your research before jumping in at the deep end !
As has already been said there's no need for a cockerel & if you have children I'd possibly advise against keeping one as they do protect their ladies lol.. You could be lucky and get a laid back fella, but its also very possible that the chap you buy could protect his flock from everyone yike*
As you're just starting out, best to go with several lovely ladies who'll provide fabulous eggs & hours of amusement..

As far as the living accommodation is concerned, I'd also recommend going for a plastic coop or hen house - they are so much easier to clean (and believe me they will need to be cleaned a lot).. and as has the huge advantage of not offering the teeny nooks and crannies that will at some stage harbour the dreaded red mite.
There are plenty of lovely wooden coops around, but wood, no matter what you do with it has teeny cracks which the red mite will get into & as the coop gets older it get more & more difficult to keep in top of the beasts lol..

Remember that anything you use on a wooden coop will sink in to the wood and the fumes can be toxic to the hens, so no I dont think petrol would be a good idea yike*


The run size is hugely important to the well being of the hens, the bigger the better! They will develop a 'pecking order' and the hens at the bottom of this pecking order will need the space to be able to get away from the top hen.. Its also logical that they'll need space to run around, scratch, dust bathe, etc etc this is really important to a happy hen.

Feed... I'd definitely stick to growers / layers pellets- they contain everything a hen needs to remain healthy & aren't too expensive. They'll appreciate vegetables etc and will definitely pick eat and scratch grass if and where possible & will more than enjoy finding their own worms & bugs to eat..

Take a good look around the posts on this site - there's a vast amount of info and always feel free to ask away - there's no such thing as a daft question lol )t'
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lancashire lass
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by lancashire lass »

organica2016 wrote:one thing I didnt ask is FOX's!!!!!! as someone told me foxes kept getting their chickens attacked.... I could build extra walls to go underground ?? as they dig...


yes, foxes do dig so anything that will prevent them for getting in the run is all helpful. One thing to try is a welded mesh (the smaller the mesh, the better) which is pinned down to the ground round the outside of the run like a skirt extended out by about 18-24 inc (45-60cm)

You could line the run floor with welded mesh - the downside is that chickens like to scratch the soil in a natural feeding search and peck, and the mesh would be in the way. The other reason for suggesting a mesh floor is to keep the rats and mice from making their way into the run. They are unlikely to hurt the chickens except maybe at night when the girls are more vulnerable, but the access to food and water and a nice dry run can encourage vermin to breed ....

Both my runs have a brick or paving floor (one on top of mesh as mice can squeeze through small gaps between paving stones and make a nest underneath) and on top I have put loads of sand and soil so the chickens can scratch and feed.

The roof can be a weak spot - foxes can use their teeth and scratch and be very determined to get their prey (some youtube videos are quite graphic), so any loose wood or netting and they'll get in.
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Richard
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Richard »

Good for you organica.
I can't add to what others say other than....


...good luck.


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organica2016
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by organica2016 »

Ok guys thanks for the info! Yeah petrol is not a good idea by the sounds of it, makes sense to be fair...

So after thinking its sensible I go for a plastic chicken coop and could be good for the kids to help clean also and could prove quite costly in the long run to keep replacing the wood...still looking at a variety of plastic coups for sale, one caught my eye and its rather fancy compared to others i know....I thought the insulated walls seem a great idea seeing as I am in Ireland and can obv get cold in winter... and we plan on keeping them all year around... also for night seems that they can sleep in one section and could help with foxes....

heres a pic I found of a plastic chicken coop thats on a second-hand irish for sale site what do folks think? thanks again for everyones help!

Image
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Willow
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Re: Looking for ideas for a chicken coop

Post by Willow »

Hiya.. the coop looks fabulous, i'd do more research on the twin wall insulated panels -
Though it seems a great idea for the winter months and the visible surfaces would be easy to clean, I'd be concerned (once again) about the areas between the panels being ideal for red mite, they can get in to to most minuscule gaps and you simply wouldn't be able to get access to get them out or get sprays / powders in to eradicate them }hairout{ ..
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