Large coop advice

Fruittea · Post by **Fruittea** » 07 Sep 2016, 18:42

Hi Everyone
I'd like some advice please. I recently acquired 3 new hens. I went for the look rather than being sensible and choose what I thought were Point-of-Lay average size hens. 2 months later and 2 of the hens are still not laying and are growing rather large. When I enquired I was told that they might have been younger than I thought and there might be a bit of Buff Orpington in them. I think given their size now this is quite likely. I have an ark which only has limited head space. So now I need to source a hen house which is comfortable for the large girls. Does anyone have any suggestions please. I'm used to bantams and goldlines usually. Many thanks.

Powyswales · Post by **Powyswales** » 07 Sep 2016, 20:36

If you are thinking of investing in a plastic coop rather than wood then i would recomend a solway coop, i purchased the maxi hen house which is said to house 4 large laying hens but in mine i keep 3 bluebells and 3 rhode sand reds as they all like to huddle up anyway. They are really easy to clean and should ast many years as the plastic is 9mm thick through out, they also look much nicer in person than on the solway website. http://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/recycl ... i-hen-loft" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Here is the rest of he range http://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/recycl ... hen-houses" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is my solway maxi hen loft.

Fruittea · Post by **Fruittea** » 08 Sep 2016, 13:49

Thank you Powyswales. The set up looks very nice and worth a think about it. Do you find the coop easy to clean and also I'm wondering about the size of the door - I guess they can bend a bit to get through. Many thanks.

Powyswales · Post by **Powyswales** » 08 Sep 2016, 22:53

Very easy to clean, roof unclipped and off in about 15 seconds, giving you good internal access. My previous coop was wooden and despite having a slide out tray was much harder to clean. As for the access door my bluebells are classed as large fowl and they can get through the door with room to spare, maybe on the pictures the door looks a little smaller than it actually is. Also keep in mind that with a plastic coop it is much easier to deal with red mite should you have an outbreak, especialy with this coop as you could jet wash or hose it down within a few minutes.

Also this link may help as it was what helped me decide on the solway after advice from others on this forum. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=54744

Post by **Mad Chick** » 12 Sep 2016, 08:25

I'd also recommend the Solway coop. We had orpingtons in ours and they fitted through the pop hole with ease )t'

Fruittea · Post by **Fruittea** » 13 Sep 2016, 11:01

Many thanks for your advice - the Solway looks good.