Two hen houses

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Karen1957
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Two hen houses

Post by Karen1957 »

Hi, I'm getting 4 ex battery hens and this is my first venture into keeping chickens. I have a rabbit hitch whiche we've converted to suit the chickens, roosting netting etc. We have now been given another hen house with room for two. As we are getting 4 chickens, will they be ok separatel into the two different houses. Will they stay as pairs or will they just go into either house as they fancy . Cheers, Karen

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kitla
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by kitla »

whats your set up like? will the 2 coops be side by side in a walk in run? Hens do often buddy up with a friend but ultimately they are a flock & I'm betting they will all end up cramming into the same coop together. They may like to use the second one as a nice clean place to lay their eggs.
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bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

I would put both end to end or side to side and let them go in the both . Make sure there is wire on the floor as foxes will dig in under it . I put my money on them all sticking together even the bottom hen.
My girls and boys have all the room they need but still huddle together in the smallest of places . (Especially in winter ) . You can use one as a med ward when a sicky happens .

Bob
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Mo
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by Mo »

What size are the coops?
I think that (unless they are really tiny) the thing that matters is how much space they have in the run. - the bigger the better for that.

Good luck, you will find it so fascinating.
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Karen1957
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by Karen1957 »

Thank you for your advice. The 2 coups are quite separate, and one is larger than the other so it looks like they will all nestle together in the one. I can put 4 nest boxes in it if that's the way they go. The coups are set onto concrete paving with secure wire to enclose them but there is plenty of room for them all to have a run around too. And the full range of my garden at times, under my watchful eye, I do like gardening!

So could I go out during the day and leave them in their enclosed run, it doesn't have netting across the top?

Cheers!
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Mo
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by Mo »

Well I'd think so. Depends how high the wire is (and how high they can jump - some are more flighty than others). They are quite good at jumping ON to things (coops, fenceposts) then OUT but one of mine used to do a little crouch and jump over the 4 foot high netting, don't know why they don't make it taller - it keeps most in, but there's always ONE!

If they free range you can forget having a garden - they eat anything and dig craters. Most of us know from experience! If keeping them in a run most of the time it is good to allow 10 sq ft / hen. The bigger the better. If they are cramped and you are trying to introduce new hens later there is likely to be bullying.
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kitla
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by kitla »

If there's a risk of foxes where you are they are not safe as a fox can climb as well as dig. If you're just worried about them escaping then, as Mo said, it depends how high the fence is. But bare in mind if you have an open topped run you may get wild birds in there eating the food!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Mo
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by Mo »

But if you put a top on, think about getting in - imagine crawling about in snow, mud & chicken poo, then build it tall!
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jaxhen
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by jaxhen »

Hi Karen, welcome to world of hen-keeping. Your life will never be the same again!

Apologies if this is a bit long, but there may be some things about the accommodation you might have overlooked as this is your first venture into hen-keeping.

As Bob said, I'd put the two coops side by side. The girls will decide themselves where they want to sleep. They will probably all pile in with one another, no matter how small the space, and will depend on the weather/temperature in the coop.

I have two coops - 11 sleep in one coop (with 2 nest boxes), and another smaller coop where 4 could sleep (with 1 nest box). The flock is a mix of 1yr-5yr olds, and all 11 now sleep in one coop, but 2 lay in the small coop.

In my experience you shouldn't need 4 nest boxes for 4 hens, 2 should be ample. In any case, no matter how many nest boxes you provide they choose where they want to lay will pile in on top of one another, and will protest loudly if someone is in 'their' nest box.

If they free range in the garden, your garden will never be the same. As Mo said they dig wonderful craters and eat/try to eat virtually everything, but it's nice to work with the girls if you carefully control where you want them excluded from. Some of our girls will easily fly over 4' netting, so Mo is not alone. It's not just the lightweight girls who fly!! We don't wing-clip, just in case it helps them escape from danger.

As far as leaving them in a fenced run when you are out, I wouldn't if there is any risk of foxes. A near neighbour of ours had 5 girls taken by a fox that jumped into a run with 6' wire netting around it. We are in a town environment, where foxes casually walk down the road during the day.

We do leave our girls in the run during the day if we are not here. Our run is what I call 'fully enclosed' - sides made of weld-mesh and roof made of tinted polycarbonate to provide protection from sun, rain, snow and bird droppings. Gates are secured with padlocks when we are away.

As Kitla said, apart from the risk of foxes getting into the run, which is more likely here than them digging in, wild birds can gain access to the food and water if you have no netting across the top. Not only will wild birds eat the food, you run the risk of them passing on disease.

Perhaps of more importance as you have an 'open-topped' run, or even if you put netting over the top, you will need to think about Avian Influenza (AI). The AI restrictions put in place last December at extremeley short notice, lasted for 3 months. All poultry was required to be kept undercover - no free-ranging at all. AI restrictions needed the birds to be housed in a building or run that prevented access by wild birds, and the run, if open-topped or had netting, had to have a tarp or roof provided to prevent droppings landing in the run from birds flying overhead.

There seems to be a general feeling that AI restrictions will be put in place again this Autumn. I found that it's much better to think about how you will cope with the rain, snow and potential AI restrictions when the weather is more favourable than it would be in the Autumn!

Hope this helps, and apologies again, for it being a long post.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Jaxhen
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: Two hen houses

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi , It is totally up to you and leaving with what could happen .
My girls are out at sun light and locked at dusk unless I go to work and lock up early (to lots of protests.)
I live with neighbours children etc . Dogs in lots of gardens . Dogs in my house .
Traffic out side quite regular .
I have not lost any girls during the day . Night time is a different matter , early morning most dangerous .
Foxes are about and I think I am very lucky .
I let the girls and boys live a most natural life possible with the addition of my feeding them.
Should I lose them to a fox I will be really , upset to say the least . BUT I KNOW THE FLOCK LIVED A GOOD LIFE . Better then farmers life for sure and being dog food and chicken nuggets.
So my advise is wait and see how many foxes descend . Wait and see how the girls cope with freedom . Most important wait and see how you feel about the situation . You may feel that the freedom of the garden for a hour or two is worth the risk . Or quite the opposite .

Let us know what you do as it is a learning curve for the rest of us.
Shoulder to lean on and help in times of need and the good times as well.
Bob

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