shopping list basics

[HazellB]

Nice place!

But be warned, I started off with something that size and had moved to a 12x12 stable within two years, plus a run of over 400 square yards!
If you don't have the garden space, I bet you'll start looking at new houses in the local paper ....

I'm convinced hens are the new drug of choice for those of us with taste

[tiddles1]

hiya we have the same coop and not had any probs as yet had it since july, we found the space not really big enuf so got son in law to built me a Walk-in-Run i still have to go down when theyve gone to bed and make sure they are locked away, and yes we have a bit of wire to fasten the nest box down, i have paving slabs but they have covered with mud and wood chippings OH has to shuvel em off now and then but my 3 girls fit in the middle bit at night with no trouble they tend to cuddle up ahhhh lol

[mimsy-grey]

Hushhhhhhhhh Hazel! you will be frightening the life out of Grey!

[mimsy-grey]

Tiddles, ooh am glad you are happy with yours too! originally I had wanted four girls, but whilst the specs said 4, I would say it would be dreadfully cramped, Toasty cosy for three though

[jemberelli]

I have the same coop too. The run part was nowhere near big enough so a large portion of the garden has been made into a Walk-in-Run and the coop has been popped inside there. The inside bit is fine for my 4 as 2 of them sleep in a nesting box each & the other 2 use the perch. Hoping to replace it with something bigger at some point so I can add to my gang but it has served us very well indeed so far. Loving the colour of yours - purple is my favourite colour!

I'm smiling as I type this as I remember how giddy I was before I got my chooks and it's really nice to see others counting down the minutes too!

[MissEllie]

Looks fab we also have the same one and have built a Walk-in-Run around it. I guarantee you'll love your girls and will spend hours just watching (and if you're like me) chatting to them.
Do you know which breeds you're going for? We have 2 ex batts and 2 hybrids (a bluebell and a blacktail) and they're all got such lovely natures and colours.

[RAM]

Nice place!

But be warned, I started off with something that size and had moved to a 12x12 stable within two years, plus a run of over 400 square yards!
If you don't have the garden space, I bet you'll start looking at new houses in the local paper ....

I'm convinced hens are the new drug of choice for those of us with taste

so true!

[sandy]

What a lovely looking home , you'll soon get chickenitus

[mimsy-grey]

Miss Ellie, We're getting a bluebell, a cuckoo and a light sussex, they are all so beautiful! However the chap mentioned he had blacktails and white tails, I haven't looked at those! crikey....hope I don't fall in love with them as well! +
ohhhh Greeeeeeeeyyyyyyy!!

[MissEllie]

What a lovely mix, I reckon you and Grey will be building that extension a lot sooner than you'd planned.... Us chicken keepers can't help ourselves, they're soooo addictive! chickenitis is very contagious.

[debby]

looking good

[Tink]

Hi mimsy- grey, yes I can see from your picture now wooden finger grips. I had forgotten that. The original screws were not long enough and handles got wobbly so we replaced with plastic handles.
Give the bolts a WD 40 or Vaseline. The screws were also very short holding the ladder inplace . Its loose now but we decided not to have it fixed permanently as that makes cleaning difficult. It does occasionally drop down (probably with a girlie on it)
I was glad the nestbox base is fixed as foxes can and do push them up.
We do drop a taupaulin ( Value one cut in half) down overnight as rain will soak anything in base of coop. If you were to have any rats around - have a look at the side of the nest boxes. There was a small gap at the top so I tacked some chicken wire to fill that, bent over double to make it rigid and not scratch your wrists, that allows air to still get in.
Other that that we are still pleased with it. The most we had was five girlies but that was only when large Walk-in-Run added.
Good luck - you won't regret it.

[mimsy-grey]

Tink, Gary..sorry grey lol, has been drawing up plans and pricing up for the walk in run.....thanks to specs from silverback, but its grown...a lot! lol He is really keen to get a couple of ex batt girlies, and I can actually see us coming home with an extra girlie tomorrow, if we spot another that we like....we are as bad as each other lol. We will get a cover of some kind to drop over the front of the run, pretty sheltered to the back as close to the fence panel, but anything to stop it getting too wet and muddy!!

[silverback]

Hi MG,
I used an old polytunnel cover for my Walk-in-Run roof, or take a look at the link!:

http://www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk/Tarpa ... efault.asp

[madmum]

Mimsy-Grey......I have a colmbian black tail chook,One of my original group of hybrids.She has always been the friendliest and easiest to handle