Another chook newbie

[ajpaterson]

I have enjoyed reading the chicken posts and seeing photos. Some friends and I are in the midst of building a coop to house 6 chickens and so thought I'd post a few pics. The blue boxes on left will be old Ikea CD boxes slightly off the floor (and I guess with most of one side off them so hens can get in/out easily). The red area is where the door will be.

I'm unsure about this whole perch thing - I can't seem to find any information about the horizontal placement of it. Lots of places say about how high, but I'm wondering about having a diagonal perch so that I can get away with one. I'm not sure if at ~40cm off the ground they'll keep bashing their heads! Also, do I need some steps, or do they just fly up there?! My chook book (a great birthday present!) says to have perch around 8cm by 5cm, but various websites talk of as small as 5x3. (I'm looking to have 'standard' hens, not bantams.)

Trying to get it all finished by this weekend as my daughter (pictured peeping out the window!) gets her turn at having her nursery's teddy bear and camera (for taking pics of him) at home and it would be a good story for her/it to have!

Also, I was wondering about ex-batts. I realise it's saving a chicken's life, but since the farmer is also getting paid for them, is there any valid opinion that buying them is creating a market for them, and so to reduce one's contribution to that market actually not being involved in the whole process (ie not buying the eggs or the ex-batt hens) might be better? I'd be interested in people's thoughts.

Thanks,
Andy

PS Anyone know any good websites for chicken wire? (1.8m high, 19 gauge, 5cm according to my birthday book!) I only need about 8m of it.

[Hilary B]

A perch 5cm wide is fine, the depth necessary depends a bit on how long it is. The possible snag with a diagonal perch is that the 'ends' may not be useable. 40cm above floor level should be fine, similar distance from nearest wall, or they may not be able to use it at all.
What do you want to buy chicken wire for (especially 19 gauge)? If a fox appears, he will be through that in 10 seconds!
If you want to make a run 1.8m height, chainlink is good. Best to have a strong net roof on it. Foxes can climb, chooks can scramble/fly.

[MaureenHall]

I love the house Hello and welcome.

Sloping perch? I don't think it's a good idea really, the birds will slide down it, or have to grip so hard to stay put they won't sleep on it - I know cuz my chooks used to when their perch got knocked off balance

Ex-batts - go for it. I don't think the farmer gets more than 50p per bird, sometimes not even that. Their destiny is either someone like us giving them their freedom for the rest of their lives, however long or short that may be, and allowing them to be proper chickens doing chickeny things, or they'll end up in pet food or chicken nuggets or something else equally revolting. They'll also be an instant source of lovely fresh eggs It's truly wonderful to see these scared almost featherless girls grow into beautiful laydees, they're friendly, easy (relatively) to look after. I'm going to get another 8 as soon as everywhere's ready for them!

[Hilary B]

Yes, the perch does need to be level, but across the angle of the house is acceptable, but unlikely to give you extra useable perch space compared to one parallel to a side.

[pdblake]

Wilkinson sell mesh in 10m rolls for a tenner, but it's not strong enough to deter a fox or dog. You'd be better of with weldmesh. They sell that too, in shorter rolls though.

[Suechooks]

Wilkinson sell mesh in 10m rolls for a tenner, but it's not strong enough to deter a fox or dog. You'd be better of with weldmesh. They sell that too, in shorter rolls though.

Look on ebay for weldmesh and wire. I've had some real bargains.

[ajpaterson]

Thanks for your replies! Just to clarify I didn't mean diagonally sloping - just meant from one corner across to the other. I get more length rather than going from side to a side (as in the diagonal of a rectangle is longer than it's longest side). I hope that makes better sense! :-)

Is one likely to get foxes during the day? (I live in the city.) I had heard a few people say that they can bite through chicken wire, but presumably as the hens will be in the hen house at night I just need to maximise the protection there??

[Peebels]

I understand your concern about paying the battery farmers and all that, but it is a choice of going to a good home or going in cheap pie.

Check you the BHWT and their comments on it all. They make the very good point that allot of farmers don’t really have that much control of it all. Whilst consumers are tending to buy the free range stuff the real market dominators are companies buying egg to put in there produce. Its this 'not so visible' and less discerning demand that necessitates the need for farmer to battery farm.

Whilst i really don’t condone it and have recently stopped eating anything that’s got non-free range eggs in or comes from animals that are either kept or slaughtered in-humanely; i can see why battery farming exists. The only way its going to stop is if consumers start to be picky about the foods they buy that have eggs in.

So i would say go for ex-bats. Im getting some soon. Consider it as taking the moral high ground, we can all blame the farmers, but at the end of the day, they are responding to market demand created by us the consumers.

ill get down off my soap box now!

Nice coop btw, well done!

[Glutton4...]

Hi and welcome! I'd go for ex-Batts every time. Mine were from BHWT, for the cost of £1 donation each - I certainly don't think the farmer gets paid for them!

[Hilary B]

Thanks for your replies! Just to clarify I didn't mean diagonally sloping - just meant from one corner across to the other. I get more length rather than going from side to a side (as in the diagonal of a rectangle is longer than it's longest side). I hope that makes better sense! :-)

Is one likely to get foxes during the day? (I live in the city.) I had heard a few people say that they can bite through chicken wire, but presumably as the hens will be in the hen house at night I just need to maximise the protection there??

Foxes do sometimes come hunting by day (city or otherwise) we have had posts on here mentioning foxes sighted 'casing the joint' mid morning.

I see your meaning about 'diagonal' perch, but as explained, the extra length may not be of actual use to the chooks. Imagine a chook actually perched on it near the end, and you may see the problem.....

[Bephlam]

Welcome to the Vine Aj....I'm sure you'll love it here!!

Your coup is looking mighty fine...(hilarious seeing the little girl inside it).

[HayleyB]

Welcome to the madvine AJ. Coop is impressive.

Laydees will perch on anything they wrap thier tootsies around really. We have a custom made one in Chookenham but the laydees like perching in some old chairs that were supporting a door pretending to be a large second level for any that wanted to get away for some 'me time'. Some even perch on an old Belfast sink we have as a dust bath.

In the yard they have loads of perching options from Landy axles to wooden beams that seemed to have gotten left there to bits of box and even a trailer in the corner

[Glutton4...]

In the yard they have loads of perching options from Landy axles to wooden beams that seemed to have gotten left there to bits of box and even a trailer in the corner

Sounds like you collect as much carp as we do!

[sheena]

I see that everyone has mention BHWT, but I'd like to mention little hen rescue what with them having that norfolk farm being shut down.
10,000 ex-batts need homes, please try them aswell... those they aren't rescued by 27th june will be culled.

Such a shame!

[HayleyB]

Sounds like you collect as much carp as we do!

Must be in our genes