Another chook newbie

[bluemoon]

Love the coop. I'm going to stop looking at these threads because I thought the coop formerly known as Graceland* was good, but all it is is a bog-standard hen-house with a flash paint job.

*So called because 'Elvis' used to live in it, but now he's moved. It's currently known as Lancre, but I'd really have to explain that.

[ajpaterson]

Thanks for the comments. Things are beginning to get a bit clearer! So now I think I'll build two perches. It's a bit more work, but looks like it's more accommodating (plus gives me more perch space in total in case I want to expand to 8 hens). So I need to make sure I've got about 40cm free floor space for them to jump up onto the perch. Does anyone know if the two perches should go fairly close to each other? I don't have enough room to have 40cm at either side, otherwise I'll only have a few cm in between, so I also need to choose whether the 40cm floorspace goes nearer the door, or the nest box. I'm guessing it doesn't really matter - if they can't get up one way then they'll get up another presumably!

Tonight I'm borrowing a router off a colleague to integrate some doors. Am getting excited!

[Flummery]

It's currently known as Lancre, but I'd really have to explain that.

Oh no you don't!

[ajpaterson]

Hey Flummery, I like the egg skelter on your blog. I'd like one of them, but I think I'd better hold off getting one of them until I actually have laying chooks!

[Hilary B]

Thanks for the comments. Things are beginning to get a bit clearer! So now I think I'll build two perches. It's a bit more work, but looks like it's more accommodating (plus gives me more perch space in total in case I want to expand to 8 hens). So I need to make sure I've got about 40cm free floor space for them to jump up onto the perch. Does anyone know if the two perches should go fairly close to each other? I don't have enough room to have 40cm at either side, otherwise I'll only have a few cm in between, so I also need to choose whether the 40cm floorspace goes nearer the door, or the nest box. I'm guessing it doesn't really matter - if they can't get up one way then they'll get up another presumably!

Tonight I'm borrowing a router off a colleague to integrate some doors. Am getting excited!

They need about 40cm where they are 'taking off from'. A hen overhangs the perch by up to 20cm on each side.
If that wide space at the right as shown in pics is the door, I think you need to reduce it a bit! Just how wide is the house? I would give them the widest gap by the door.....

[matthew2riches]

BEST PLACE FOR WELD MESH IS:

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[Flummery]

Hey Flummery, I like the egg skelter on your blog. I'd like one of them, but I think I'd better hold off getting one of them until I actually have laying chooks!

It pays to be prepared! Emmylou has just got one too!

[ajpaterson]

They need about 40cm where they are 'taking off from'. A hen overhangs the perch by up to 20cm on each side.
If that wide space at the right as shown in pics is the door, I think you need to reduce it a bit! Just how wide is the house? I would give them the widest gap by the door.....

Thanks Hilary for the measurements. You are a useful lady! The house is 150x~80cm. With nest boxes in it makes the remaining usable space 120x80. I could fit one perch left to right, but that just gives 20cm per hen (pic attached) unless it ventures over the nest boxes. If I go for 2 perches left to right to give them a more generous 25cm each then that also gives me enough room. I've put them on the rhs as that they don't get in the way of entering the nesting box, though it's a weigh up between that and having the big gap by the door. Oh, decisions, decisions!

PS Hurrah - I've found a local(ish) fencing supplier with 5ft wide second hand weld mesh for £1/m! Not sure what gauge it is - I just hope it's foxproof!

[ajpaterson]

PPS The red bit is the door (as fitted last night!). The rest of the rhs will be walled with more lap board.
The lhs will hopefully be a full width sliding down door to retrieve the eggs.

[ajpaterson]

BEST PLACE FOR WELD MESH IS:

Hills of Devon - The South Wests leading supplier of thatching materials, Devon Wheat Reed, Water Reed and wire netting

ABSOLUTE BARGAINS!!!!!

They do look good, and had a chat with the guy there. Was almost ready to buy (from their ebay shop) but found something second hand not too far away.

[Hilary B]

PPS The red bit is the door (as fitted last night!). The rest of the rhs will be walled with more lap board.
The lhs will hopefully be a full width sliding down door to retrieve the eggs.

Still not entirely clear, the side open to allow pics will be solid (well, with windows perhaps), or not? If it is to be solid, I would put 2 perches crossways to the direction shown. 40cm (that isn't set in stone, but a good safe choice) in from the doorway, and 40cm from that, full width, giving a total perch length of 160cm.
Have the rhs (as we view it) removeable for floor cleaning purposes (it WILL be necessary).

Don't get too carried away with my advice, I've kept chooks for quite a long time (but not very recently), and I've probably read every book that was on the shelves in the days when I did keep them, but in spite of the way my comments tend to come across, I don't actually count myself an expert!
I do know that if the perch is too close to the wall, the chook can't get onto it, and if it is even closer, they can't perch on it without bashing beak or tail against the wall (just think about it a bit). With that sloping roof, there may be a problem of height above perch as well, if you get too close....

[ajpaterson]

Just to say, thanks to all the advice from here we're now up and running with 6 ladies! They seem to have taken to their house well (though on the first night I spent 45 minutes trying to get them in it - including climbing on the shed and the garage!!) and we're looking forward to our first eggs. (Apparantely in around a fortnight, but I expect that's sales talk!)

We have a light sussex, rhode island red, amber, bluebelle, black rock and speckled. Though I'm wondereding whether the speckled (which we wanted for the dark eggs) is actually a magpie (which we didn't want), but have subsequently been told by the seller that a young speckled looks like a magpie. Is this true from anyone's experience/knowledge?

We were told the black rock is called Koovery because of trademark. Does anyone know how to spell 'Koovery' properly?! (I also told them I thought Bluebelle was trademarked as I came across that on the internet, but they said I was wrong!)

[Flummery]

Oh they are lovely - still a little way to go till the combs look big enough for egg laying. Ours were 19 weeks when they started to lay - they are hybrid Little Red Hens. I don't know about the trade mark names though, sorry.

[MaureenHall]

They're really lovely Lucky you and lucky chooks

By the way, where did you get your chook-carrier from? I could do with something like that myself

[Suechooks]

By the way, where did you get your chook-carrier from? I could do with something like that myself

I think I've seen those chook carriers in our feed place - The Farm and Pet Place at Chirk - so maybe feed places with lotsa chook stuff will have them?