house for chickens

[lozza_9]

Hi All

We are thinking of having chickens in our back garden, only planning to have 2-3 chickens max at the momment.

we are trying to find a good chicken home, can anyone recommend a good company to choose or does anyone have plans to build a chicken house, will this be cheaper?

loz

[Benacre]

Yes Yes build your own to your own specification from Wire netting, scrap wood etc. I have several reccomendations of suitable homes. But.......... If you are having less than six hens try one of those Egloos
Good luck.
Colin.

[lozza_9]

Hi Colin

We have looked at the Egloos but at £375 they are not cheap. Can you let me know your recommendations?

Loz

[shirlthegirl43]

If you PM me I will email you some plans I bought on ebay - they seem pretty simple to follow and my OH promises to make me an ark 'someday'

[scooby]

we use a converted 6x4 garden shed that we bought 2nd hand for £20 a few perches and some nest boxes fixed to the wall made from scrap wood off of a building site and the whole thing was built for about £40 with the chicken wire. we have 6 chooks but could easily house at least 12

[yoanbob]

egloos are fab! but your right not cheap, if you dont need the run and have your own chook suplier it brings the price down. otherwise convert an old shed or rabbit hutch, they dont need much, somwhere to roost, somwhere to lay, enough room to get on the roosting bar and thats about it.

[Crazy Chickie]

We made the first hen house out of sheets of hard board and 2"x2". Unfortunately I'm rubbish on the computer and can't draw up the plans. It was 3'x4' on the base 2 1/2' high at the front and 2' at the back with a hinged roof which we covered in felt. It was fine for the two chooks but then we caught the bug and bought more, then had a go at hatching, then......

The next hen house was a shed bought from the local diy/crofters/everything shop, but you can get them even cheaper from screwfix catalog. Its definately much cheaper to buy a prefab flat pack shed and make your own roosts and nest boxes than to buy a specialist chicken house or (if you want lots of hens or hens with lots of room) to make it from scratch with wood from the wood merchant. Don't forget to take bird flu rules into consideration, if there is an outbreak near you you'll need somewhere thats free from wild birds and their poop (ie. a covered run with very small gage mesh, you'd be surprised what a sparrow can sqeeze through). A shed might be worth your while even if you're only getting a couple of hens cause you can lock them up without feeling too mean if there is an outbreak. And if you can find a cheap secondhand one all the better. The only problem with a shed is that you can't move it and if you are going to build a run for you chooks to keep them off your veg patch (and they will love your prize veg even more than you) you can't move it around as easily as an ark. Anyhoo, hope that was some help and goodluck with whatever you decide. I'm sure you'll love your chickens, they are fantastic wee beasties

[Egluntine]

I have 2 Eglu's and they are fantastic.
Easy to clean.
Fox resistant.
Red Mite resistant (Red Mite can be a major problem in wooden coops) as there is nowhere really for them to hide...although they can lurk on the ends of the roosting bars if you are unlucky.
They are fairly expensive I suppose, but you get what you pay for, and many of the manufactured wooden arks are just as expensive.
Of course a home made coop will be cheaper but you do have to bear in mind the Red Mite problem, and ease of cleaning.
Very friendly Omlet forum....all your questions will be answered there.
Main Omlet web address is
http://www.omlet.co.uk

[Birdie Wife]

I think eglus are good but way overpriced. Good if you have a smart garden and you want a smart hen house but otherwise, the hens aren't that fussy and it's fairly easy to knock up something yourself. My OH built me one, it's basically a 4' x 4' box with a sloping roof covered with felt, a row of nest boxes on the outside with a lifting roof and a pop-hole which can be closed with a latch. For three birds though you could have a look at some of the arks available, very cheap and perfectly okay. This looks like some useful information.

[SuzieP]

Hi Lozza
If you PM your e-mail I'll scan the plans I have and e-mail them to you. Very simple basic box with run attached - no DIY diplomas needed . Sounds very similar to Birdie Wife's set up and my girls have been perfectly happy in it for a year now.
Suzie

[Egluntine]

Good if you have a smart garden

IF you were to see my garden you would realise in an instant that it it anything but smart!!

[mossi]

chicken coop

hi, sorry to jump on your thread, im in exactly thesame situation, i too am about to house 2 or 3 bantam hens, and am looking to buy or build a coop/hutch/run combination for them.. could anyone please email, or pm me some simple plans, im no engineer so plain is good ive looked at buying, but it seems 300 upwards for a decent run/house for them.. and i want a nice place, but dont have lots of spare cash.. we have a shed convered for a rabbit house, with a run connected, i wondered would the rabbits and hens get along ? or is there a danger of infection from them both.

thanks in advance, my email if you can help with plans is * the email address is in Mossi's profile* or if anyone in the farnham area is selling a hutch with run please contact me.

thanks..
mart

[shirlthegirl43]

Hello and welcome to the vine Mossi - will try to PM the plans to you but if they don't arrive please PM me with your email address and I will email them.

[Lesley Jay]

Shirl the email address is in Mossi's profile. Just click on Mossi's name and then select send email.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks LJ - not awake yet today!