New Poultry Keeper

[chuffa]

Hi all. After some time of growing on my lottie, i have decided to keep chickens now, but in my back garden as i would like to keep an eye on them all the time. I don't trust our lottie to keep them as we have lots of fox's and badgers in the area. Also the local toe rags are much to be desired.

I am hoping to get, in the very near future, 4 Light Sussex hens at point of lay. I have done all my homework (but i am sure there is more to learn) about the husbandry on chickens.

Now comes the task of housing before i buy. I would like to build one myself but family and work commitments stop me. I have therefore decided to buy one and have searched Ebay and the web for one. The link below shows the one i have gone for. Has anyone else got one and how is it fairing.

CH101NT Chicken Coop and Hen House

[Liza]

I have had mine since march, I creocoted it before I put it together all OK so far........

I did add an extension in the form of an old rabbit run as I felt it too small for the buffs.

I have two Buff orps and two lavender Araucanas.

[Bramble-Poultry]

hiya Chuffa, welcome to chook-o-holics anonymous

firstly, well done for researching first. i wish i had all those years ago. bought the hens then went looking for a coop! sure that was the wrong way round!

i have not bought this coop as i tend to make mine up as i need them. (the local wood yard and i are very good friends, sure he keeps persuading me to get more chickens so he sells more wood) I have, however, seen this one in the flesh at a local shop.

It appears to me to be made from lightweight softwood, so i will be fine for a few years but do keep your eye on the wood that touches the floor as it may need replacing if it gets soaked over a couple of winters. The sliding tray is a good idea, but if you use a fine shaving or similar in the house (we use hemcore) then eventually the fall down and jam the draw so you need to clean that out as well each time.

the house is large enough for 4 Light Sussex, and the run will suffice, however, if you can move the run daily so they get fresh grass would be good, letting them out to roam free when you're home is even better.

The nest box on the back makes it easy to access for eggs, but if its the one that has the loose bottom for cleaning, then nail that loose bottom down, otherwise it becomes a private entrance for the fox!

each year give it a good coat of creosote or "creocote" to preserve the wood and also to keep things such as red mite at bay.

i am sure there will be more questions and we at the vine are all ready to help

have fun

Mike

[Hans Mum]

i got that one as my first chook house, they now have a much larger shed cause you'll end up with more its now my isolation unit, its OK but as Mike says it needs loads of preservative painting on - the run is nowhere big enough if they are to be confined for long periods & you'll need to extend it.
But its a good starting point, dont forget we need pics of your girls when you get them

[chuffa]

Thanks for the info folks. I will take photos of the chooks and post them. I might even do a blog about them.

[RichmondHens]

Sorry Chuffa, don't think it is big enough IMHO. Ditto Liza's coop. Light Sussex are biggish birds. If you intend to let them out on a daily basis to roam around then just maybe it would "do", but you are talking chickens here, not guinea pigs. I know my birds would go crazy in a little coop like that. I'm getting quite concerned about the amount of tiny little coops being marketed as "suitable" for 4/6/8 etc chickens when I wouldn't put my rabbits in one.

[Shellintons]

I have a couple of these for my chicks to grow on in and for broody hens. I don't think they are big enough for my Orpingtons or my sussex who have a converted garden shed and large(ish) run with their turn in the garden. But they are fine for the chicks and broodies.
I have used one for 4 bantams as a short term measure but found myself letting them have the run of the garden as I felt they were too enclosed. Mind you I don't have the extra run part on mine.
Just a point but my Sussex are the large size, I have seen bantam ones that might be an ok size for this coop, but I would let them out for the daytime nowing how soft I am with my chooks ;p
Good luck