Just starting out - What do I need and whats a waste of money?

[Victoria26]

Hey guys, we want to get started with a few chooks. I've red up all about keeping them for months so im happy but when it came to a bit of real estate for them im a little confused.

Although Id like to buy a new house and run (you know one of them kits from any good garden centre/pet shop) Hubby is insisting he can make his own from reclaimed bits and pieces.

What do you expierienced chooksters suggest please? Has anyone made their own runs or houses? do you have any suggestions on what we can save on and what to splurge on?

Thanks in advance, Vicks x

[Suechooks]

As few joins as possible so exterior/marine ply rather than tongue and groove, well supported Onduline roof not roofing felt (to help deter red mite), raised off the ground to keep rats away and a safe fox-proof run are the essential basics. A lot of pet shop kits are very flimsy and will only last a few months.
If your OH is wanting to build for you then have a look at the Sticky on here which Bramble poultry kindly put on. I have used these plans and made 3 broody size coops and 1 larger one and I am no DIYer!
Allow space for at least double the number you first thought of - chooks are addictive!
Try and source your stock from a reliable source who are prepared to let you look round and give you time to think and ask questions.
Get yourself a first aid/good health kit - there'll be lots of suggestions from everyone, but start with Purple spray, Apple Cider Vinegar, garlic.
Give as much room in the run as you can spare in your garden/allotment.
Ensure you have a sheltered/shaded area in the run to keep them out of rain/wind/sun.
Find an agricultural /horsey type store where they sell a variety of reasonable quality chicken food, accessories, medicines powders and potions.
Maybe check out your local vets to see if anyone in the practice has an interest in seeing poultry.
Try and find someone local who keeps poultry for mutual support.
Above all be prepared to become an addict like the rest of us and Welcome!

[Glutton4...]

Well, what can I add? Oh yeah, get plenty of batteries for your Camera! Recording their antics is very time consuming, and us nosey boogers on here neeeeeeed to see piccies of them!

[Munch]

Totally agree with Sue, We started with just 2 chickens 3 years ago...... 8 hens, 6 tables and 6 bantams in the incubator later..........

[Victoria26]

Thanks everyone, its so exciting, i'll keep you posted x

[baldrick]

Our house has a pull out tray to scrape the poo off so it takes a matter of 2 mins every morning even by torchlight before work. The perches are removable so you can zap red mite on the perch ends. Also if you are building an enclosed run its brilliant if you can stand in it purely because the easier a house and run is to clean the cleaner it will be, and the easier it is to catch and interact with your chickens the easier it is to keep them healthy coz you get to know what is normal behaviour for your birds and can spot problems early...................

[its hilly]

Baldrick's right, a stand up in run is muuucchhh better. I use a heavy piece of lino on my coop floors, easy to clean..but you do need to put anti mite powder under it. That's one thing that's essential, good anti red mite spray or powder.
And decide if you prefer hang up water and food containers or stand on the floor ones, then buy good quality ones from the off. I prefer hanging ones as it stops the little sh...err darlings..kicking muck into them.
And an essential I wouldn't be without is my Wolf changable tools. The long handle with the hoe end (bent to a rightangle) is great for scraping coop floors without doing my back in. And I just swop heads for the rake to do runs, and a short handle to do higher coops.

[baldrick]

and if anyone can work out how to stop chooks 1/ ignoring a full hanging feeder while pecking and skwawking round the other which they have emptied and 2/ pecking the wing nut of said empty feededr purely because it is empty then losing it in the litter please tell me coz they have me stumped.....oh and replacement skinny thread wingnuts anyone???

[chris]

I made mine from a single bit of shuttering ply (which is WBP rated, as is marine ply). It's cheaper than marine ply as it's just meant for shuttering concrete. BP advised me to go this route if I wanted to save some money when making it.. I'm glad I did.. I think it cost a total of £35 to build.

It was an 8' x 4' sheet, cut in half length ways (giving two 4' x 4' lengths) - then these two sections in half again, giving four bits of 4' x 2' - one of them in half, to give me three 4' x 2' lengths, and two 2' x 2' lengths. I screwed these together (you may want to shave off the thickness off a side of each one if you want them to align exactly) to form an open box - one of the sides was hinged. Put on a roof of onduline, and made some legs for it.

Couple of pics if it helps to see how I did it:




that gives me a 4' long coop - I have 3 chickens. Depending on how much room you leave for the chickens (8 - 12" per bird is recommended I believe) perch wise will determine how many you can fit in there. Mine all bunch up on a bit 10" long (yes, I measured -sad I know)... even in the hot weather we've had.

There's more pictures over here: https://picasaweb.google.com/chris.marks/Chickens/# if it helps your husband with designing your coop!

If I build another one in the future - I'll be using shuttering ply again, it's cheap and easy to work with. I used some Marine ply for the nestbox bit, basically as I couldn't find a small bit of shuttering ply.. that cost me £10 I think, from B&Q. (compare that to the £25 for a bit over twice the size of shuttering - you can see the savings you can make by using it). That said, I'm not sure how long it'll last in comparison to proper marine ply.. I think the glue used in marine ply is "better". I intend in treating mine yearly, and crecoting the inside at the same time to help prevent mites.

[Mikey]

I didn't go down the make it yourself route, I bought an Omlet Eglu, which is definately more expensive but so easy to keep clean. It is a little restrictive if you want more than three birds but I'm glad I got mine.

The only thing I didn't prepare for was allowing them the freedom to roam my garden, they have built up confidence since we've had them, and massacred my echinacea, violas, sprouting broccoli, and strawberry bed. I've had to build two gates, and extend the height on the garden walls. If you are going into keeping chickens to save money then don't because you will not. That said I would not have it any other way, the whole family love the chooks and their antics.

My daughter sells the surplus eggs to our neighbours, which pleases her immensely, and kinda saves me giving her pocket money.

Whenever I'm in the garden building something to keep them safe, there they are watching me closely, they'll balance precariously on the back of a chair to get a view of what I'm upto. Chooks are potty.

[RedThorn]

Also, consider putting a lino lining in on the floor and long enough to go about 6-10 inches up the walls to make it easy to clean, but be warned, you will need to make sure that you can clean under it too. Lift it out and place on ground and broom and hose it down and dust under it before putting back in. you don't want to give them pesky red mites a chance to breed.

Letting your hubby build it will save you loads(hopefully) and that cash could be used to beef up your fox protection and help offset the cost of them batteries you'll need for your camera . A small walk in shed can easily be adapted to suit.

[Newtothis]

Hi
The post by Chris about the one sheet of ply coop is really helpful and I think I'll have a go at making it.

A couple of questions for you Chris.
When you put the wavy roof stuff on did you have the plywood as a roof underneath? I've read on here that some people just have wire mesh under, and that this is OK. Isn't that a bit cold for the hens though?
Also what is the black stuff you've used to seal the corners inside?

Thanks

David

[chris]

I haven't, on both the ones I've made.. You need some ventilation in there - chickens have their own built in duvet - if they're cold they'll fluff their feathers up to trap air around them, and huddle up with other chickens.

I just built a frame like this:


Then screwed (didn't use the proper onduline nails - they're very expensive for what they are) into that frame. I put a dab of silicon under each screw head just before tightening it up, just incase the screw head's friction didn't create a water tight seal in the bitumen roofing.

The black stuff is creocote (you can get it in dark or light). It's the "modern" version of creosote.. and it creates a hostile environment for redmite. I went along all joins with it (including in the nest box). It does take a while to dry though - I'd recommend doing it before painting the outside too. I line the nestbox with newspaper, which blots some of it up (still - I've seen some blotting up of it a few months later)- 1 sheet is enough. Just give it enough time to dry and not smell - you don't want to put your flock in a small box smelling of that stuff!

Edit: I then put some mesh over the frame as you have mentioned. Not sure why I did it this time.. the coop pophole/door is always open.. The run is open during the day and they're shut away in it around 7PM.. whenever I get my little one off to bed!

[Mikey]

Out of curiosity those that have used onduline have you secured it through the peek or the trough?

If you use the trough do you silicon them in?

[Suechooks]

The professionals secure it through the peak. I expect there's a reason for it but when I've been using it I secure through whichever bit is best at that time.