hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc

  • 4 Replies
  • 2953 Views
*

monkeyboysee

  • New Member
  • *
  • 17
hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc
« on: January 14, 2009, 11:33 »
hi,

i have a great area suitable for a chicken run, it has a brick floor and 2 brick wall so i only need to fence 2 sides and put a door on. the area around will be good to let them out in as its away from the road, however i have that newbie nervousness that they will wander off if i let them out?

i need to sort out a hen house etc, i would like to try and cobble up something from what is laying around (ie and old set of drawers), i need to keep costs down. could i use the drawers as a nesting box for them to lay eggs in, and just build a house for them to sleep in? what exactly is a roosting perch, is it a rail or a shelf?
do it today, tomorrow it might be illegal

*

andreadon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
  • 1123
    • My Diary
Re: hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2009, 16:27 »
Quote from: "monkeyboysee"

i have a great area suitable for a chicken run, it has a brick floor and 2 brick wall so i only need to fence 2 sides and put a door on. the area around will be good to let them out in as its away from the road, however i have that newbie nervousness that they will wander off if i let them out?

that sounds perfect for a run. make sure it has high sides (about 6 foot) or a netting over the top (to stop foxes and stuff). they will try to run off if you let them out of it, so when you let them out, just keep them in sight.  shouldn't be a major problem (ours used to try to "visit" the rest of the farm and we had to round them up!)
Quote from: "monkeyboysee"
i need to sort out a hen house etc, i would like to try and cobble up something from what is laying around (ie and old set of drawers), i need to keep costs down. could i use the drawers as a nesting box for them to lay eggs in, and just build a house for them to sleep in? what exactly is a roosting perch, is it a rail or a shelf?

depending on how many you have.  We've got 4 and they're in a house about 1mtr by 1mtr.  and it's about that high, too.  nest box is bolted onto one side.  house has a pull-out base (great for cleaning!).
the perch should be a piece of wood about 1andahalf" to 2" wide and as longand deep as you want it.  make the edges rounded, but it should be flat on top. (think like the spine of a hardback book)(a rail is closer to your description- if you use 2x2 then you're about right). make it about 6 to 12" above the base of the house and it should be fine.
 :D

*

monkeyboysee

  • New Member
  • *
  • 17
hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2009, 16:53 »
thanks fopr the replies,

i don't want to appear thick:

1, is the rail so they can curl their toes around it? is a broom handle too thin? if i use standard timber do i have to round the edges?

2, i am thinking of using some sturdy drawers left in an outhouse as nesting boxes, ie pulling the drawers half out and filling with straw, i'm sure i saw this being done somewhere, does this sound ok? if this is ok, i'll just build separate for them to sleep in, with the rail

*

poultrygeist

  • Guest
hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2009, 17:47 »
You can use any old length of timber as long as they have abotu 1.5"-2" width and you round the top edges. They do curl their toes over the edge but like to have a bit of a 'flat' to sit on. Very clever design these chickens! :)

Drawers sound ideal, although whether they agree remains to be seen  :lol:
You'll find no end of threads about hens layign anywhere but in the nest box. It wants to be low down and dark, preferably with a cover over the top and sides with just enough room for them to sit in on some straw or similar.

Rob 8)

*

ceri green

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: cwm garw
  • 268
hi very new needs advise on chicken houses etc
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2009, 19:25 »
hello monkeyboysee

I use drawers for nest boxes. i line them with newspaer, then a bit of flax or shavings, then straw on top that they can arrange into a nest if they want. I have one in the actual hen house that they all fight over to sleep in ( I put it in there cos I had an injured hen that couldn't get up onto the perch but didnt want to keep her away from the others longer than necessary once she was recovered enough)...its really funny to see as many as 6 hens all trying to be the one that has the box for the night  :lol:  :lol: . they do somwetimes lay in it too!. I have two other drawers in a tool store, a bit off the ground and fairly dark and closed in, and this is where they mostly lay, and although there are two boxes in there they often queue up tp lay in just one of them!

 :) ceri



xx
plastic chicken houses

Started by kelsgirlsx on The Hen House

38 Replies
13196 Views
Last post August 30, 2009, 14:38
by nzdunn
xx
Cleaning chicken houses

Started by Stemar on The Hen House

5 Replies
2768 Views
Last post April 04, 2016, 02:49
by Cameron231
xx
Plastic Chicken Houses......

Started by ManicMum on The Hen House

6 Replies
3497 Views
Last post August 29, 2013, 12:25
by JaK
xx
DIY plans for chicken houses and runs

Started by cockofthenorth on The Hen House

6 Replies
3475 Views
Last post March 25, 2011, 13:44
by ANHBUC
 

Page created in 0.227 seconds with 38 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |