chook house design & construction

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jack russell

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chook house design & construction
« on: February 26, 2007, 23:14 »
Hi all

i am going to bite the bullet and make a chook house before i am allotted a plot  :shock:  i am sure i will get one :?

there are a couple of questions i have
(pros and cons really)

having  a slatted floor for poop to fall through good or bad idea? I think it would make the ark cold.

 :D solid floor clean it weekly with good husbandry comes less disease .

what are the normal sizes for the nest boxes that can be accessed from outside. obviously larger than the hens but is there a standard size?

 :D i prefer about 14/ 16 inches

also looked at new postings about eglus why is there only one nest receptacle do the hens x (4) all lay in same nest ? what if they need to drop at same time ?  

  :D they wont
 check out the poultry and constrution book on this site  

regs munty
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/jack-russell_2007/CIMG1386.jpg[/img]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q230/jack-russell_2007/roostertop-1.jpg[/img]


not organic    but still a nice bloke

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Aunt Sally

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Re: chook house design & construction
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2007, 11:35 »
Quote from: "jack russell"

also looked at new postings about eglus why is there only one nest receptacle do the hens x (4) all lay in same nest ? what if they need to drop at same time ?  

How many hens do you want to keep JR  :?:

I think the recommended number of nest boxes is 1 for 4 - 5 chooks, so 1 in an eglu is fine.  My two don't usually want to lay at exactly the same time and a hen can hold on for a bit if necessary.

PS I would never recommend an eglu for keeping on a lottie - It WOULD get pinched  :!:

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muntjac

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Re: chook house design & construction
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2007, 12:35 »
Quote from: "Aunt Sally"
Quote from: "jack russell"

also looked at new postings about eglus why is there only one nest receptacle do the hens x (4) all lay in same nest ? what if they need to drop at same time ?  

How many hens do you want to keep JR  :?:

I think the recommended number of nest boxes is 1 for 4 - 5 chooks, so 1 in an eglu is fine.  My two don't usually want to lay at exactly the same time and a hen can hold on for a bit if necessary.

PS I would never recommend an eglu for keeping on a lottie - It WOULD get pinched  :!:


 
 a chicken takeaway  
still alive /............

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jack russell

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2007, 20:31 »
hi all

i will be looking to keep approx 4 - 6 i think.

I intend to have a chainlink type fence all around sunk into ground with same for roof.  to prevent foxy,  if i do this will i be able to leave the hatch open at all times or will i need to close it each night and open each morning.  I am not lazy, just wondering how it is done by others.

munty i looked for the poultry and construction book but cant find it would you be a love and link it for me  :wink:  :shock:

aunt sally will gertrude lay an egg in the nest if the is one in there already laid by harriet

thanks in advance  :D

cheers

jr

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muntjac

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2007, 21:22 »
here ya go jack
the gold cockerel series . poultry house construction by micheal roberts .
isbn9780947870218 cost about £6 .check if its for sale on here in books section

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Trillium

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2007, 22:13 »
Don't know how UK hen keepers do their coop floors, but I made mine solid - they didn't like cold breezes and upsplash from rain. It also discourages weasels and the like, which can slip into some pretty narrow openings if determined. It does make more work regularly cleaning out the floor, but I could sleep easily knowing they were reasonably safe. And I did lock them up nightly - racoons are so bl...y crafty and adore chicken dinners. Only my racing pigeons get heavy grated metal floors for droppings to pass through. They don't much like standing on the floor, whatever the material, and are safely out of range of grubbing weasels which will pull or bite off legs of anything they can catch hold of. A rabbit keeping friend found this out when several of her prize Angoras lost their feet in one night. Lock up your stock tight at night and you'll sleep well; but the 2 footed thieves are hard to stop no matter what.  :evil:

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muntjac

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2007, 22:26 »
sorry meant to say if ya guaranteed no pests can get to em i leave em open in the summer  but i am certain of my security mate and i regularly see foxes around my birds place on the estate , i find they dont bother even showing up in the summer months due to the easy pickings among rabbits and the like being born all over ,i see rabbit nests dug out al the time in spring etc .well now cos they has been breeding all blooming year round :roll:

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jack russell

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2007, 22:42 »
cheers peeps

i am sure i will make them very secure from any predator that does not carry bolt croppers :shock:

we got two legged thieving bstds here also mate.  barbed wire grease and upturned nails will keep the less determined out,  pyracanthas growing against fence line is also a good deterrent.


bye the way on a frugal point of view does anyone have any of the aforementioned books they would have finished with and would pass on to a newby with a mission/journey ahead :D  :D  :D

cheers

jr

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Aunt Sally

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chook house design & construction
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2007, 23:11 »
Quote from: "jack russell"
aunt sally will gertrude lay an egg in the nest if the is one in there already laid by harriet


Oh Yes...   I often collect both eggs from the nest at the same time.  I don't think they have the intelligence to know it's not their egg from yesterday  :lol:



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