I'm very fussy about housing which I mention because I'm critical of virtually all pre fab houses and this ones no exception.
Here are my comments mainly just to illustrate some of the features I like but mostly don't like about this house.
The features in red are cut and pasted from the ebay ad.
High quality 12mm timber - this is actually a reasonable guage of wood. I've seen some which use 10mm which is no good. It doesn't spec the fixings which are very important. Galvanised nails or rust proof screws are a must. I've seen many houses "pinned" together with staples or nail gun brads which rust through in no time and the house falls apart after a couple of years. Also catches and hinges (to be avoided in my view) should be rust proofnot just ENZP (electro nickle zinc plated) which is not a suitable outside environment plating. (I'm an engineer as you might be able to tell and I'd never spec such fixing & fittings). To be fair proper stainless screws & fittings aren't cheap so you may need to look for galvanised reasonable guage fixings which as almost as good.
pull out tray for easy cleaning I don't like pull out dropping trays which sound a good idea but which scrape off the droppings given any depth requiring you to scrabble about inside the run which isn't so great. In a wind you are likely to get a face full of soiled litter and they are usually bendy and not easy to tip into a barrow without spilling. This one is also METAL so will be cold and cause condensation in winter so a total no no for me. A flat easily swept out floor is the best solution. Absolutely no ledges or corners to trap soiled litter.
metal pull arm to close house without entering the run A gimmick. Why not have a vertical dropping door which is the traditional system and can be raised and lowered from the top which has lots of advantages over a side slider which will get jammed by trapped litter & can't be automated
2 perches included Woefully inadequet. I prefer a grill of roosting bars so they can easily huddle together and the droppings fall through and the hens have no access to pick in the droppings. Not many houses meet my spec on roosts (the proper terminology for chickens) not perches which are for caged birds
big front door - good if this gives lots of access to sweep out and is perfectly flat with no sill ledge to trap the litter.
Nest box included an externally accessible nestbox for laying good (essential in my view, check rain proof) but is there a shutter to prevent the hens roosting there at night and are they big enough? Oh dear they have a felt roof which is crass design. Even the most inexperienced chicken keeper will tell you that roofing felt is a harbourage for red mite and a complete no no. Tells me the person who designed this house knows nothing about chicken keeping
Perspex windows A useless gimmick and another feature which tells me the people who designed this house no nothing about the needs of chickens. Chickens do not spend time looking out of their window . A house is for ROOSTING in not LIVING in. The run is where the cjhx live and forage which is their natural behaviour and this one is too small. The house needs to provide a secure safe place for them to roost in they don't want a window through which a preditor can see them when they are at their most vulnerable. Also making the house light in a morning before you let them out will just make them restless so no good in summer. Baffled ventillation above head height is however important.
flatpacked Obviously a requirement for a house delivered through the post
The run as many have mentioned needs to allow 2sq m per bird but it's not so simple as this as a cert minimum initial amount of room is needed and the incremental amount is 2 sqm per bird. This run is too small though adequate to restrain them for short periods before letting them out to range. The bigger the run the better so they can scratch about and engage in their natural behaviour and not develop boredom habits. Personally I think a better formula is 4sq m for the first bird and 2 sqm per bird after that.
There doesn't look to be enough space under the house to hang a feeder at back height. They need to be at back height to prevent fouling and attracting rodents. Roofing the run would be good and a tarpauling or thick plastic sheeting like a damp proof membrane off cut.
The roof of the house is one of the most important features. It needs to be waterproof so if boarded it needs to be T&G set at pitch of at least 40deg. If solid board it needs to be marine quality treated ply or totally opague plastic. The best material is rigid corrugated butumen board such as Onduline, won't rot is light mite proof and will last for years. Roofs should be pitched so they shed rain away from the doorway or run, This one appears to be flat or have very little slope which again is crass design.
Entrance ramps are OK for mature hens but not for young chicks but laying houses are not suitable for hatching in anyway. They need to be cleaned at regular intervals so access is needed.
Give consideration to the ease of moving the house to fresh ground assuming you have the room this is the best system as it provides fresh grass allows the old ground to rcocover and reduces the need for regular worming.
HF
Similar Topics
April 07, 2011, 08:22