[Tweety]

Hi everyone, my husband has agreed to build me a chicken house & run. We've bought the recomended Golden Cockerel book and are going to build  the eight-hen house. I've been reading the previous posts and people recommend having the house higher up because of the rat problems, but this house is only a couple of inches of the ground. Do you think we should make it higher? Also the run in the book is only 24 ins high, do you think we should make it higher to give the hens room to flap their wings?

As I mentioned earlier I've been reading all the forums on the net and I think this is the best  and I am worried  about hens and the pecking order. I'd love to know if anyones hens actually get on and live together peaceably. I know I would hate it if one was getting picked on the whole time. What is the best way to avoid this happening. I've read some real horror stories :evil:

Any advice would be very gratefully recieved from a complete novice

[richyrich7]

Hi Tweety welcome to the forums,
I'm a novice hen keeper, but yes I would make your house sit higher off the floor, wish I had with mine, would have thought 6" would do.

Been lucky with my 3 no falling out, I put it down to plenty of room.

[purplebat]

I'm no exprt, but I would say to have the run a lot taller than 24" if nothing else; you'll need to get in there yourself; which won;t be easy with omly 24" unless of course you're an avid pot holer  my run is about 6' tall, hope this helps

[kizza]

shed off floor about 12-18 inch. this not only deters rats but provides ventilation

[Zak the Rabbit]

increase it to 12-18" off the floor as said, this will also make it easier to place bait if needed to control vermin. If its going to be heavy consider putting it on wheels! in just doing so with mine (which is for 5-7 chooks) cos it took three of us to move it.

Make the run higher, and with straight sides (these triangular afairs are no good, the chooks can catch their combs on them). Mine is about 5ft tall. And use good quality welded mesh wire for strength and vermin/fox resistance

and if muntjak or aunt sally tell you to do something - do it!

[Tweety]

Hi everyone, thanks for replying. We have decided to make them both higher. We now need to get the stuff and get going with it. Then find some chucks. I'd like some that lay blue eggs and possibly a couple of marans for dark brown eggs My husband want's a grey coloured one to name after our horrid next door neighbour who has grey hair and is called Dorothy. So maybe a bluebell or a speckledy  
We better get off, freinds coming soon and i'm still in my PJs :oops:

[Gardening Mark]

I wish someone had told me about raising chicken sheds before I went and biult mine. I biult it strait on the hard soil. So now rather than knocking the whole thing down and starting again I might just raise the floor inside, as you said I may need somewhere to bait away from hens to get rid of pests.  I agree, this is a very good site, and hopefully all our gardens will be better off for it this year and many more to come...

[Zak the Rabbit]

Mark, can you not jack the house up and put some supports under it to raise it up? If you have a trolly jack that should allow you to lift it high enough to attach some 3x3 post legs

Take a look at my blog, it shows how mine was built (and still being built). The legs went on last

[Gardening Mark]

lol I know I'm not Superman hahaha.. What I meant was rather than building a new shed, I will make a raised floor to go down over the soil so there is a gap under the floor, it will be much easier and it will work.. But thanks for your idea, I will check out the pics you have posted to see wht one should look like, lmao.

[Zak the Rabbit]

mines probably not what many people would think is how they should look! its built inside out

[purplebat]

that's a posh one Zak! knocks spots off mine  

[Zak the Rabbit]

that's a posh one Zak! knocks spots off mine  

  wait until i next update the blog! it might look good but i'll be honest its been a * to build! its currently on three wheels and a block of wood - the valve housing on one of the inner tubes was duff, hopefully the supplier will send me a new tube this week.

and the woods shrunk so i need to put more caulk in the seems :?

im well pleased with me pop hole design though

i had intended getting the chooks this month, but im nowhere near ready yet :cry:

[Tweety]

Zac, that is a very posh hen house, a mansion for hens
I hope mine is as good, but i don't think it will be.
I am going to see some hens on Wednesday, won't be getting them obviously, but if I order them we will have to do the house or they will be living inside with us

[kizza]

Hi, where can i see an image of zacs chicken shed?

[Zak the Rabbit]

on me blog! just click the link below -

 

if you go back through the archive you can see how i built it, and the rationale behind what ive done.