[daveonions]

Hello there

New to this site, so I hope I've come to the right place!

Just about to move to a new house where we are planning on keeping 4 - 6 hens. There is an outside privy, long defunct, at the top of the garden. No loo or anything in there now, just used as a wood shed. Would this make a suitable hen house, and if so what are the essentials needed in it? Have done a bit of research but not much luck so far. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

DO

[Kate and her Ducks]

Welcome to the hen house and you have definatlely come to the right place.

Sounds like it is certainly something that could be converted. Need to know how big etc and there are loads of people who can give you advice and experiences of doing similar. There's not a mistake that someone here hasn't already made

[karlooben]

what u will need for the perfect home , is somewhere warm , dry an windproof but there must be ventaltion { by the way i cant spell   } . and dont forget the most important thing a deep warm bed an very snug nest boxes to collect those lovely eggs in     .
welcome dave , you will find everything u need to know on here , i was a real beginner back in august but i have certainly picked up so much from the wonderfull peeps on here.

[Vember]

Hi DO

Welcome to the hen house

I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't be able to sleep in there.
So long as they have some where to perch, nest boxes & it's draft free

There's some good info here about first getting hens it's well worth a read
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=19629


Sarah

[poultrygeist]

Hello DO and welcome.

Always good to hear of someone starting out. Sounds ideal.

You'll be limited to how many you can fit in but you shoudl be fine with a handful.

Ask plenty of questions. We like them.  

Rob

[babe]

[compostqueen]

  what a star  

[Big Jen]

Only Babe could take a picture like that  

Brilliant

BJ

[karlooben]

i agree with you BJ  well done yet again babe ...    wicked piccy.

p.s  babe i put the pics up of my babes finally in chicken chat.

[Evansent]

Am loving the way the chicken is framed by the oh so sparkly loo seat!!!

C x

[Blarney]

I only started keeping chickens in late summer and just thought I'd share some of my thoughts with you.

I'm a townie and I had no idea on what to expect or what it would be like but wanted a little taste of 'The Good Life' - hence the fact that two of ours are called Margo & Barbara.  (Others deserve a mention too - Gloria and Beryl)

The four girls have brought new sparkle into our lives and getting them is probably one of the best decisions we've ever made.  Hens are the easiest things to keep, they are hilarious to watch and all develop their own personalities. And of course, you get yummy eggs like you've never tasted before.  You also get to feel a real respect for these little feathered things who, at times, achieve more than we do in a day by providing food.  They get to know you very quickly and I can genuinely say that I feel like ours are part of the family.

We brought our coop and run from e-bay, painted it up and then started to panic!  I would advise you to buy a very basic book to begin with - Johannes Paul & William Windham Keeping Pet Chickens Interpet Publishing 2008.  Once you've digested the bare bones of chicken keeping, just have the confidence to go with your instincts.  They are the easiest things to look after. They just need shelter, a decent area to run, food (we just use layers pellets) and water.  We cook up kitchen scraps most nights and now the cold nights are upon us we feed it to them at the end of the evening so they have something warm in their tummies pre lock up.  They even put themselves to bed!  

This site has been a god send.  You post a message up and then the replies literally come rolling in.  No one has ever laughed at my silly questions, they welcomed me despite the fact that I live in London and want a taste of the countryside in my own back yard.  I log on several times a day and feel that my girls have an extended family with the folks on here!  

Good luck, and enjoy - getting chooks is the way to go my friend!! xxx

[woodburner]

Babe, that photo is brilliant.  
Could you reduce it a bit though as it's making the rest of the thread unreadable. :o  

[babe]

Could you reduce it a bit :

umm no    you cant shrink popcorn.    

[woodburner]

Could you reduce it a bit :

umm no    you cant shrink popcorn.    

 :roll:  

[Mr Chookles]

Thats some blooming bog seat that is,talk about sitting on the throne,Are you sure MTV havent been in to "Pimp my bog seat"