[woodruffsdad]

We are new to chicken-keeping and we are going to get a couple or three ex-battery hens to give them a good life but we are confused at the variety of hen houses on the market.

We incline, at present, towards the eco-friendly houses such as the Eco Ark, the Solway houses or the Green Frog houses but we are not certain if timber would be better.

Has anyone any advice please?

[Jeanette]

If you get something that is made of a ridgid type plastic they are easier to clean and you dont get so many problems with red mite but they can be expensive. If like me you dont  have the funds for that i have got a shed that was converted.
Ex bat chickens are lovely and anything is better than the life that they had. Enjoy your girls when you get them, there is nothing quite as nice as your first new layed egg on toast.
 But bewarned chickens are addictive.

[compostqueen]

I think the Eglu is perfect for three hens to sleep in    The run that comes with the Eglu is too small for them on a permanent basis and they'll need to be able to have a safe exercise area, eg your lawn    You can move the Eglu and run about though, you sort of lift it up at the run end and pull it to a fresh piece of grass 

There are videos of this on the Omlet website

[joyfull]

During the week some of us went to the pig and poultry fair and whilst there I had a good look at these eco poultry houses and runs made from recycled plastic. I must admit the houses themselves are far bigger than you think, they are very well put together and I was most impressed. The blue ones do tend to fade a bit though. The runs though are a different matter. the holes in the mesh (which was very thick and strong it has to be said certainly a fox wouldn't chew through it) are too big, I would prefer to see smaller holes to help keep rats out and it does need a skirt aound the base to prevent digging.
They are cheaper than an eglu and would house more hens and the larger version is also cheaper than an eglu cube and again would house more. They don't look as trendy or as pretty as an eglu (the cube doesn't look that attractive anyway IMO) and don't come in as many colours. In a few years time when I start to think about replacing my wooden coups I would consider a couple of the larger houses but as mine free range I would give the runs a miss. Hope this helps you make up your mind  
I will keep my eglu though as a broody coup as I think it is great for this  

[hillfooter]

The coop type depends on your chosen method of husbandry.  If you can have large moveable runs such as in an electric net, a small traditional moveable ark such as a Forsham Cottage ARks Lenham is an excellent house.  If you are keeping them on your lawn a house with integral run such as a triangular house on wheels or with carrying handles which can easily be moved is a good choice.  If you want a permanent avary type cage with an internal or external linked house a hutch type may suit.  Eglu's have a fan club and certainly seem easy to keep clean and free of mite and if you like them then are very practical.  Personaly in a more rural setting tradional wood houses look best.   

As Joy says most attached runs (and particularlly plastic ones are pitifully small and should only be used for temporary confinement allowing the chx to frree range normally.

The construction and costs depend on how long you want your coop to last.  Cheap ebay ones made in China are usually made from machined wood and look nice and go together well but are made from cheap materials which will quickly warp, split and rot and the nails and staples rust.  A traditional wooden house which is well made of robust materials is expensive.  Many are made by sectional building specialists who know little about chickens needs and are very poorly designed for their needs.  What might look good to you might be an unsanitory redmite haven for a chicken.  Ease of cleaning is a must and don't be fooled into thinking a removable dropping board is the answer.  Often they are badly designed flimsy and aren't easily removed without spilling their contents etc.  A good completely flat floor which can be swept clean (or take a heavy plastic sheet which can be gathered up) with removable fittings are best.  Most houses fail badly in the perching they provide.  A single rail is no use and the best designs prevent the chickens having access to the droppings area.  If the droppings can be kept away from the chickens feet the need for poo picking in the house is eliminated to a large extent.  Many people poo pick ythe house everyday which in my opinion is because their houses are poorly designed.  The house is only required to provide a secure roost for the birds and usually for convenience includes nestingboxes.  There's no need to provide lots of floor area other than for access and to mount the perches which should be rows of perching rails of (3 - 6cm width) rectangular section with rounded edges.  Underneath should be a dropping area which the birds have no access to.

Nestboxes should be accessible from outside the house to collect the eggs and preferably have closable flaps to discourage them roosting there at night which often happens if the perching which is provided is inadequate.  This soils the eggs and is generally a very poor practise to encourage.

Many people convert sheds but I'm not a fan of this.  Sheds are not the right aspect ratio are too close to the ground and aren't very warm in winter and can be too hot in summer.  A low roofed well ventillated house is best in my view as chx like to huddle for warmth at night.

Feed and water should be in a outside covered run.  The feed raised off the ground and preferably suspended out of reach of rodents (level with chx backs).  Water is best not suspended as it will spill.