Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Hen 1-0 Fox on April 05, 2012, 22:19
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Hey folks, i've been patiently increasing my knowledge about all things chicken over the last 6months or more and took the plunge recently and bought a Dodlehouse Mimi this week, i managed to get a deal and didn't pay the full RRP.
Anyhow, the perches are the only thing that lets the house down, they are very narrow and far to close together, that apart i'm very impressed.
I'm thinking about creating some kind of DIY perch set-up, i know there have been a few posts about perches recently so whilst the topic is still fresh in peoples minds...
I realise i have bought a plastic house which is easy to clean and hence hopefully will help me stay ahead of the little red mites... but have read that generally chickens struggle to perch on some plastic perches and can slip about on them. Has anyone tried to use a wooden bath mat as a perch? I know my ideas are a bit out there but I'm thinking of those wooden mats that you step out of the bath onto. ideally i like the idea of covering the vast majority of the coop floor with perches but not sure i should introduce wood into a currently completely plastic house?
Any feedback welcome
Thanks Andy.
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I have an Eglu (a very kind hand me down from a friend). I swapped the wooden perches for the plastic ones which have a slight embossed pattern on them but otherwise are fairly shiny. My chooks seem to be able to cope with them fine, I think as long as the edges are rounded and the width is OK for their claws it's alright.
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There are two problems i have, not sure if anyone else here is using a doodle house but i find the perches have quite sharp edges and are quite narrow. The edges aren't a problem as that could be sorted out very quickly with a bit of gentle sanding but the perches are only 1/2 inch wide and just over two inches apart. I suppose the girls feet may cover two of these narrow perches but the gap in-between wouldn't be good for their feet i don't think.
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I have a doodlehouse for my girls but the big version. I've not had a problm with the perches- they all use them happily! Mine have their toes over all three of the perches if that helps.
I do find they bend a bit over time but the company are happy to replace- I guess my chooks are rather large :lol:
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Here are some plastic perches and I'm sure someone (Nerdle???) will tell you whether they are suitable.
http://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/shop.php?cat=Eglu&sub=Spares&product_id=920&product_name=Roosting+Bars+Plastic+-+Eglu+Mark+2
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Thanks Kegs... Ive seen those perches before but the dimensions don't match unfortunately and I think that adapting them wouldn't be a good idea. Hmm that's interesting Nicki... Just out of interest how many ladies do you have in there and what breeds? I'm still setting up my chicken area and am planning on using four hybrids in my Doodlehouse. I guess I'll let the girls have a go on the perches and see how they get on, thanks for the replies folks!
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Not sure it would work for you but if I were a hen I'd like a nice natural branch gently tapering so I could shuffle along to get the perfect 'perch fit'.
I think pine or some particular kinds of wood are less likely to harbour mites and you could take them out and dip them in chemicals to keep them mite free (or am I talking rubbish)? Although my old gal will sit on an Omlet grid thing from tonight I'm sure real wood must feel more natural and comfy.
This guy suggests eucalypt or pine. http://permaculturevisions.com/ChickenMansion.html
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Hmmm... I chopping down a large eucalyptus tree in my back garden now... Interesting! Ha ha.
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I've got two Burford Browns and two Cotswold Legbars (hybrids really ;) ) . They are fairly big girls but they can all fit on one perch, i'm not sure how long the perches are in the max compared to yours though.
I'd happily put another four in my house if I wanted some...
Think you will find they will be ok on the perches, my friend has your version of the doodlehouse and a couple of bantams- they manage fine on the perches as well :)
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Thanks Nicki, the internal dimensions of the Max and Mimi are almost identical, the Mimi is suitable for 6 Hybrids so i'm hoping my future four will have a lovely home in there. I have three perches each 66cm long running the full wide of the house a few inches off the ground, easy for larger birds to mount! I'm probably worrying over nothing :)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/Flipmode69/internal_01.jpg)
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Hmmm those perches actually look different to mine! Mine are made up of three close together, I put some pics up on this thread- http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=84900.msg944500#msg944500
May just be the angle of the pics tho ??? :tongue2:
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Yeah they are different perches when you compare the two houses. Mine are individual pieces, they bend a little when I put some weight on with my hand so will have to watch how they fair with the hens sitting on them, although this could easily be resolved with a home made support in the centre of the span as these per he's are only about two inches off the floor. Yours look more feet friendly... Might have to replace mine with something more appropriate.
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I would contact the manufacturers with your concerns and they might have an aftermarket perch if they have realised the originals are not fit for purpose. The Sale of Goods Act states that the product should be fit for purpose and that will include the perches so they should replace them or resolve the problem. They can't do that if you don't let them know you have a problem.
Hope you get it sorted. :)
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That's strange - I wonder why they've put them there and left a massive space in the rest of the coop?
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I would contact the manufacturers with your concerns and they might have an aftermarket perch if they have realised the originals are not fit for purpose. The Sale of Goods Act states that the product should be fit for purpose and that will include the perches so they should replace them or resolve the problem. They can't do that if you don't let them know you have a problem.
Hope you get it sorted. :)
I have just emailed Doodlehouse.net and will let you know the feedback I get in due course, thanks for the advice guys!
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Blummy there £324.95 for a chicken coop!!! :ohmy: im shocked.... really, not slagging anyone each to there own pocket.... but wow!!
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Got mine for £260 in an eBay auction... The doodle coops are always on eBay, still pricey but more akin to what you can pay for some wooden versions.
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Here's my reply from the company so far...
Hi Andrew
I very much appreciate the feedback and thank you for your kind comments.
Have a close look at the max as it has wider perches which can be placed higher or lower or not at all. You are right and I will modify the Mimi. The Pugly is really a sick bay or broody house but I will look at the placement of the perches carefully. It's all very easy to get wrapped up in dealing with customers and production especially as we are a very small outfit.
I am the same as you and the coop is designed for the well being of the hens who, after all, are the ones who have to make it home! The aesthetics are purely because it was designed by an artist (myself) and I couldn't just make a square box!
I will reply more fully tomorrow and send you photos of the max perches in detail. Just a small note, the plastic perches aren't nearly as strong as ply ones so I am more than happy to send you some for added strength. Another thing you could try is to get some chunky pipe lagging which is totally inert and will fit over the perches for a more comfortable support.
I hope you have enjoyed your Easter and thanks again for your feedback - it is much appreciated as we can always improve on a good design to make it better.
Kindest regards
Celesta
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I don't think Celesta saying "Just a small note, the plastic perches aren't nearly as strong as ply ones" is not acceptable as she is in fact stating that the perches are not 'fit for purpose'. You can have strong plastic and you can also have plastic with a metal core so you should not need to use another material. Design is all well and good but the finished product must be usable.
Hopefully Celesta will resolve the design fault and send you some after market perches. :)
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Blummy there £324.95 for a chicken coop!!! :ohmy: im shocked.... really, not slagging anyone each to there own pocket.... but wow!!
to recycle plastic is a costly process, however as plastic doesn't breakdown very easily it is well worth it for the sake of the environment.
What you spend on buying a plastic coop you save on not having to buy lots of red-mite products and disinfectant. A simple wash out with washing up liquid does the job, dry off and put back together in minutes. No waiting around for wood to dry off and then crossing your fingers hoping the mites are all dead. Plastic coops also need less maintenance (so again no spending on wood preservative) and they last many, many years. I have had both wooden and plastic - currently have 2 Omlet eglus and 2 of the big Solway arks and plastic wins hands down in my opinion.
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Hope people don't mind if I ressurect this thread. I've just set up a Doodlehouse Max and one thing I'm worried about is that my chickens don't seem to be using the perches yet.
3 of them have always perched at night, the 4th doesn't always but now they are all just standing around in the house - they have only been in there since Sunday so maybe they're just being a bit slow
We have perches like Nicki85 described - 3 pieces of plastic slot in to holes to create a sort of triangle shape - it looks wider than their normal perch. We have one perch high and one low
I'm going to try and cover the triangle with perhaps some split tubing to see if maybe that will make them smoother to hold on to.
I just wondered if there were any other doodlehouse users who had any ideas.
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Ironically I have introduced some wood into the house ha ha...
I recently cut down a tree in the garden and have made a natural wooden branch arrangement inside, can post pic if required.
Nothing is nailed or attached, all just slots into place so easy to maintain/clean if required.
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How do your hens like the real wood perch? My eglu grid lasted one night as I found I'd rather poo pick out of wood shavings than wipe poo off plastic thank you very much!
I need a perch now so my cleaning routine isn't daily but weekly....
Did you use the eucalyptus?
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The ladies love the perches, Poo generally drops off into the wood shavings below. I did a bit of research on the eucalyptus and found some poultry keepers in Australia have been using it successfully for years now, there was no odour, apparently it has some mild medicinal benefits and mites don't like it?!
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Ironically I have introduced some wood into the house ha ha...
I recently cut down a tree in the garden and have made a natural wooden branch arrangement inside, can post pic if required.
Nothing is nailed or attached, all just slots into place so easy to maintain/clean if required.
I was thinking that we'd need to look at wood - so would love to see your picture. I'm not sure where I could source Eucalyptus though
How you've made it slot in would be useful though
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I probably won't be able to describe this very well but here goes, its a very simple structure. Two pieces of wood line opposing edges of the coop, they each have three squares cut out of them and i just lay the wooden branches in the spaces i had cut out. I found branches that were reasonably straight and approx 2 inches across, I cut them to the width of the coop, then dropped them in place. The weight of branches keeps them in place, i have not seen any movement or rotation when the hens have stood on them. Because the branches are just placed into position they can just be lifted out for inspection and cleaning is simple. Mine are only about two inches off the floor of the coop which is filled with wood shavings, i poo pick most days.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a374/Flipmode69/photo-1.jpg)
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Excellent picture thank you!
Time to start your eucalyptus perch business - Dragon's Den?
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thanks for that Hen1. My partner rigged something up for me last night because I was worried about them not perching. It allowed us to use the perch from their old henhouse
He made two sort of legs that go over the plastic Doodlehouse perch with slots similar to yours and we just rested the perch in there, 3 of them were perched nicely on there last night and it stayed in position. The 4th hen only perches very occassionally anyway.
Picture's not very clear because it's captured from our camera inside the house