[Diggit]

Hi All,

I registered on this site almost 2 years ago. I was on the verge of building my first coop and having a few chickens in the back garden. After a busy couple of years (recession forced unemployment, downsize to garden-less property and now relocated from the Isle of Wight back home to the Midlands) I find myself in a position of being able to start again with the chicken idea. 

I have the space and the want for 2-3 layers with a decent run and a coop. They will be let out of the run when I can supervise as I have 2 dogs and the garden backs onto farmland so the chance of predators is quite high. If anybody has any internal piccys of their coops it would be most helpful as I will be building my own and am looking for ideas. I have seen the videos on this site and looked at many ideas and hints and tips. My thoughts for now are 2 hybrid layers (maybe battery rescue but not sure yet) depends on what's available locally.

Can anybody suggest anywhere where I can go and have a look at some coops and equipment local to Loughborough, Leicestershire to get some ideas. It will be around Easter when I'll hopefully take the plunge, which gives me plenty of time to prepare and build. I don't have much space available inside the house so raising from chicks may not be possible.

[joyfull]

Hello Diggit and welcome. If you want a plentiful supply of eggs then don't get ex batts as they may or may not lay for long but if you want to just rescue some and aren't bothered about eggs then get 3 of these. I wouldn't get 2 from one place and 1 from another place as they can bring in different bacterias/germs etc and some people do not recommend mixing vaccinated birds with non vaccinated ones (although I have both). have a good read of the chicken chat pages and you will see we all have different ideas of what constitutes a good coop  . joyfull

[DD.]

Can't help re the chook side of things, Paul, but just to say hi from down the road in sunny Loughborough.

[hendreary]

Hello Diggit, Welcome to the group.
I have used a supplier just outside Leicester at Whetstone called
Merrydale Poultry.
They have a website at:
http://www.merrydalepoultry.co.uk
They sell POL hens and equipment, feed and housing. Thier advice is always free and I think you'll find them well worth a visit.

[joyfull]

they have a nice selection of birds there - I looked at their website before getting my birds 

[bulliesrus]

   Hi Diggit, I have just got my first chicks, they were a Christmas pressie from my son, he has a good sense of humour......

I dont even know what type they are but there are 3 and they are now 3 weeks old, ( so cute). One is blue, one golden and the other white/yellow.

I have had a lot of help from here and I am sure I will be needing much more, I will let you know how I get on with them.  They are in the conservatory in a dog crate with a heat lamp on, they are doing really well.

If you look on a web site called Happy Chicks...... they have a lot of info and different types of coops/arks so you can make you own, that is what we are going to do in a couple of weeks when they are ready to go outside.

Good luck and if I come across anything I think might interest you I will forward it if you like.

Regards Jackie

[wolverine]

Hi i'm in not far from you and have the number for a guy if you wanted some ex bats  Merrydale poultry has stopped selling hens but they still sell coops and stuff  I got 3 hybrids from there in April .

[Diggit]

Thanks for all of the replies. It's great to know that there is a community available to help. From reading through lots of previous threads I can see that help is never far away.

I've just been looking through the links above and can see a couple of local places that I will definitely visit.

Thanks again 

[Elaine J]

Another vote for Merrydale/Regency Poultry, we've used them for a few years with no probs at all. 

If you're after ex-batts,  http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/re-home-some-hens/   

Elaine (in woody Whitwick).

[wolverine]

Merrydale / regency poultry are good but they don't sell hens anymore just food and other bits  I went down there the other day.

[Elaine J]

Merrydale / regency poultry are good but they don't sell hens anymore

No, I think Karen stopped selling hens about 6 months ago.
Here's the link to other suppliers from her website: http://www.merrydalepoultry.co.uk/hybrids.htm

E.  

[retribution]

Welcome, i am a newbie to this too and have been given some great advise, i have had my 3 girls 3 days now and i have had 5 eggs. I have brought my coop with a run attached, but after just 3 days i wish i had got one with a run i could walk into and not have to bend down and squeeze through the door. Maybe easier once the girls are used to me and dont run off.