[Lardman]

Waves hello - a little help here please  

As I cant seem to raise enough funds for one of those fancy posh Eglu things (apparently you cant sell a kidney on ebay) ...  I thought id see if I could DIY it.

There are plenty of pictures /plans of the outside of coops and I can get a fair idea of what I need from those but Im struggling with the insides - especially things life nest box location and access, perch size and height.  I dont suppose some kind sole with a wooden coop  could get the camera out and do a Lloyd Grossman style piece for me  :?:

[Aunt Sally]

These are the plans that Zac used

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=2912

[poultrygeist]

How many chooks are you housing Lardman ?

And what sort of style house ?

If you can stretch to a shed style, then those plans Aunt Sally points to look good. If you're thinking smaller, I'm happy to swing a camera round the inside of mine and suggest a few improvements.

You basically want perches long enough to give each hen about 9-12" of space and the nest box wants to be as low and dark as practical while still allowing easy access to both.
And remember to think about cleanign out without practicing yoga. Especially when it's wet and windy. Think how you'll keep the elements out and stop the wood shavings and straw from blowing away while you collect eggs, etc.

Rob  

[Lardman]

Thanks for the plans A.S. - I knew Id seen them somewhere.

I had hoped to keep the height down to around 4 ft, as it will have to be relatively near the house I've seen foxes, snakes, rats, mice and badgers around the veg patch.

I had thought about 6 girls but at 14 quid each :shock: I think I better start with 3.  Cleaning was my main concern I've been reading the mite thread ! Yoga ? Me ! -  That just isnt going to happen.  If you have any pointers or special features that I could build in now it would help greatly.

[jack russell]

£14.00 each what breed are you buying :?:

you could clad the inside with plastic cladding using culk to seal the joins etc. easy to clean and no where for the mite to hide

[poultrygeist]

The main thing is to obviously make it big enough and secure enough for the chickens but also make sure you can very easily reach all the far corners to clean. With a scraper or brush if need be, but it's important to keep it in mind, in rain or shine. If it's windy, ours is a right pain to clean.

I made the external next box removable, as well as the entire side but didn't think what happens if it's lashing it down for days on end, so we just remove the nest box lid and clean it out that way. Also for collecting eggs of course. I built ours on 18" legs so we hang the feeder and the drinker underneath out of the rain. It's on a concrete plinth which helps keep it all clean.

I also made the floor removable through the side, but since we rarely remove the side, it doesn't get removed and I lean in to scrape it clean.
Fortunately I'm not so big and can lean through the hole to reach the corners.  

It's thinking of the day to day things and making sure you can do it with minimum effort or it becomes a chore. Obviously every set up is different and you'll need to adapt to your situation but I can take a few photos to give an idea tomorrow (if I remember!). I'm proud of my roof. It's not quite St Pauls but it's all my own work  :oops:

Also ventilation is an other thing sometimes overlooked. They need lots of it without causing draughts around them. Big holes right at the top that won't let the rain in with mesh over them.

Can't think of anything else at the mo.

Rob