[Dazbarns]

Hi,
another newbie here!

i'm planning on getting 4 ex-batt hens soon but i've got to build their house first.
could someone please give me some advice on the height needed for perches, etc.

i've got about 10 by 15 feet to play with for house and run, what size house should i build and how high should the house and run be.

thanks
dazbarns
 

[jack russell]

That is a decent size area daz it may pay you to buy a decent second hand shed and convert it to suit there is no hard and fast rule on the height of the perches, in my sheds the chooks can walk easily standing upright under the perches,  to give an indication of the height of mine. My nest boxes are at the same height as the higher perch which is approx 6" (150mm)  above the other.  A nice 10' x 8' shed will be big enough for you to expand your chook collection at a later date     giving a decent size run.

You could make your own from scratch but would be cheaper as above unless you get the wood for free

[MrTurner]

I was looking at what to get for a house.  Second hand sheds seem to be so cheap on e-bay.  Will prob get one of those, fit a few shelves for perches and go from there.  Wasn't going to worry about nest boxes as it sounds as though ex-batts (we'll get 3-4 of those) lay anywhere anyway.

For a run, a few stakes and some assorted wood with chicken wire should cover it?

[jack russell]

something i come across in a skip was an off cut of fence capping the rounded over type is ideal for perches  

[Poolfield2]

My girls like to perch on very high perches and they go up a ridged ramp to get to them, they are2"x1" with the edges rounded off.

[too many girls]

if you provide ex bats with nesting boxes they'll learn to use them quite quickly.

[Foxy]

Totally agree with TMG, the girls will prefer to lay somewhere comfy and quiet a nice nestbox with straw will suit them just fine!
Would be much wiser to get some welded mesh and bury about a foot deep to prevent Mr Fox munching on your new girls :shock:
Good luck with your exbats I'm sure they will repay your kindness with loads of eggs!  

[pushrod]

make sure you don't use a wire with too big a hole , otherwise all the local birds (and rats  :evil: )will be eating your feed. Also the hens can stick their heads through the gaps and Mr fox will bite their heads off  
15mm square will stop most things except mice.

[azubah]

I hope I am not breaking any rules by posting this, but look at:
www.backyardchickens.com/coops/monica.html

[kentishlad]

could someone please give me some advice on the height needed for perches, etc.

i've got about 10 by 15 feet to play with for house and run, what size house should i build and how high should the house and run be.

 

Hi, The perch should be no more than about 24" off the ground, heavier birds like buff orpington may be as low as 12", jumping off a high perch can cause bumblefoot and in some cases disturb their laying. Try and fix the nest boxes lower than the perches as they will tend to perch on the highest thing they can get to. (from poultry management book by David Bland)

I like to give them as much room as possible so make the run as big as you can, as to the coop, it doesn't have to be very big, a shed as mentioned is loads of room if you decide to get more in future otherwise look  at some of the small arks, triangular in shape, they are only about 3 feet tall with sides that open to allow cleaning. some of the manufacturer sites should give you an idea on how big to make it.

[Dazbarns]

wow   ,

thanks for all the advice
i didn't expect that many responses.

i need to keep the whole thing lower than 4 foot because thats how high the garden fence is and my OH doesn't want it visible above that.

if i make it about 3 footish and the perches about 18 inches high and about the same in the run that should be ok shouldn't it?

is burying the mesh about a foot secure enough or should i concrete it in as well?

what mesh should i use?

thanks again

daz

[poultrygeist]

To be foxproof it needs to be at least 19g (1mm) welded mesh.
To keep out most rats it needs to be 13x25mm (or 13x13mm) mesh.

If you use chicken wire, foxes can bit through it.

Burying it 12" should be plenty secure to stop them digging under. An alternative is to place slabs around the outside.

And you need to make sure the mesh is well secured to any timber frame so that it can't be ripped off by a determined fox.

good luck

Rob  

[Dazbarns]

Hi again,

should i put a roof on the run?
theres a big sycamore tree above where the chooks will go.

thanks
daz

[poultrygeist]

I would put a roof on, or at least some netting. We have nettign over ours, with parts covered by plastic roofing.

It keeps the rain off, which will stop it smelling so bad. And it stops the chooks flying out if they get flighty and anything else getting in. Both biosecurity and predator proofing.

Rob

[Dazbarns]

hi,
i'll put netting on and see how it goes. if it starts to smell i'll put a solid roof on of some sort

thanks
daz