[waltong]

Hi all,

I have just taken on a large allotment and was thinking that a good section could be used for keeping chickens.

I was thinking of building my own coop from pallets, large enough to hold 6-10 birds.  Then enclosing the coop with suitable mesh to stop foxes / rats, etc.

If i did this, would I need to let them out every morning and put them back in to roost at night, or could i just make the 1 trip a day and collect eggs, feed, water, etc?

How big an area should 10 birds have?

Has anyone got anyplans for diy coops?

Thank you....

[Poolfield2]

Hi there  and welcome.

If you go to the forums page there is a section about constuction projects. I'll leave someone else to tell you about space. Re letting them out, unless you have an automatic opener (light sensor thingy) you would have to go up twice a day but you will want to just to see them and enjoy them anyway

[poultrygeist]

Hi waltong.

The bare minimum is 1sq.metre per bird for the run and 1sq.ft. per bird for the house but more is far better. I would suggest 2sq.m. would be a fairer size for a permanent run.
As Poolfield said, you'll need to shut the pophole door at night and open up in the morning, as early and late as you can. As a guide, at the moment, ours are out at 6am and in again about 9.30pm but it can vary by an hour or two.
As you know, you have to change water and top up food every day and check their general welfare. A quick look at a few posts will tell you how quickly a healthy looking chicken can show symptoms of serious illness. The more often you can see them, the better.
There's a few photos scattered about of people's coops but for 10 birds, a shed would be easiest. There are many plans on the net but I made mine up as I went along to suit the scrap wood I had and my budget.

Best of luck

Rob  

[waltong]

Thanks all,

I really want to make sure I can offer the chooks the best before I take the plunge, so all the advice now is great.

I will keep you posted.

[poultrygeist]

If you go through the postings looking for similar topics as yours, you should be able to glean a fair bit. Everyone has a different slant on it and there are very few absolute rights and wrongs, just some practices are better or worse.

Look forward to your progress.

Rob