What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Guest]

Can anyone show me pictures of a chicken shed.

 

We are going for a shed to put them in but we need help on the ideas for the inside. Can anyone show me pictures of theirs to help.

 

Thankyou.

[Becka]

Good morning,

I think most people either have walk in runs or use the runs that come with the eglu or cube. Fee, who is in Scotland, has pictures of her eglus in an indoor area which looks great. What types of shed are you using and will they have an outside run or access to your garden? I am eglu-less at the moment having 'lent' mine to someone who very kindly took my chickens while I was moving house and pregnant. I will be buying another eglu but in the interim I'm going to keep some in my dog kennel with walk-in-run. The actual kennels are like two sheds side by side and I will use hemcore or similar horse bedding on the floor and build perches to keep the chicken off the ground and give them somewhere comfortable to roost. There's information on this site as to the width and shape the perches should be. Be aware of the ventilation requirements, I have air vents on the back walls and a window on the front walls. You may also think about building a 'lip' at the door entrance to keep the bedding inside the shed. I don't give water or food in the coop as they eat in the run. I think I will make sure that I spray for red mite every time I clean out as a preventative measure. Basically, I think if you get the ventilation without draughts and make sure it's fox proof you'll be on a winner!

Off to pester my husband for help converting my kennel now!

Best wishes,

Becka

[Guest]

Good morning,

I think most people either have walk in runs or use the runs that come with the eglu or cube. Fee, who is in Scotland, has pictures of her eglus in an indoor area which looks great. What types of shed are you using and will they have an outside run or access to your garden? I am eglu-less at the moment having 'lent' mine to someone who very kindly took my chickens while I was moving house and pregnant. I will be buying another eglu but in the interim I'm going to keep some in my dog kennel with walk-in-run. The actual kennels are like two sheds side by side and I will use hemcore or similar horse bedding on the floor and build perches to keep the chicken off the ground and give them somewhere comfortable to roost. There's information on this site as to the width and shape the perches should be. Be aware of the ventilation requirements, I have air vents on the back walls and a window on the front walls. You may also think about building a 'lip' at the door entrance to keep the bedding inside the shed. I don't give water or food in the coop as they eat in the run. I think I will make sure that I spray for red mite every time I clean out as a preventative measure. Basically, I think if you get the ventilation without draughts and make sure it's fox proof you'll be on a winner!

Off to pester my husband for help converting my kennel now!

Best wishes,

Becka

 

We are getting a big shed but they will also be able to run about in their run which is getting built this weekend.

I just needed to know inside ideas because we know about ventilation holes etc just how I should set up the inside with the nests off the ground.

[Redwing]

As an example

 

Some nest boxes will be needed, wooden or plastic boxes are ok filled with bedding, as long as they arent too high the birds will be fine, they are best down low so on the floor is fine or a foot or so off the ground, the darker the nest box is the better so right at the back of the shed is good for the birds but not so easy for collecting eggs! two nest boxes will be fine for your four birds

 

Perches need to be 2 inches wide wood sitting in brackets (the perch needs to be removable really) the perches need to be higher than the nest boxes ideally, a couple of feet off the ground would be ok for your small chooks. If you put more than one perch in they need to be the same height. A long removable plastic tray like the ones sold for greenhouses placed below the perch will catch most of the droppings

 

Make sure the perches arent placed above the nest boxes

 

Another option would be to have nest boxes that are covered (have a 'ceiling') and place perches above them - poo could then be s"Ooops, word censored!"ed from the roof of the nest box or plastic sheet could be put on top of the nest boxes to catch the droppings - split feed bags are good for this - catching the worst of the droppings makes the bedding below last longer

[Jools]

Nest boxes must be lower than the highest perch, so on the floor is best, and furthest from the pophole.

 

If there's plenty of perch space, I'd go for perches at different heights to cater for individual preferences. However, make sure there's enough perch space on the highest perch for all occupants to ensure no squabbling at bedtime.

 

That's about it really!