Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[scottishchicken]

This must be one of the more common questions on the forum, but I've not been able to find the info I need using search, so I thought I'd just ask!

 

We're looking forward to getting our first chickens. The plan is to site a coop within an old greenhouse, which has around 50 square metres of floor space, and the birds will be able to free range all day most days in a large garden (which is more of a rough lawn + wild areas).

 

I am trying to work out which house to buy for up to 10 birds. We're going to start out with 5 but want room to expand, just in case.

 

I'm getting confused by manufacturers' guidelines though. The Eglu cube has a floor area of just over 9 square feet, and says it is OK for up to 10 birds.

 

This coop has 15 square feet and says it is suitable for only 4 birds!

 

I've seen recommendations of 1 sq ft per bird in the coop, with 8" of roosting bar each.

 

With the coop going to be inside a weathertight building, I'm not worried about it being super-mega quality, and not having to fork out for a Cube would be great (sorry omlet!) but I'm finding it very hard to work out which coop will do for our needs.

 

Does anyone have any tips for choosing, or failing that, a recommendation for a 10 bird coup that won't break the bank?

[squiffs]

This must be one of the more common questions on the forum, but I've not been able to find the info I need using search, so I thought I'd just ask!

 

We're looking forward to getting our first chickens. The plan is to site a coop within an old greenhouse, which has around 50 square metres of floor space, and the birds will be able to free range all day most days in a large garden (which is more of a rough lawn + wild areas).

 

I am trying to work out which house to buy for up to 10 birds. We're going to start out with 5 but want room to expand, just in case.

 

I'm getting confused by manufacturers' guidelines though. The Eglu cube has a floor area of just over 9 square feet, and says it is OK for up to 10 birds.

 

This coop has 15 square feet and says it is suitable for only 4 birds!

 

I've seen recommendations of 1 sq ft per bird in the coop, with 8" of roosting bar each.

 

With the coop going to be inside a weathertight building, I'm not worried about it being super-mega quality, and not having to fork out for a Cube would be great (sorry omlet!) but I'm finding it very hard to work out which coop will do for our needs.

 

Does anyone have any tips for choosing, or failing that, a recommendation for a 10 bird coup that won't break the bank?

 

 

That is rather odd, because this coop (5ft by 4ft) http://www.chickenhousesworld.co.uk/p/Rowlinson_5ft_x_4ft_%281.54m_x_1.26m%29_Chicken_Coop.htm is suitable for up to 7. Perhaps the perches aren't big enough for more than 4 birds in the 5x3?

 

Needless to say, if 20 square feet is suitable for 7 birds, then 15 square feet is suitable for more than 4. Their maths is odd.

[migsy]

If I were buying a new coup I would make sure that it had a removable poo tray to make cleaning easier. Also, I would not get one with a felt roof as I believe red mite love hiding under the felt.

 

There is so much to choose! Let us know what you decide to go for.

[scottishchicken]

Perhaps the perches aren't big enough for more than 4 birds in the 5x3?

Good point, but I reckon I should be able to add extra roosting bars?

 

If I were buying a new coup I would make sure that it had a removable poo tray to make cleaning easier

Thanks for the reminder - that had slipped my mind - off to see if I can find one with a tray.

[squiffs]

Perhaps the perches aren't big enough for more than 4 birds in the 5x3?

Good point, but I reckon I should be able to add extra roosting bars?

 

 

 

Perhaps, but I'd want to see more detailed pictures of the interior of the coop beforehand - just so I could see that for myself and work out the logistics and make sure it was possible.

[percy049]

On the house with the link Scottishchicken, it only has 1 nest box, which is probably why it says up to 4 hens

[fluffy chick]

Have you considered buying a normal plastic walk in shed and converting it? All you would need is to add some perches and boxes for nesting boxes, and maybe some vent holes at the top. You could happily house ten hens in a standard sized shed and the benefit of plastic is it is easy to hose down every now and then. A walk in one would eliminate the need for slide out trays (and you've got a usable shed at the end of the day) You could pick one up for £200-£300.

[scottishchicken]

On the house with the link Scottishchicken, it only has 1 nest box, which is probably why it says up to 4 hens

Yes, good point.

 

I have been hunting and found this one with a removeable floor tray.

 

Again, it says it's OK for 5 chickens, but there are 3 roosting bars at 31" long each, and the internal floor area is 7.2 sq feet. By the previous guidelines, wouldn't that be OK for 6 average-sized birds?

 

Oh, and now we're talking, this coop is seriously cheap. I don't think I'd stick one of these outside up here on the damp west coast of Scotland, but because it's going to be dry, I don't think cheap is a problem, plus it's got a removeable tray.

[scottishchicken]

Have you considered buying a normal plastic walk in shed and converting it? All you would need is to add some perches and boxes for nesting boxes, and maybe some vent holes at the top. You could happily house ten hens in a standard sized shed and the benefit of plastic is it is easy to hose down every now and then. A walk in one would eliminate the need for slide out trays (and you've got a usable shed at the end of the day) You could pick one up for £200-£300.

Thanks for the alternative approach Sarah, I can see how that would be a cracking solution for many. The reason I like the 'coop in the greenhouse' idea is that it gives us a walk-in-run that is large enough for the birds to be happy in for a couple of days if we're ever away for a weekend. And it will cost us nothing, apart from adding the coop. We've been through a ton of options, including eglu cube with attached run, and were getting up towards £800 for what we want. The greehouse option is looking like it will cost us about £100, which is much more my kind of money

[fluffy chick]

Ah I see

 

Won't they get hot in the greenhouse though

[squiffs]

Ah I see

 

Won't they get hot in the greenhouse though

 

I was wondering about that.

[scottishchicken]

Won't they get hot in the greenhouse though

This is the final challenge. On another thread, it was suggested that we put a tarp over the roof and replace some greenhouse panels with weldmesh. We'll do that and whitewash the rest then test daytime temperatures with a min/max thermometer. If it's still too hot - more weldmesh I reckon. It's an old woodframe greenhouse so it should be pretty easy to butcher it a bit.

[fluffy chick]

I see