Autumn Liz Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Hello! My name is Liz and after several years of dithering I have finally decided to take the plunge and get some chickens. However, after weeks of reading books and surfing the net every night I am actually more confused now than when I started! I really can't decide what kind of set-up to go for and am hoping that you experienced folk might be able to give me some wise words of advice I've decided on a wooden coop to suit our old house and cottagey garden, but wondered how bad the red mite problem is in reality? Also, because of the nature of the garden, I don't have a decent, u"Ooops, word censored!"trusive spot to build a WIR, so am thinking of putting a coop with built in run on a permanent base of wood chip or gravel and thinking about all the recent rain, how big a problem is wood chip if there is no cover? I love the Flight So Fancy Haven house and the Woodenart Harry coop, but they are both so expensive and I wondered whether they would even be an ok size for 2/3 hens if they had to stay in occasionally (I know it says they are, but in reality)? Does anyone have experience of these coops or the ones Annie Halls Poultry does? Afraid building one ourselves is not an option here at the moment. I've visited Annie Halls and Poultry Park and was very impressed with both places, so will get my birds from one of those. I initially thought 2 birds, as we don't need masses of eggs (only 3 of us) and our garden is only 200m2, so guessing it wouldn't take much trashing, but people have suggested that I get 3 minimum incase one dies. What are your thoughts? I decided on regular hybrids, by the way, as we have killer cats and a dog and buzzards around, so wouldn't feel happy letting bantams out. Finally, any recommendations for the best food for them? So sorry that my first post is asking so much, but I hope to join in with lots more chicken chat and getting to know everyone. I have looked around at lots of chicken forums and this one looked the friendliest and most approachable Liz x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Welcome to the forum I have two wooden coups . Very basic but they are great I love them..I could not afford plastic ones .I always worry about redmite but have never had any.I clean the coups weekly and they say to put vaseline on any corners and on the end of the perches .Although the plastic coups are easier to clean I think you can still get red mite. We have 3 chickens for the reason people have said.We lost one girl after 6 months and were left with two they pined like mad for a couple of days for their lost mate so we got two more lost another and now only three i reckon a chicken on their own would be really sad as they are creatures of flock. I am sure someone with more help than me will be along and good luck , you won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hiya Liz, Congrats on deciding to get some chooks - I have only had mine for about 2.5 years but they are so great to have in the garden. I started out with just a wooden coop (smaller than the ones you have listed) with integrated run and it proved to be too small despite suggesting it was OK for 3/4 hens. One of my ex-batts only started to grow back her chest feathers once we gave them more room using electric fencing. However this coop was a lot smaller than the ones you like. We now have the old wooden house in a WIR that we built last month and its great. The first summer we didn't have any problems with red mite but last year i'm afraid we did . I purchased lots of Diatom, smoke bombs, poultry shield and blasted the house. It did work but now I use Diatom every time I clean the coop to hope to stop it before it starts. I will however once the wooden house has died buy an Eglu for the WIR . I would reccomend a WIR but if you don't have the space then just make sure the integrated run is large enough. I love to let mine FR when i'm at home but they do eat everything and dig holes to have a dust bath in where ever they can. I don't mind but the OH get a bit cross I hope this helps - you will soon work out what is best for your set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubababe Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi Liz & welcome, yes we are a friendly bunch and will help where ever we can. Unfortunately I haven't had any experience of a wooden coop however one of my friends has one and she had bad red mite last year. It took her ages to finally get rid of them . I have (touch wood) so far been lucky but as others do, I putt Diatom into the coop when I do a clean just to stop it starting. I'm biased but yes a WIR is a fab idea and one you won't regret. Have you thought about maybe buying a second hand Omlet coop? They are soo easy to maintain...but again i'm biased Feeding them is easy. Most pet stores/small holding stores stock pellets which have all the chickens need in them. Just add some grit into their run & water and your away There are also a lot of web based store, however postage can be expensive Have fun planning your set-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markAndCharlene Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 (edited) Hi Liz We have wooden coops, and have had for a couple of years now with no red mites. Diatom dusting and a preventative spray of poultryshield in the nooks and crannies when we clean them out seems to keep them at bay. We have our runs covered with Onduline roofing and the floors are covered in Hemcore. It seems to manage getting wet quite well, far better than just having mud underfoot. As for hybrids, remember there are many types of hybrids as well as the "regular" (i assume you mean brown, battery type). Speckledys, Bluebells, Amber Stars.... all hybridised to increase egg production. Food wise... for eggs, just layer pellets will be fine with the occasional treat of corn or some greens. Mark Edited May 1, 2012 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan08 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi Autumn, welcome to the forum and the wonderful and rewarding world of chicken keeping. I think they are what keeps me sane these days I agree that three girls is a good starting point. I started with and now have a so have no experience of wooden coops. But they have been living in wooden coops for years and years so I am sure it will be fine. The red mite is a worry, but they can also set up home in the plastic houses. A good cleaning routine, that is regular should help, with diatom, but even the most experienced chicken keepers can end up with the dreaded red mite. Your girls should be fine confined to the run much of the time, about 1 sqm per girl is the recommended space. If you get your three girls together then they will be fine. I find for intros though you really need a little more to give the chucks low down the pecking order space to get away. You can enrich their space with logs, and bits of wood threaded through the run for them to perch on and get out of the way. Your girls will also need some cover, from the rain and the sun and I would highly recommend sorting out some sort of covering for at least half of the run. I am very lucky, my dad built me a WIR for my christmas present, before that I had a low 4m run on the go that I couldn't get into to clean and it ended up a horrible stinky mess. I did have the omlet sun shade but it wasn't enough to keep out the bad weather. There are lots of ideas on this forum with photographs, corrogated plastic sheets, acrylic, polycarbonate, or I even have an emergency shower curtain with bungee cords on for hooking up in bad weather. It doesn't have to be too expensive. Kick boards are another good idea, to stop the girls kicking out the run flooring. I have a layer of gravel with a layer of easibed (horse bedding) on the floor of mine, but you do need to have cover to use the easibed. The girls will trash your garden if you let them out regularly, and it is worth taking a bit of time getting the run right so that you can be guilt free when leave them in there. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheekymonkey68 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi Liz, I have a coop and WIR on gravel and then have hardwood chips on the top, I have to admit that it does get a little damp underfoot with the continuous rain we've been having down here, so I have covers on the roof and sides of my WIR which staves off a lot of the rain. All it takes is a dry spell and everything dries out nicely. I use ground sanitizing powder once per week to keep everything a bit fresher and do a poop pick each night if I have to keep the girls in the WIR all day. I have a big branch in the WIR and extra perches so the girls can get off the ground if they want to. (I originally got bark chippings in my run, they get a bit slippery and slimy when wet, so I suggest you use hard wood chips you can get them from the same place that you really liked their cute wooden coops!) Best of luck, its such an exciting time..especially when everything is set up and you go to buy your new girls :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Liz Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 Thank you so much for all your great replies! I have been squelching around in the garden this afternoon with tape measure in hand and may have worked out how I could fit in a 6' x 7' (183x213) WIR without it being too obtrusive. It would give the three of them nearly 4m2 if I raise up the coop and it's in a sheltered spot that gets the afternoon sun. I'm hoping it should also work out cheaper overall, as I was starting to get a bit worried about how much it was all going to cost! I found a thread on here today where I have been drooling over all your lovely WIRs and have since picked up a cuprinol brochure from the DIY store this afternoon! I just want it to all magically appear now, but alas I have a bit of heavy digging to do first. Still, I am certainly feeling motivated and I'll keep you posted. Liz x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merment Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I have just started too. I have an eglu but you can get automatic door openers if you have a wooden coop which apparently are very useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 If you are a lot richer than I am you could get one of these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I am now the proud owner of a cube, but started out with a chic cube which is also plastic. they used to do a starter pack which can include 3 ex batts as they have an arrangement with little henrescue. We've never looked back! We have kept the house for new intros. Good luck with whatever you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Liz Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 If you are a lot richer than I am you could get one of these Wow, there are some fancy houses on that site! Waay to much for me too though. I have a plan forming for a nice little run though. It should even hide my ugly water butt and create a good spot to plant an apple tree I have knocking around...well that's the plan. We'll see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Don't want to confuse you or upset your plans but when I started with chickens I was bought two as a present by my DD (so they took me entirely by surprise). Unfortunately they were taken by the fox whilst in the care of our holiday hen sitter ....I replaced them with two more girls only to lose one of them to the fox..(my carelessness this time! ) so ended up with one girl on her own, to whom I introduced another single girl successfully..and they lived happily together until last august when I lost one to natural causes....I introduced my then single girl to three more girls, only to lose two more in close succession to natural causes..so I'm back to two at the moment! Sorry that's a very longwinded way of saying I have had various combinations of chooks but actually two are fine together and it is possible to introduce one to one if you need to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migsy Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Crikey! That is a lot of introductions. I've not lost any of my 7 over the last year and they are all getting on for 3 years old now. 3 of them are ex-batts. I'm surprised they all lasted the winter. I'm dreading them getting ill and dying but thankfully, no signs yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Liz Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Not at all, Sadie. It's really helpful to hear everyone's experiences. It all helps me to make my decision. Part of me is so eager to just get going with it all that I'm tempted to go to my local poultry place and pick up a house and a couple of girls this weekend, but the other part of me is worrying that I would then end up spending more money overall if I need more space to keep them in later, which is very possible. Am waiting for a quote from Aviaris4U a the moment though, so I'll see how that works out first. Sorry you've lost so many girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 If thay come back as a vit expensive try West Hagley Avaries - that is where I got my panels from. http://www.westhagleyaviaries.co.uk/ Then got the roof panels from http://www.cabp.co.uk/ Overall cost about £380 for a 6' x 15' run. Just built it last month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Liz Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Thank you for that suggestion. Aviaries4u have just replied to say that we are too far away for them to deliver to, so need to look elsewhere now. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LottyJ1 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Thats what they did to me - I was a bit gutted as really wanted one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanT Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Same happened to me Liz, so I ended up building my own. Turned out cheaper anyway! Good luck with your plans whatever you decide to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Liz Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Actually the plan has changed since I found somewhere yesterday that makes a nice long run with house on top for a much more reasonable amount than others I have seen. It will fit much into my narrow, staggered garden, won't block our countryside views and should be with me in less than 2 weeks, so order has been placed! We are not great DIYers here and every major thing we have attempted has taken much, much longer than we anticipated, so I would be waiting a long time until I could get the girls! If you are handy though, I think a hand built run and simple house would be a brilliant option. Hoping now that the order goes smoothly and I can go and choose the ladies the weekend after next Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 That's exciting . Not too long to wait either . Look forward to photos of the run and your new girlies . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
