Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[stacey30]

Hello,

I wondered if could offer any advice on chicken houses? I currently have 3 wooden coops, 2 have are starting to wear with all the rain we've had and I'd like to have one large house. I have currently 5 in one coop, 6 in another and Nugget who chooses to sleep alone in her own house.

Is a cube the biggest plastic coop available on the market? It would be easier for all girls to have a lovely big house and plastic wouldn't age so badly and hopefully reduce the mite risk.

Any advice would be great, many thanks

[Patricia W]

I only know the cube so can only say that I love it as it's so easy to clean. I have it with the Omlet WIR, so there is plenty of space for more than the 5 LF I have in there.

 

Remember that it's not the size of the coop that determines the number of chickens you can have, but the size of the run, combined with any arrangements you may have for free-ranging them. I think the cube is advertised as big enough for 10 hens but I would never keep as many as that in it unless I had the WIR, or a number of run extensions.

[jackian]

I have had a Solway recycled home since the beginning of last summer and love It .I have only two in there at the moment and two more new girls waiting to join them.but reckon there is enough room for 10.It has two nest boxes but as you can guess they all want to lay in the same one.

I don't know how it compares with the size of the cube and it is not the prettiest but it is certainly a lot cheaper and really easy to clean .

 

As an added thought I have just got this morning a small plastic dogs kennel from pet planet which just slotted together in minutes and was surprisingly only £40 including postage . Just perfect as a temp home for my two new girls . I am thrilled with it as when no longer needed can be dismantled and packed away,

 

My girls do have a big WIR (at the moment separated) and a back garden to FR ,as said before it is the space to stretch them selves that matters.