I'm thinking of getting some chickens and currently looking into constructing them somewhere to live. One of the possibilities is to use an old construction which lives by one of the compost heaps.
I think probably was once a chicken coop - it's a fairly solid wooden construction on wheels, with handles, pitched roof, about 8ft long and with various hinged sections to gain access to the insides and a hatch for the birds to get out of (but no ladder/walkway up to the hatch - would need to make one). It has a couple of perches fitted. I think three or four birds would be pretty comfortable in there at night (they would be outside in the day).
The floor is slatted, which I guess is good in terms of cleaning out, but maybe not so comfortable for the hens. Should I cover the slats with a piece of wood which can be removed for cleaning?
The roof is wooden and a couple of the timbers have rotted and need replacing. Should I cover the roof with something to better protect it? I vaguely remember being told not to use roofing felt as it encourages red mites - is there something better ?
When I've seen henhouses previously they've had nesting boxes with lids to allow easy egg collection. Is this necessary - I'd have to add them on to the side? Or can I put something inside the coop instead?
