hi, as some of you know i am thinking of getting 4-5 hens. i dont have the money to buy one of these built coops. so i am going to make one out of crates and wood.
have any of you built one or have plans on making one.
cheers for any advise
patrick
Have a look here - great pics, and great website too.
His was made out of fence posts etc, but I recon you could collect a couple of pallets from a local industrial park and you could get a simular result.... ;D
Good luck - I'll look forward to seeing your pics
hi, there was no link added in that post.
Quote from: aromatic on April 25, 2008, 16:26:23
Really hope you are able to get some ex batts patrick as Old bird has suggested. You will be helping the hens to have a much better way of life and they will repay you with some wonderful eggs......
On the Battery Hen Welfare Trust whilst having a browse around I noticed they suggested an 6 x 4 shed would house up to 12 - 15 hens.... this then got me to thinking about your other thread asking about chicken housing... could you not lay your hands on an old second hand shed that you could do up for your hens to be???
(http://www.animated-gifs.eu/birds-poultry-3/0016.gif)
hi aromatic, i was going to go that root, but i cant have another shed where my shed is at the moment and i cant put it any where else on the plot. for some reason all shed need to be at the same end all over the allotment.
AS you can i have a weird end to my plot.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/DSC00086.jpg)
so i was going to build a small coop for 3-4 chickens and a run so solve the problem.
how tall does the run need to be for a ex battery type of hen?
OK well for the last 2 days i have been very busy.
Here are the plans that i drawn up be for starting the project.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/shedtopview.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/sideview.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/overall-1.jpg)
The run
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/run2nd.jpg)
i have built the Chicken house already, i will post picture tomorrow. I cant build the run till Friday as i have to wait for the wood to be delivered
Looks good Patrick. How many hens you getting? With a run like that you can move it around the garden that way the chooks help you with the weeding, they love scratching.
As promised here are some pictures of the chicken shed in my gardens.(god knows how im going to get it out. lol)
Was made from
1 3ftx4ft pallet (free)
1 side of a wooden desk(from neighbours skip)
3 old fence panels (from neighbours skip)
8 2inchx2inchx8ft timber (£22.45)
1 10ft plastic sheet (Free - old ground sheet which came with the swimming pool)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270009.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270011.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270010.jpg)
Plastic sheet secured to the top of the shed stops any water coming through. It looks better than having a felt roof. and will be easier if i ever get redmite.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270014.jpg)
the chicken shed is totaly dry after a night of rain last night, so i know the chickens arnt going to get wet.
Looks good. For how many hens patrick?
3/4 to begin with, then once my pots have grown and been harvest. i will widen the run to allow maybe a few more.
Hi Patrick Looks like you are going to have fun moving your chicken house!
I think it looks great - presumably you are going to fill in the back before you install your hens up the lottie?! Otherwise foxes and rats will be very able to get in!
What I did and maybe of use to you is to lift chicken house on 4 3 x 3 posts shoved into the ground 2 and a half foot off the ground. This will give them shade and rain protection and dust bathing area and that much more space to run around in!!
Good luck with the move. Incidentally I would have got Black rock hens if I wasn't having ex batts - my sister had them and they were brilliant layers and were very placid and tame.
Don't forget to take pictures!
Old Bird
;D
I'll second lifting the house up enough for them to shelter under, it'll also stop rats making a home underneath the house.
PS. When you come to move the house these guys may come in handy. http://www.terranova-lifting.co.uk/home.htm (http://www.terranova-lifting.co.uk/home.htm). LOL.
Jon
lol, its all up there now and so is the run. here's is some pictures of the run be for it was completed. i have canvas roof over the run which gives shelter and shade. I totally forgot once it was built, how i was going to get it out of the garden again. so again we where taking down he neighbours fence and going across.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270017.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270020.jpg)
i will post completed pictures tomorrow morning when i go up the allotment.
;D That a great job Patrick..... and you have done such a lot already!! How do you find the energy!!! I have not been on the forum much this past week and so missed your earlier postings.... But I was delighted to see how you have progressed and really pleased to see you are considering the ex batts.... they will love you coop.... it will be paradise for them!!!
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Hi, thanks for the comments
ok here are the finished pictures of the coop and run.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270022.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270023.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270028.jpg)
They have made a mess of the place already. just need to buy a better feed dish and water feeder - where can i get some online?
cheers
;D Patrick it has really made my day to see your finished chicken coop with such happy hens installed inside it.... You are a star!! and I hope they produce some wonderful eggs for you!!
Regarding feeders and water feeders found this link for you to have a look at: -
www.chicken-house.co.uk/poultry_feeders.htm?gclid=CNiGodTnjZMCFQwguwodf0ciiQ
or
www.molevalleyfarmers.com/h1_POULTRY.htm
or
www.pandtpoultry.co.uk/?gclid=CLWH0MPojZMCFQkhuwodw0YFiw
And thought this might be useful: - www.domesticfowl.co.uk/feed.html
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cheers aromatic.
went down and feed the girls today.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270030.jpg)
and look what i found
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee116/patrickking04/SL270035.jpg)
now going to have them for my lunch ;D
Well done lad enjoy your dinner.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D What a lovely surprise Patrick... yet again you have made my day... Your ladies have done you proud!! so they must be very happy in your fantastic chicken coop!! I hope you enjoyed your lunch and I hope you have many more 'egg' lunches ahead!!! I must say the chucks look very contented and very happy!!! ;D
(http://www.animated-gifs.eu/kitchen-eggs/0009.gif)
Looks really good Patrick - well done! Worth all your hard work.
Chooks look happy too!
Old Bird
;D
Well done Patrick ;)
they look very happy. re the mess, we use aubiose on the run floor, it soaks up the poo really well then dig it out once a month and it can be composted for your fruit and veg. Dig in a bit of garden lime to sweeten the soil and put fresh aubiose down. Hemcore is a similar product.
here's our run, the run bit is on soil covered with aubiose.
http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=26562
you might want to consider placing something around the run, paving slabs for example, to stop any predators from digging their way in. We also used weld mesh rather than chicken wire as foxes can bite thru chicken wire.