Really getting the chicken bug now...
Have convinced Rob that it will be a good idea, however, have been looking at chicken coops. Not totally convinced about the quality of the ones that I have seen on ebay and much as I would like to, can't afford an eglu.
So, the next option would be to convert our shed, how easy do you think it would be to do this? And, what exactly would you have to rpovide and where?
Sorry if this is such a random question, but don't want to give up on the chicken plan just yet.... :-\
I have thought about this,however I think it would be rather large and need a
heck of a lot of cleaning.
I know the eglu is expensive but I think it would last a life time.
No problem at all. When I had chickens before i used an old shed. It is no more difficult than a cook - all you have to do is to cut out a pop hole, insert nest boxes and a perch and Bob's your uncle. The plus side is that you can put up shelves high up and store small amounts of food in plastic containers and odd tools and the like!
The woman who has also now got chooks on my allotment site is using a second hand shed and she is having no more problems than me and she has the plus that - when cleaning it out - she can stand up in it!
Old Bird ;D
Some ideas here:
http://forums.thepoultrykeeper.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=13765
I found one where she'd made the whole thing for £75 & it looked great. Can't find it now... will keep looking!
Did try to have a quick search on there before but couldn't find anything.... ???
the majority of the guys on our site have done exactly this. As OB said piece of cake. A Couple of them have divided in two, 1/2 for storage and the other 1/2 for the chickens. Just used wire to fence in and cut out a hole for them.
I have found this though...
http://www.cybercheckout.co.uk/Items/Item.aspx?SKU=940000470&CAWELAID=205027073
we used a 10 x 6 shed for our 18 girlies, shelves at 18" and 3"..perches, well, 2x2 posts for perches and nesting boxes under the bottom shelf, on the corner of the middle one and in the corner of the top one..
have a look on down the lane web site, he's done it, too :)
There is a lovely chicken set-up on our lottie and he has used one of those plastic tool sheds as a coop. He installed a large cat/dog flap that has a sliding door for them to get in and out, put a persex window in one side for light and a mesh window on the other side for ventilation. He says he props the top open in summer so they don't overheat. The box is something he got from Freecycle and it cost him about £20 for all the other bits.
The run he made himself from timber, corrugated plastic and mesh he also got from Freecycle. His birds are happy, healthy and content.
I am with Old Bird, I too have a 6x4 shed for my main girls 7 of them with pop hole cut out and a drop down flap for night time with a chicken wire run attached 12x6 they are fine. Easy to clean I can stand up and have cup hooks screwed at the top of uprights to hang things in plastic bags.
Hubby did build me nest boxes at the far end and we have a stake as a perch.
We were given a dog kennel and run they sell for £299 plus but I cannot stand up in the house or run a pain but got it free would not buy one. The silkies love it.
i to also use a 8x8 foot converted shed one thing i have done is to place the bob hole about 4 feet up i have got 2 perches out side one about 2feet off the ground and the other is 4feet so they jump up and can get in to the coop the reason i did it this way i can leave the hens out side all year round and it stops rats using the bob hole to get in and its working my run is well protected from Mr fox and a like
Click the link below. If you look further down the page there are photos of my shed converted into a cree showing the run, nest boxes and the shed itself. There is also loads of stuff on getting started with hens.
Hope this helps
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,26318.0.html
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