Building chicken house

[billymcbrie]

Howdy. New here, so apologies if this sort of thing's been asked before - I'd like to get/build my own chicken ark for the back garden, just to keep a few chickens in for eggs. The plan I've drawn up is very similar to this one:
http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/Bir ... fault.html

(my plans are to make it a bit bigger - roughly 2m long, 80cm wide, 70cm high). How many normal sized chickens would I be able to keep in something like this? I've read that I could keep 3 bantams in a ark this size, but there's no mention of bantams on the sites that sell these arks.

Also, I have two (quite wimpy) cats, and a host of cats around the neighbourhood - do they bother chickens in your experience?

Cheers m'dears

Billy

[red]

at a guess - id say two chickens - and you would still ahve to plan on letting them out every day..

cats should be fine (my money's on the hens)


welcome btw

[Thomzo]

Hi and welcome.

Cats should be fine with adult hens. The hens will peck back and the cats will soon run away.

Have fun with your hens.

Cheers
Zoe

[Big Al]

If you are going to make one yourself I'd be more inclined to go for a coup similar to this one http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/Bir ... fault.html as you have more space and can get more birds as and when. Also there is a minimum space recomended as 1 sq ft per bird but it is also recognised that anything less than 2 sq ft per bird increases the problems of disease in the birds. There is also the possabillity of going into organic or free range birds with the increased space.

Also don't forget that hens are social animals you should never keep solitary birds so the minium required space is for 2 birds or 4 sq ft.

HTH

BA

[billymcbrie]

Thanks people. I may have to wait until I'm in a bigger house with a bigger garden! I'd like the birds to have a bigger space as possible, and not be too lonely. At the moment I'm just having fun drawing up plans!

Cheers m'dears -

Billy

[boboff]

Go with the Ark, you could accommodate up to 6 hens in there, but you would have to move it every day, and it will destroy the grass! My suggestion would be 3 point of lay hens though, as this is all you need to keep a family of 4 in eggs, so no real point in having any more.

In John Seymour book there is an Ark made out of poles and feedbags, which may be a cheaper alternative.

You may also wish to try your local Farmers supplies place, Mole Valley etc as they do decent arks and houses. Having done both I would say stick with the Ark, as having free range chickens in your garden is a problem on many levels! ( Poop on the Patio being the worst)

The other advantage of an ark, is you don't have to remember to let them out and put them away.

[Big Al]

Go with the Ark, you could accommodate up to 6 hens in there, but you would have to move it every day, and it will destroy the grass! My suggestion would be 3 point of lay hens though, as this is all you need to keep a family of 4 in eggs, so no real point in having any more.

In John Seymour book there is an Ark made out of poles and feedbags, which may be a cheaper alternative.

You may also wish to try your local Farmers supplies place, Mole Valley etc as they do decent arks and houses. Having done both I would say stick with the Ark, as having free range chickens in your garden is a problem on many levels! ( Poop on the Patio being the worst)

The other advantage of an ark, is you don't have to remember to let them out and put them away.

Boboff... You jest of course........ you are arn't you? 6 hens in there ..... the term battery cages spring to mind. even 3 would be too cramped for my likeing. The whole floor area of the given example is less than 1m square let alone the area for keeping them safe at night. Also what about foxes or even rats ? with the front open this will attract rats to any food left and foxes willeasily get under that example even if it is staked down.

Sorry I disagree with your comments.

[boboff]

Ok, you have that opinion, I keep chickens, and don't have the issues you mention.
The hens are happy and healthy and lay every day, whats the harm?

Although 1sq meter total seems very small now you mention it! These things always look bigger in the pictures, I was assuming a 6ft by 3 ft type thing minimum.

I bought some eggs for hatching off some guys, and they kindly showed me there set up, which was 5 hens and a cockeral in an ark, and they all seemed well happy.

People are too quick to give chickens the same needs as humans, they haven't.

[Big Al]

Ok, you have that opinion, I keep chickens, and don't have the issues you mention.
The hens are happy and healthy and lay every day, whats the harm?

Although 1sq meter total seems very small now you mention it! These things always look bigger in the pictures, I was assuming a 6ft by 3 ft type thing minimum.

I bought some eggs for hatching off some guys, and they kindly showed me there set up, which was 5 hens and a cockeral in an ark, and they all seemed well happy.

People are too quick to give chickens the same needs as humans, they haven't.

That's ok, we all have different view but the defra guidlines say as a minimum space required as 1 sq ft per bird which is about the size of an A4 piece of paper. For organic it is increased to 1.5sq ft although major organic and or free range producers recomend 2 sq ft as a minimum to keep down pest and disease.
The measurements of the ark in the post are on the page and it looks taller than wide so I made the assumption that it was the 1.74 x 56cm.

If you think of the floor area of an 8ft x 6 ft coups you could easily get 24 birds in and still call them organic ( providing you paid the going rate in fees charged by defra etc,lol.)
If the guys you bought the eggs off have 5 and 1 in an ark then it could be alledged that they are looking for the money off the eggs rather than the welfair of the birds.

Also as a person of limited mobillity I'd prefer the bigger coup so I could clean it out etc but magnamanous as I am these days I'll end by saying we all have choices to make and we differ on the choices but hopefully still remain in a positive way towards each other...

I'm in the process of doing a website and part of that will have livestock on it so I've been researching the topic of chickens a lot so I would err on the oppinion I've put forward. as for their needs, don't they need warmth, food, security and shelter like humans??