chicken coop + run under a lean-to shelter

jackrussell007

hi folks

I'm a considering getting a few chickens for and am just trying to plan a coop and run. I've got a lean-to shleter which I'm considering building my coop and run in. It would be ideal as its close to the house, and would be easy to enclose due to the wooden pillars holdinging up the roof.

I plan on leaving the chickens roam teh garden during the day and then put them back in during the night. My question is, does the coop+run really need to be out in the sunshine or should it be alright under the shelter. Its not like it doesnt get any light in there, it bright and all that, it just doesnt get much direct sunlight.

One other question then, I'm in the suburbs of Limerick, in a housing estate. I understand hens dont make much noise so I'm not too worried about that. How about predetaors. I've seen a fox less than 1k away. I have a dog, how likely is it that the fox would visit? does the coop need to be secured everynight or what?>

thanks

.

aonb

If you are going to allow them to free range all/most of the day, the fact that their run/coop is under a lean to shouldnt make a difference.
Egg production is governed by hours of daylight, so you need to make sure its bright enough under the lean to if they arent allowed to free range.

Hens make very little noise, unless you get a few squawks from a hen when shes laid. I dont think that anyone could object to hens 'bokking'. A cockeral is a different kettle of fish

The coop would NEED to be secure at night. Urban foxes will come prowling, and if your coop isnt very secure, you could loose your hens.

lazeedaisy

We lost the last of our hens during the day, over a month, to a fox prowling in the afternoon.

We have had hens roam free, with the dogs, four years. So ensure there are no local foxes.

The hen coup can be anywhere once secure. I used to get up at 6am in summer to let the hens out, they go to bed themselves, we just used to watch and lock the door when the last one was in.

They can be noisy feckers in a nice way, mind you we had up to 15! Ours used to converse with us, they can have great personalities. Ours never stopped laying throughout the winters, we always fed them food warmed in the microwave, even worked during 2010 snow.

You say you have a run, but don't plan on using is that right?

jackrussell007

hi folks

thanks for your replies.

I havent anything built yet, just doing the bit of research. Even though I plan to let them free range throughout the day I was going to build a bit of a run off the coop as well. We've 4 young kids, each with a gang of friends and it wouldn't be unusual for our garden to be overrun with neighborhood kids. I wanted to be able to cordon off the chickens for their own comfort when things were busy like that.

I think I'll give it a go in the that position under the lean-to shelter. I can always move it in time to come, down the garden to a sunnier spot if I have to

lazeedaisy - I had presumed they were hardy enough in all weathers for some reason. I read somewhere that the coop should be insulated but airy. Did you go to any extra lengths to insulate to warm them throughout that bad winter at all, aside from warming their food?

lazeedaisy

We have 3 hen houses.

One himself made, from a book I got in the library called chicken coops for dummies. It had air Slats on the roof, was made of wood, and we never had a problem with cold inside as far as I know. We used wood shavings as bedding, changed it every so often and always had happy chickens. At feeding time they would holler and call, and run after whoever was feeding them.

If anyone in the family is a member of a library, is worth reading up on, ask around to see if anyone local has hens, and ask to have a look at their set up, even get advice on what you propose. People love talking about stuff like that and are always apply to help.

Our hens loved to gather under trees, and always raided our veg. Garden, decimated our beet root leaves, love lettuce, and just loved to pick around.

That are fab pets, you will all love them

Chisler2

jackrussell007 wrote: »

hi folks

I'm a considering getting a few chickens for and am just trying to plan a coop and run. I've got a lean-to shleter which I'm considering building my coop and run in. It would be ideal as its close to the house, and would be easy to enclose due to the wooden pillars holdinging up the roof.

I plan on leaving the chickens roam teh garden during the day and then put them back in during the night. My question is, does the coop+run really need to be out in the sunshine or should it be alright under the shelter. Its not like it doesnt get any light in there, it bright and all that, it just doesnt get much direct sunlight.

One other question then, I'm in the suburbs of Limerick, in a housing estate. I understand hens dont make much noise so I'm not too worried about that. How about predetaors. I've seen a fox less than 1k away. I have a dog, how likely is it that the fox would visit? does the coop need to be secured everynight or what?>

thanks

.

How large is the garden...........given the hens will be sharing space with large groups of children (presumably over the Easter and summer holidays)?

jackrussell007

its a typical semi-D estate house. we're an end house on the row so have a fairly large garden compared to others. theres good space out the back and also a lot of space out the side as well. Theres plenty of room i would think.The pen is just so I can chuck them in theer if needs be if the the kids are bothering them. I dont expect them to once the novelty wears off.

jackrussell007

hi folks

just wondering, do ye think this old kennell is big enough to house three chooks? I need to build a nesting box off the back or something, and I'll reroof it. If I have to purpose build something then I will, I'd just like to reuse this if I could ;cause the dog doesnt sleep in it anymore. she sleeps in the house now mostly.

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I stuck my wellie in there to give a sense of scale:)

aonb

Yes, in my opinion, that would be fine for 3 hens. They all squish up together at night, and wont go in there except to lay, so plenty of space I would have said. Three things though: its very draughty looking - fatal for hens!! You would need to fix/seal off that back wall with all the spaces between the slats. If you are going to reroof it with felt, just be aware that the dreaded red mite loves that kind of place - felt+red mite=heaven! You would need to provide a perch - a rounded off at the edges perch.

Before you go building on a nest box off it, see if you can put a small nest box in 1 corner. With only 3 hens, they will only want 1 nest box. Line it - a small plastic or wooden box - with a bit of straw and that would be fine.

Nice to upcycle/recycle! My lot are currently living in an ex-Dunnes-stores-Plastic-Kennel (they moved out of the custom built hugely expensive hen coop when it was infested with red mite :mad:)

Buona Fortuna

I'm not as concerned by the ventilation as I am about the likelihood of attracting red mite, especially when the days get warmer.

If you get it, its a total bugger. It kills the chickens slowly and if you haven't spotted it in time, they can get on to you, your clothes, your couch ....

When that house has chickens in they'll be pooping into that floor every night and thats a nice breeding ground for the red mites.

Base price

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

I'm not as concerned by the ventilation as I am about the likelihood of attracting red mite, especially when the days get warmer.

If you get it, its a total bugger. It kills the chickens slowly and if you haven't spotted it in time, they can get on to you, your clothes, your couch ....

When that house has chickens in they'll be pooping into that floor every night and thats a nice breeding ground for the red mites.

The only way to prevent a red mite infestation is by regularly checking your coop at night with a flash lamp. Red mite only come out at night to feed and you will see them crawling on the roosting bar/poles. During daylight they will hide in timber joints and under felt/plastic roofing.
The most effective way of killing/controlling them was to paint the inside of the coop with creosote early in the morning and allow it to ventilate during the day. Unfortunately the creosote that is available nowdays is not the same as it used to be. There are proper sprays that you can get nowdays to spray into the nooks and crevices to kill them. I used to use Johnson & Johnson Raid (insect, fly, mosquito spray). You can direct the spray into the crevices where the mites hang out during the day. A couple of sprays and a few mins later you will see them moving out. A few more sprays and they are no more. Word of caution - do not use in an enclosed space. We apex roofs on the coops and one side could be opened for cleaning/powerhosing.
From what I understand, most small (closed) flocks get red mite from wild birds.

madmaggie

I have two hens, and made their house, basically a box with a run attached. I put small wheels under the box and run which makes it easy to move around the garden. They stay in the run, but have a fresh stretch of grass everyday.

jackrussell007

I've ben off the last few days so I got stuck in to this little project. I began by taking the roof off that kennell and found that it was roten to bits and probably a waste of time trying to recycle. Its being recycled into the fire now.

I've built a coop out of some other materials I had around the place. Maybe ye could tell me if it looks ok. A thing of beauty it is not, thats for sure but i'm hoping its fairly suitable for purpose. I'm planning on getting 3 hens, i dont really aspire to having many (any) more than that.

One or two questions;
the chainlink wire fence I have is 4 feet high. I could add another four feet of it up top if I have to, is it necessary?

Is the chain link fence sufficient or is chicken wire necessary?

what sort of dishes do you usually use for food? Is there cheap purpose designed type dishes that everyone uses? I want ot have something with a lid that I can seal at night time.

the chickens will be free ranging during the day. I built the enclosure so that I could lock them in that in the evening and they wouldnt be too constricted in there if we were late leaving them out in the morning. are they safe enough without the door on the box or is it really necessary? I'm trying to avoid creating another daily task that needs to be done by a certain time in the morning if you know what I mean.

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aonb

That looks absolutely perfect
Just a couple of things - how how is that perch - from the photo its hard to tell. It shouldnt be too high, as hens can get bumblefoot from 'jumping'

What is the floor made of? I know its metal - will it get very cold in winter - or do you plan to put something for bedding? I use thick pads of newspaper and just fold it up and compost it to clean. If it is metal, and you dont plan to use some sort of bedding, it will make a noise, when they jump off the perch!

If you dont want to have to close/open the door (perfectly understandable - one more job as u say) then I would definately bring that wire up higher than 4ft, as Mr Fox will hope over that. Especially dangerous on nights when you dont close the door.

Will the run 'gate' be open all day for them to get in/out to feed and lay?
If yes, then you dont have to worry about covered dishes for their food (I use a hopper with a rain hood) so anything will do really - just make sure that they arent tipping it over or getting in to it to scratch. See what you have around the place, and experiment. Their water bowls should definately be wide/shallow and not something that they can tip over.

good luck!

jackrussell007

I'll measure the perch again. It may be a little high alright. what height would you recommend?

yes the floor is just some of the same cladding that i used for the outside. I just hammered it flat and (very) roughly cut it to shape. I was going to buy straw but newspapers probably sounds easier to clean.

I suppose I'll probably put up the second layer of wire fence then, I kinda thought as much that id have to. Are dogs any deterrent to a fox by the way? I only dug the fence in a couple of inches underground level. I was going to put some blocks or something arond the edges if i have to. I was kinda hoping that if mr fox has to spend some time digging then our dog might able out of the shed and clear him off. maybe not though i suppose..

yes the run gate will probably be left open for them throughout the day. My reason for wanting some sort of a lid though is that i dont want to leave food uncovered overnight as i dont want rats. i need to be fairly careful about this. I'm living in an estate, a neighbour had a bit of a small holding thing going on there a year or two ago as they have a large garden. they had chickens, pigsand some other animals i think. when they moved, there was a sudden infestation of rats for all the surrounding neighbours. I presume once their food source was removed they had to move on. anyway, i dont want anyrepeat of this as it wont go down well with neighbours, understandably.

thanks for the advice y'all

madmaggie

Yes, there are proper dispensers for hen pellets and water holders. They come in various sizes, but I have a two litre water dispenser, and the pellet feeder holds enough for two hens for almost a week. They are cone shaped with the dispensing dish at the bottom. The pellet feed can be filled from the top, but the water holder has the bottom part removed, it twists off, turn the cone part upside down, fill, then attach the bottom part, and turn right way up. Hope this is clear!! They should be available in agri or pet stores. In the region of €7 each.

Iyaibeji

There are plenty of diy chicken feeders and waterers you can make from buckets or plastic pipes.
If you google them you will get some great and easy ideas.

Chickens drink a LOT of water, you'd be surprised how much, so get a good sized waterer.

Iyaibeji

Just had a look at your pics.
Well done, great job.

Can you get a piece of old lino to put on the floor?
Id be concerned about condensation, chickens produce a lot of moisture ehen they breathe.
If condensation builds there is a risk of mould in the warmer months, and frost in winter.
Its a good idea to have some ventilation up high in the coop.

The roosting pole is too narrow.
A squareish length of wood is actually better for them to roost on as they can splay the feet properly and squat down over them to perch comfortably.

Dont forget they will need grit and oystershell grit too.

jackrussell007

s I lowered the perch a bit anyway and went and bought three Rhode island reds. they seem to be settling in ok. theyre eating layers pellets plus some scraps from the kitchen. nothing layed yet anyway, I understand that may take a week or two?

i have let them out of their run yet either, prob do this friday evening, I understand its better to let them settle in a nd get used to the coop first

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jackrussell007

Iyaibeji wrote: »

Just had a look at your pics.
Well done, great job.

Can you get a piece of old lino to put on the floor?
Id be concerned about condensation, chickens produce a lot of moisture ehen they breathe.
If condensation builds there is a risk of mould in the warmer months, and frost in winter.
Its a good idea to have some ventilation up high in the coop.

The roosting pole is too narrow.
A squareish length of wood is actually better for them to roost on as they can splay the feet properly and squat down over them to perch comfortably.

Dont forget they will need grit and oystershell grit too.

just rereading the thread, thanks for your comments Iyaibeji, i had thought I had already replied. mustve fogot. I lowered the roosting poloe anyway as you sugested. as you can see above they seem to have taken to it anyway. I'm lining the cloor with some newpapers for the moment, if i find a bit of lino I might chuck that in there in time.. that roof I have on it is just laid onto it so there is actually plenty of ventilation in that I'd say.

I need to get some of that oystersheell you mention. I read elsewhere that ground up eggshells will do the same job, has to be finely ground though or theyd develop a taste for their own eggs.

aonb

Oystershell is for calcium. If you are giving them layers pellets, this is a balanced diet and should contain sufficient calcium for layers. Rather than throw them away, I put eggshells in the microwave for 1 min, then smash up finely and throw the shells in the run.

If they are going to free range, they wont need you to supply GRIT - to help them process food in their crop - as they will pick up plenty foraging

You might consider putting an old tyre or similar, filled with dirt/earth/sand in their run as a dust bath. This will help keep them clean, bug-free, and they love it!

From what I can see in the photo, your hens are quite young - their combs are very small and pale - so dont expect eggs for a while. They look good

Have they gone in to the coop at night themselves (without you puttting them in)? Until they are going in/out of their coop themselves, I wouldnt let them out to free range. When you are letting them out of their run to free range for the first time, I would do that in the late afternoon so that they will go out for a little while before dusk then get themselves back to their run/coop - rather than leave them out all day, and have them wander far & not be able to find home! I usually keep new hens in the run for 5 days or so til they know "home"

(they do have a nest box in the coop - cant see one in the photo)

jackrussell007

Hi aonb
yes they are going in and out of the coop themselves. they seem to be happy enough in there.

with regard to the dust bath, the run is all gravel/loose small stone, do they need a tyre dirt bath do you think? I have an old tyre around the place so can do it if necessary.

I'll take your advice on letting them out late afternoon. I'll do it this evening when i get home.

There is an attempted nest box there alright, see this pic posted earlier in the thread.
http://postimg.org/image/69q6w7cot/

when you say dont expect eggs for a while, do you mean a 2 week while, or closer to a 2 month while?
thanks

aonb

ah yes, see the nestbox now... like the heart!!

Yes, that ground around the coop is fine for a dust bath - its under cover (lucky hens!) so will stay nice and dry and dusty, so they will no doubt start dust-bathing when they are settled.

Just from the one photo you put up of them, their combs seem to be very small/pale. I assume you bought them as POL (point of lay) which is always a bit optimistic on the part of the seller :rolleyes: Depends on how well they thrive/grow - but I would say a few weeks before they will be laying - when their combs/wattles are nicely formed, and red, you can expect some production. Once they start, the first week or two will be erratic while they get into their stride.

Are there foxes in your area - you might want to be vigilant about closing them into the run at night.

Iyaibeji

You will know when they are ready to lay as they will do the submissive squat when you get close to them.

jackrussell007

aonb - I cant take credit for the heart. That was part of an old shutter that was on my shed. It was rotten so I pulled it down and reused it for this purpose. I wonder if a hole like that will put the chickens off laying in there? I can cover it on the inside anyway to keep it dark I suppose.

to tell you the truth I cant really remember what the ad said (donedeal) My wife just called out the number to me. Anyway I spoke with the seller again the other day, I think she said they are about 20 weeks so I suppose it;ll be another few weeks. no harm.

with regard to the foxes, yes I lock the chickens in every night. hopefully its secure enough.


Iyaibeji, as per your recommendations I made a little feeding system out of old drain pipe I had around the place, Its very handy seeing as it allows stocking a couple of days feed into the drain pipe and it gravity feeds down into the slot that I had cut out for them to feed through. I took another bit of the same pipe then and cut along the length of it so I could slide it on over the cut out. I can open and close it now, I like to keep it closed at night in fear of attracting vermin..

The yoke stuck in the end of it is actually a clay flowerpot of some sort. I just couldnt find anything else that would plug it. I'ts doing the job anyway. I found a plastic ball that was the right diameter to plug the top. job done


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jackrussell007

so we got our first egg anyway. great excitement for the kids (..me really).

Its tiny, as I've read they normally are. I presume they taste perfectly fine though? Its got a date with some brown toast in the morning.

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aonb

Great to get the first egg - once they start, they will very soon settle down to full production (2 eggs from 3 hens per day on average) Did she lay it in the nest box?

Iyaibeji

Great work with the feeder!
And congrats on your first egg!

jackrussell007

WHY.. did no one warn me that a chickens daily output is approx three parts chicken **** to one part yummy egg??!!

also, it seems to me that they are actually coming up onto my patio to have a dump right there where i can see it. honestly, i know they gotta crap but the actually seem to be going out of their way to crap on the patio, is this possible? Do chickens have a preferred spot to unload, like a cat or a dog seems to. Is there any way to discourage, apart from a kick in the hole when i catch them at it? i dont mind the occasional one but there can be four or five a day on the patio(which isnt that big) from the 3 chickens. theres nothing for them to scratch away at or eat on the patio so I'm a little confused why theres so much crap there

other than having to shovel their **** after them, things are going great. our 3year old has been accepted into their flock, i think she;s established herself as pack leader now which is a nice. I've caught her eating grass though cause the hens do, so thats less nice maybe.

aonb

ah yes, the curse of the patio-owning-hen-keeper!!!
I have a couple of acres, that my hens were free ranging on.
I had to stop letting them out to free range because of the crap on the patios issue. My husband staged a mutiny - it was a case of the hens or him!!! :cool:
So my hens are now back in their enormous runs (no real hardship) but I let them out for an hour or two in the evening.
So! Open the gate, they STAMPEDE up to the patio!! The lure is that its where the humans live - the humans bring food - hens are nosy, they love to look in at what you are doing indoors. Unless you can fence off the patio (which we have done - put a couple of gates on our deck) they will come up there. They preen and groom and crap on the patio...

Nice to read that your 3 year old is showing strong leadership skills already!!!

Oh, keep in mind, that you dont want to make them afraid of you, so keep that in mind, when getting them off the patio!!

jackrussell007

I could possibly put a couple of gates on the patio to block their access, id rather not really, it would be tricky and would be nicer left open. If I do go to the hassle however I presume they could probably fly up over the bannisters if they really wanted? they could probably even just about squeeze through the banisters if they wanted. Would they be that determined? probably i suppose.

sounds like I can either put up with their **** (literally speaking ) or I can just keep them in the run.
thanks for the advice thus far anyway

aonb

mine squeezed through the barriers I put up initially and had to re-do it!
If their run is big enough, they will be ok being kept restricted - though until they get to know that you are not going to let them out, they will act like they are pretty badly treated! (pacing up and down and 'calling' to be let out)

Ive found that keeping them in the run all day, and just letting them out for an hour or two in the evening, they are so glad to get out that they spend that time on the grass...

Iyaibeji

Ah yes, tapping on the patio door and fouling on the back step, all too familiar!