Rescue hen coop

07-12-2019 9:49am #1

Hi all, just wondering if Any of you experienced hen keepers could give advice on chicken coops? I want to get one for my husband for Christmas so can't ask him! Was looking at this one https://www.farmfowl.com/product/the-amy-chicken-coop-with-run/
Would that have all I need for rescuing 4 hens? We can build a bigger run for them, but hopefully let them have the Run of the garden during the day once kids and dog get used to them. Keen to avoid rats etc. I read rescues may never perch, could they get into this?
Thanks in advance for advice!!

L1985 · 08-12-2019 9:47pm

Just a bit of advice-buy one non rescue hen as she will show the others how to be hens if that makes sense. If you mix them at night they shouldn’t fight too much but wait until the rescue hens have some feathers. They will pick it up fast from her as all our rescues starting roosting when they saw the non rescue. Also a rooster does tend to keep the bullying in check with the hens...
I’m not an expert but coop looks good and get sealed containers to store food in will help but unfortunately they do attract rats in my experience.

08-12-2019 9:50pm

newbie85 wrote: »

Hi all, just wondering if Any of you experienced hen keepers could give advice on chicken coops? I want to get one for my husband for Christmas so can't ask him! Was looking at this one https://www.farmfowl.com/product/the-amy-chicken-coop-with-run/
Would that have all I need for rescuing 4 hens? We can build a bigger run for them, but hopefully let them have the Run of the garden during the day once kids and dog get used to them. Keen to avoid rats etc. I read rescues may never perch, could they get into this?
Thanks in advance for advice!!

Are there any foxes in your area? If so, that coop may not be strong enough.

09-12-2019 1:09am

L1985 wrote: »

Just a bit of advice-buy one non rescue hen as she will show the others how to be hens if that makes sense. If you mix them at night they shouldn’t fight too much but wait until the rescue hens have some feathers. They will pick it up fast from her as all our rescues starting roosting when they saw the non rescue. Also a rooster does tend to keep the bullying in check with the hens...
I’m not an expert but coop looks good and get sealed containers to store food in will help but unfortunately they do attract rats in my experience.

Thanks for that, we've rats around anyway living in the country (currently feeding themselves from my bird feeders ðŸ˜·) but I don't need to encourage more! How long dya think it'd take the rescues to grow feathers? I'm quite apprehensive about the work involved with hens but my husband has wanted them a while!

09-12-2019 1:10am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Are there any foxes in your area? If so, that coop may not be strong enough.

I'm sure there are foxes, but the neighbour has hens wandering around the last few years so must not be too bad. We are in the countryside so there must be some. Would building a bigger run around it work?

09-12-2019 1:11am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Are there any foxes in your area? If so, that coop may not be strong enough.

I'm sure there are foxes, but the neighbour has hens wandering around the last few years so must not be too bad. We are in the countryside so there must be some. Would building a bigger run around it work?

gozunda · 09-12-2019 1:14am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Are there any foxes in your area? If so, that coop may not be strong enough.

Will only take one visiting fox to wipe out the lot. Wire underneath your run or use electrified poulrty fencing to keep the feckers off.

09-12-2019 10:46am

gozunda wrote: »

Will only take one visiting fox to wipe out the lot. Wire underneath your run or use electrified poulrty fencing to keep the feckers off.

I thought that the greyhounds would keep the feckers away, but no. One night he got the lot. So, I did the wire under the run bit and took to closing them into an old brick built kennel at night. That works.

aonb · 09-12-2019 8:45pm

OP, is your husband good at DIY? the 'run' that comes with that coop is really too small - if not, I would seriously consider the "two extension pens" that are available with this coop. There are advantages and disadvantages to a 'system' like this - you can put the food under the coop to keep it dry/the enclosed system means that wild birds wont get access to the food/there is a bit of shelter under the coop for the hens (though I would consider putting some sort of cover over the 'run' part. The big disadvantage I think with these wooden coops is that they are quite flimsy, and dont last too well in our wet climate. Cleaning the wooden coop if you get an infestation is VERY difficult. Having said that, for a starter kit, if you can afford it, it would get him started.
You will need to get a hopper for food and water. Some sort of nesting material - straw or woodchips. Layers pellets.
As someone mentioned already, a good idea to get a non-rescue to show the rescues how its done... when the rescues arrive, make sure to put them into the coop overnight, then open the door next morning, and let them find their own way out (hopefully!)

DBB · 09-12-2019 10:54pm

Can I also add here, because it's quite a bugbear of mine

, please don't go acquiring a single hen to mix into a group. She will almost certainly get bullied, and will certainly feel stressed by not having an established ally from her chickhood. Rescue hens can be serious bullies, so plonking a singleton in amongst them isn't fair.
It's no harm to try having experienced free-range hens to show the ropes to the rescues, just don't get a solo one. But for what it's worth, some of our rescues learned to perch, others never did, despite being surrounded by hens that know how to perch at night

09-12-2019 11:09pm

Thanks for all this advice. He's good at diy so would have no problem making a bigger run. Have been looking at coops more. Would I be better looking for one with a roof that opens? Do I need to be able to get into the coop? What kind of set up do you have?

DBB · 09-12-2019 11:20pm

You'll need to be able to get in to clean it out. I de-poop ours every day, but you also need to be able to apply mite treatments to perches, floor and walls in the summer time (diatomaceous earth is pricey but damn hard to beat).
You just might be better off getting or planning for a bespoke, heavier duty coop than the one you linked to. The cute-looking ones, as already noted, tend to be pretty flimsy, and I've come across incidents of foxes simply chewing their way into such coops.
For what it's worth, when it comes to keeping predators at bay, the electric poultry netting is about as good as it gets. Again, not mad cheap, but gives much greater peace of mind. Bear in mind that mink and pine martens can readily access enclosures if there are overhanging trees for them to climb up and across your fencing.

Anne_cordelia · 10-12-2019 12:12am

newbie85 wrote: »

Hi all, just wondering if Any of you experienced hen keepers could give advice on chicken coops? I want to get one for my husband for Christmas so can't ask him! Was looking at this one https://www.farmfowl.com/product/the-amy-chicken-coop-with-run/
Would that have all I need for rescuing 4 hens? We can build a bigger run for them, but hopefully let them have the Run of the garden during the day once kids and dog get used to them. Keen to avoid rats etc. I read rescues may never perch, could they get into this?
Thanks in advance for advice!!

This is a very flimsy coop. I wouldn’t buy it. A heavier wood one from a local carpenter would be much better value for money than any of these flat pack ones.

Rescue hen coop

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