The Poultry Keeper

dollydaydream · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Leicestershire

Hi I'm Julie

I'm a complete novice at chicken keeping and don't own any at the minute, we are hoping to get 3 or 4 quite soon and to save a bit of money want to build our own run and convert this into a coop,

http://www.buyshedsdirect.co.uk/search-garden-chest-glg-50

The measurements are 4ft2 high x 3ft1 high x 2ft10 deep

It's a very similar shape coop to one that i was going to buy with a run attached for £260. My problem is that as i'm a novice i don't really know what to do with it to make it into a good coop for the chickens but also one that is easily accessible to me and easy to clean out, will it need a separate nest box on the side?
Do you think this will make a suitable coop?, any tips on how to convert it into a good coop?

Any advice would be great

thanks, julie

Woodburner · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject:

Looks good. Put a pophole in the taller side, put make some removable perch(es) and a nest box and Bob's yer uncle! When you want to clean it out just close the pophole while the birds are out, take out the perch and nestbox, step inside and shovel out the old bedding.

mojo · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:48 pm Post subject:

or put poop door on a end and add a run on the end

dollydaydream · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Leicestershire

Thankyou for your replies, i hope you don't mind but i have a couple more questions.....

1... do i need to have a seperate nest box added onto it, what do i need for a nestbox inside the coop? would it just sit on the floor?

2... how high from the floor does the perch need to be and where is the best position for it?

3... will it need airholes? if so where and how many?

sorry for all the questions, all i can think about at the minute is chickens and building the coop and run and i keep stumbling across questions that i don't know the answer too and have no idea who to ask!!!

julie

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1088 Location: Sussex

I would do something like this Smile

just some quick sketches,

Gooluck

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1402 Location: Manchester

I would put in a good few air holes - or even just mesh over the opening on the small side so that whole section is ventilation - maybe just half of it... it'd be better to have the ventilation higher up on the tall side of it as it'd create less of a draught then. a nice big area though as ventilation is important!

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1088 Location: Sussex

ooo yeh i forgot ventillation holes, i would just cut a strip out along the top like Kitsune said and put weldmesh/chciken wire over it

dollydaydream · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Leicestershire

Thanks for all of your replies they were really helpful loved the sketch too it was nice to see how it could look.

The chest has not arrived yet but it should be here tomorrow, i can't wait to make a start on it! hopefully it will all be finished by the weekend and then next week i can collect my new chickens...... i'm so excited Very Happy

JC · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1088 Location: Sussex

its so exciting haha

mojo · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:38 am Post subject:

just a cardboard box with some wood chippings or a little sawdust will do as a nestbox .burn it when dirty.........a crisp box with the round hole is super

dollydaydream · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Leicestershire

haha i'm surprised how excited i am really, it's all i can think about at the minute and it might sound silly but i'm even dreaming about chickens and coops etc Wink

i like the idea of a cardboard box for a nest box, i work in a newsagents so there is always crisp boxes available, if i get one with a round hole in the front do i just put it in as it is then without having to cut the top off?
Hope that made sense!

debcat · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:50 am Post subject:

crisp boxes with the holes already in are briliant nest boxes Very Happy

just put some shavings in then throw thwm out when they get mucky and start again

Woodburner · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 2:44 pm Post subject:

Don't know what happened to my second post, but anyway your q's seem to have been answered Smile

Crisp box doesn't need the top cut off.

dollydaydream · Joined: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 18 Location: Leicestershire

Thankyou all for your replies, just to update you the chest should of arrived yesterday but it didn't it's now coming tomorrow ( i was so dissapointed!) looks like i'm going to have a busy weekend converting it into a coop and then hopefully next week i can get my chickens Very Happy

Yayyy i'm soooo excited .