The Poultry Keeper The Independent Forum for Poultry Keepers    FAQ   Search     Register   Log in  My Chicken House Set Up          The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Feeding and Housing Author Message GTB Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Heart of Wiltshire Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:40 pm    Post subject: My Chicken House Set Up This is my set up: I decided to build the shed so it had a clear void underneath to stop vermin from nesting and to prevent the chicken house from being damp. The shed (which I was given - all it needed was a coat of paint and some new felt) was sat on a 6" * 2" salvaged timber frame and supported on four salvaged railway sleepers. The sleepers were dug into the ground a couple of feet and the soil compacted around them giving the shed a very solid base. This is the shed at the start of its construction. I have made sure to put plenty of screws in the base so the wind doesn't take it! The chicken pen will be on the right hand side of the house. I will construct a vertical sliding door to allow the hens access to the house - this will be operated by a pully near the main door so I don't have to keep going in the pen. As you can see I had a bit of help building the house. I built the gate from salvaged timber which was hung ready to put the wire on. The gate posts are 4" * 4" timber (which I had to buy along with two T hinges - the only expenditure so far!). These posts are dug into the ground nearly three feet and connected to the shed to give extra stability. Because of a possible fox threat I dug in a 9" * 3" timber covered in ex-met between the gate posts so that no predator could dig into the pen under the gate. This is the feeder I use - a spring loaded water tight barrel which the chicken can then help themselves to whenever they fancy a bit of corn. It also has the added bonus of virtually zero waste which means I'm not feeding the local bird and rodent population. A bag of mixed corn lasts around 14 days. I also move the feeder around the pen every four or five days or so. Here's some shots of the pen. At present there is 15 hens and one cockerel in a pen which covers 300m2. The grass in the pen will have to be mown again because the chicken can't keep up with the growth of the grass. The eggs we have off the chicken have the most amazingly rich and dark yellow yolks because of the amount of grass and other greens they eat combined with their mixed corn. This is the inside of the hen house. All the perches are removable and there is 8 nest boxes - so the hen gets a choice. Back to top mojo Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 10900 Location: GLENAY north deux sevre FRANCE Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:27 pm    Post subject: very well done..... a bag or two of play sand under the house will make a super dust bath......stand you water drinker on a paving slab to cut down mud.............and go round and check your fences after amonth .....well done Back to top debra Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 13 Location: Rochdale, Lancashire Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: You've made a really nice job there, well done. I bet your chickens love their new home. Back to top minstrelmerrymaker Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 227 Location: ISLE OF WIGHT Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:44 pm    Post subject: Brilliant job, you dont want to come and live at my house do you? Very well thought out! Back to top kated Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 2021 Location: norfolk Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 5:19 pm    Post subject: I'm very envious of the amount of land you have - you need more chickens Back to top EGirl Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1263 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:13 pm    Post subject: My thoughts exactly Kated! Back to top Dusty Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 935 Location: St. Asaph Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 7:28 pm    Post subject: Love your set up. I've got some barrels like yours, how do you adapt them for 'spring loading' please? Back to top Pekinout Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1183 Location: Cornwall Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:09 pm    Post subject: Cracking house and run, well done you! Plenty of room there for more chickens though Back to top GTB Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Heart of Wiltshire Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:23 pm    Post subject: Dusty wrote: Love your set up. I've got some barrels like yours, how do you adapt them for 'spring loading' please? The screw top barrel is one that we got from our local Indian Restaurant which originally contained mango chutney. I fixed three legs onto the barrel high enough so that a hen didn't have to crane her neck upwards to peck the spring or low enough that a rat could reach the spring. The spring was a surplus one from our pheasant shoot but you can pick them up from most good agricultural stores. To fit one all you have to do is drill a hole in the bottom of the barrel just big enough for the spring to pass through and drop it into place - simple as that. mojo wrote: very well done..... a bag or two of play sand under the house will make a super dust bath......stand you water drinker on a paving slab to cut down mud.............and go round and check your fences after amonth .....well done The soil under the house is very dry and is already being used every day for dust bathing. The hens have dug little pits in which to lay in and flick the dry soil over themselves. The water drinker, which is replenished totally each morning is indeed on a slab to cut the mud down. The only thing left to do to my set up is to put up some guttering and maybe have a water butt. I'm a bit wary of using harvested water from a butt because of the build up over the months/years of bacteria. I have heard of some people using cider vinegar to spice the water to keep is fresh but I think I will put it to other uses. Back to top JC Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 1099 Location: Sussex Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:19 pm    Post subject: Great setup! Back to top Sparklepeeps Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1960 Location: Cheshire Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 9:15 pm    Post subject: Wow! I am SERIOUSLY impressed! Back to top Dusty Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 935 Location: St. Asaph Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:54 pm    Post subject: Thank you GTB for the good idea Back to top Tarka Joined: 21 Dec 2007 Posts: 401 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:17 pm    Post subject: NICE WORK Back to top Welsh Duck Joined: 18 Jul 2007 Posts: 2040 Location: Herefordshire/Welsh Border Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 9:32 am    Post subject: I'm very impressed, Great pen Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First         The Poultry Keeper Forum Index -> Feeding and Housing All times are GMT + 1 Hour Page 1 of 1 Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group