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Kimbab71

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Hello from me a total rookie when it comes to keeping chickens. I have gained huge amounts of info from this forum already and am on my way to setting everything up. I will however be starting very small with only 3 chooks and can't even have them until my Lurcher foster dog has been homed! He's not shall we say 'small furry friendly'!
I will definitely be on here quite a bit seeking advice and information...... It's a fabulous site to have! :-)17
 
Welcome to the flock!

We are slowly trying to acclimatise one of our friends' dogs to the chickens… it comes to live with us when they go on holiday and it would be nice if it didn't try to "fetch" the birds, being a Labrador.
 
Hi Kimbab, and welcome from me, too. What sort of birds do you hope to get, and where do you plan to keep them?
It's a good time of year to be thinking about starting up, with a whole summer of laying ahead.
 
Welcome to the forum Kimbab71. Sure we will be able to offer some relevant advice when you tell us what 3 hens you intend starting with. Good idea to rehome the dog first as new chickens need as little stress as possible when they arrive.
 
I have found a local supplier who breeds for the small holders/ garden poultry etc so I quite fancy their own Oxford Browns and the Nera. Maybe a couple of each? Both are Rhode Island Red crosses.
We have only been in our house for about 10 weeks and have a nice sized garden so want to fulfil the dream of having my own chucks. I have already bought the coop which is big enough for up to 4 chucks. The run however is nowhere near enough big enough for them, so we will extend that. While clearing some undergrowth at the bottom of the garden, we found an old greenhouse frame, so we might put that together and wire it up as a run for them?
 
That sounds good. A note of caution about the coop, before you commit to four hens - many suppliers say their coops will hold more birds than is actually the case, especially as you're getting fairly good - sized hybrids and have realised the run is too small. Is it possible for you to post the link for us to see?
We advise a minimum of 2 sq. metres of run space per bird, as overcrowding often leads to feather pecking, stress and bullying. Security is important, too - a greenhouse frame might well form the basis of a secure run, if you could clad the sides with weldmesh and either mesh over the top, or preferably cover the roof with clear plastic panels, to keep the run drier. Then you will need to secure the base so foxes can't dig in - either bury a deep skirt of mesh all round, or cover the floor with mesh and wire it to the sides to make a mesh box. Foxes are very common nowadays, and even if you haven't seen any, they will patrol large territories and you can't rely on them not being within earshot of your gently clucking hens. A fox will indiscriminately kill them all within a few minutes if it gets into the garden and they're unprotected. This has happened even in daylight when hens were free ranging and people were outside, especially in urban areas where foxes aren't so afraid of people as truly wild foxes may tend to be.
 
http://www.oxfordpoultry.co.uk/Oxford_Poultry/Chickens_for_sale.html

I'll be getting 2 Oxford Browns and 2 Nera. We went to see them on Saturday and will be collecting them on the 14th Feb.
There has been a change of plan on the 'greenhouse' run. All the sides aren't there so we have bought 30 metres of weld mesh wire and my husband is going to make a BIG run so that the coop will sit inside.
We have a large raised bed (roughly 6m x 3m) in the garden that I was hoping to get rid of, but we have now decided as there are already walls to it (about a foot high), we are going to dig some of it out, build the run on top of that. My father in law has a whacker plate so we can flatten the soil down and then we will face it with sand. That way we can dig the wire down into the soil stopping any unwanted visitors. It will be fully enclosed with a door access.
I'll get pics when I can x
 
http://s297.photobucket.com/user/Kimbab_photos/media/imagejpg1-2.jpg.html

This is the coop I have. It's 8' long but as you can see the run is far too small for 4 birds.
 
That sounds really good about the run. What size is the coop inside? It looks a bit small for four hybrids to me. You may find that some of them sleep in the nestboxes if there's not much perch space, which means dirty eggs in the morning unless you can get down there very early to clean out overnight poo. They need about 9-10 inches of perch space each, and if there are two perches they need to be at least 15" apart, with a space of 12" minimum between the perch and a coop wall, to allow for tails. Did the description of the coop suggest four hens? Many people have found that they need to buy a coop supposedly for six+ hens to house four comfortably.
 
I think this happens to everyone first time round. My coop said 4 and I now know it's fit for 2 at a pinch. But its not to difficult or expensive to extend. In a couple of years I will build a custom coop, now I know what would be the most serviceable in our garden for size, access and cleaning.
 
The coop has two nest boxes and two perches. If possible I may see if I can buy an extra nest box to add on to give them more room.
Coop is designed for 3-4 birds it says on their website.
 
We have a coop identical to that Kimbab71, but the run is a little shorter. We put three pullets in it and doubled the run size but it was clearly far too small because one had to sleep in the nest box. We moved them quite quickly into one of our larger 'breeding' coops with a 4 ½ square metre run which has a full length perch. They are only kept in there for a few hours in the morning, which they dislike a lot, and then they free range within a secure enclosure.

Notice that your posted coop has no ventilation. Four birds in there in Summer will suffocate. We removed the top two windows and fitted mesh, but that leaves them in a draught in Winter, so only a short term fix. I've increased the height of the roof by 3" and will fit ventilation up there and replace the windows. We've also added 8" of boarding all round to protect them from wind. The roof disintegrated after 12 months and was replaced, as was the nest box lid. The coop has been painted to stop rain going through the wood.

I'd recommend looking at a different coop, aiming to spend twice as much on a product that will last. Then add a covered run which is at least 8m2.
 
Yes, I'm afraid that, when these imported Chinese coop say '3-4 birds' it really means a maximum of two. Sadly, many people new to poultry keeping take the specifications as reliable, when you have seen for yourself how small the run is, in relation to the number of birds suggested. Adding another nestbox would not be a good idea, two boxes are fine for 4 hens, and one of the first things you should do when getting new pullets is to train them to roost on the perches, not in the boxes, because otherwise the boxes get filthy and hence the eggs also. (You just have to go down once they've gone to bed, for a few nights, and if necessary lift them on to the perches, they soon get the idea.)
I agree with Chris about ventilation, as well. Chickens need a constant flow of air through the coop, winter and summer. They don't feel the cold, but they need cool, dry air, to prevent condensation and the transmission of bronchial diseases. If your run is really secure you can leave the pophole open all the time, which will help a lot, but you still need ventilators at roof level as well.
If your run is going to be covered, the wood of the coop will last longer than if it's out in the rain, but it will be made of very thin stuff which many people have found to warp and leak after a year or less. If you're going to leave it out in the rain, it will need several coats of wood preservative or creosote, and time allowed for this to dry completely and the fumes to disperse, before the hens go in. At this time of year, this could take a couple of weeks at least.
Sorry to be so gloomy, we don't mean to upset you, but it's perhaps best to find out these things before putting any birds in there. Since you obviously won't be needing the run itself, as you have plans for something MUCH better, I would hold off on getting the birds and see if you can get a refund on the coop/run combo, and spend the money on a more suitable coop for the number you intend to keep. In any case, wait until the new run is completed and safe for them, before they arrive. They need the space and safety of the run they're going to live in, right from the start. Chickens hate change, even moving a coop to the opposite side of a run is a major upset!
Or, of course, with this coop, why not just get two to start with, and see how you get on?
 
Just a thought, It sounds like your greenhouse can be made secure and if its 8 square metres or more then it should be big enough for 4. My 3 hens outgrew their roosting box within weeks so now lay in the nest/roosting box and roost in the run on a piece of 2 by 2 with smoothed edges and with sheltered sides and a roof. Their run is an extention which in your case would be the greenhouse. If it got really cold they can find shelter in the original roosting box at a squeeze but they seem to prefer to roost 18 inch off the ground and that would require a seriously large box! But Marigold is right, of course - its worth holding off until your sure things are as well set as they can be rather than trying to Heath Robinson a solution as you go along as I have done!
 
We aren't using the green house frame now, we are purpose building a run.
The coop was bought a couple of weeks ago and has had a 'good' coat of creosote inside and out, with two coats to the roof and nest box roof. Sadly won't be able to return it now though. We have been planning this for a while so everything will be in place and ready for when the birds arrive as I don't want them upset anymore than is necessary. The run that we are planning will be big enough for them. I also have garden netting (like the orange you see along roadworks) so they will be able to have time in limited spaces around the garden.
There is ventilation in the back wall of the coop, which isn't shown in the picture. I was a little concerned about this when purchasing, but as my hubby works with wood, he could have sorted that anyway, but it was already there. I am however getting worried now about the size of the coop. I wanted to get 4 as this is the maximum I would have and didn't want to add birds at a later date, so as not to upset the apple cart.
I don't know what to do now?
 
It would be fine to get two now, which would leave room to get another pair in due course. You always need to add at least two at a time, because if you introduce a single hen she is always bullied and treated like the 'gooseberry' who never really belongs with the others. But if later on you get a pair, and keep them apart from the others with netting for a couple of weeks where they can see each other, the new ones will bond with each other and the introductions usually go more smoothly. There would be the advantage of having two generations of hens if you added younger ones in the autumn, or next Spring, or whenever you felt ready, because otherwise, if they're all the same age, you will be flooded with eggs the first two years (more than two dozen every week) and after that the supply will diminish and you'll be left with 'pensioners' that you may feel too fond of to cull, but are unproductive. I try to introduce a couple of new pullets every year or so. At present I have two girls who are nearly five years old, still laying very occasionally, two more who are nearly three and laying about 3 times a week, and two new ones who pretty much lay every day, about 20 eggs a week, which is too many for the two of us, I end up giving lots of them away. Introducing new ones isn't too difficult if you go about it the right way. I think you might learn more about chicken keeping if you did it in stages as well.
I'm not trying to persuade you to cut down on numbers, because I know what it's like once you begin to get Morehens Disease - we all know what that's like! Just saying, if you take the longer view about where you want to be in 3-4 years time with your hens, you might prefer to still have room for some younger, new ones. And then you could see how the coop turns out, and whether you want to make any changes.
 
Thank you Marigold for the sound advice it all makes perfect sense xx
 
Hi Kimbab, I'm going to move this thread to the General Chickens forum, as it's got lots of info in it which people may miss if it stays in the Welcome area. I expect it will go on being interesting, especially once you get your girls!
 
Thank you for doing that x

Having had an in depth chicken conversation with hubby tonight, we have decided to sell our brand new and as yet un used coop! We feel that it would be easier to sell it now rather than later on and cut our losses. I am determined to have happy hens so want everything to be perfect BEFORE they arrive. Sooooo
We have decided to hold off until the end of Feb for getting the birds, which gives me time to buy and treat a new coop. Now as we will be building a run that is big enough, we won't require one attached to the coop, so I have found the following coop which I like.
http://s297.photobucket.com/user/Kimbab_photos/media/imagejpg1-3.jpg.html

My question to you lovely people is......... Will this be ok, baring in mind it's for 4 birds?
Details as follows-
Key Product Information
Size 155cm x 125cm x 110cm
Suitable For 9 to 12 birds*
2 nest boxes with 3 compartments each = 6 in total
lockable metal lined pull out tray (front & back)
4 perches
secure solid big front door / ramp with secure lUock
large rear door with secure lock
legs covered by rot free adjustable plastic cap / leg
Front Ventilation door
2x triple nest box included
Dims incl nest box and roof overhangs approx: (155cm x 125cm x 110cm)
Fully opening roofs for easy cleaning
 
The droppings tray pulls out under the pop hole it appears. As such, in use you won't be able to remove it Kimbab71. I'd look carefully at the weather sealing of the nest box lids because rain can drive into the nest boxes sometimes. None of our coops are at ground level because bending down is awkward and rats are encouraged to get under it. I don't like jointed roof panels because driving rain gets through them and they don't weather well.

Buying a good coop is very difficult, which is why we build all of ours. My preference in the UK would be a Green Frog coop stood on a custom built plinth.
 
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