hello i'm new!

[jacqfrost]

Hi, I am still in the research stage of my quest to keep chickens! i am driving my husband mad with my research, everytime he walks in the room i am looking up coops or runs or health issues!
eventually once i finally make a decision on the coop and run, i am planning on getting 3 hybrids. Hoping to get a Black Rock, a speckledy and maybe a blubell or colombian blacktail or ....... well the list is endless really!

Can't afford to spend more than £200 on coop and run, and really like the idea of it being raised off the ground so nothing(rats/mice) can nest underneath. think i have pretty much settled on the Dorset from chicken coops direct. Chickens will be in the run up till 2pm during the week and i will let them out in the garden to free range in the afternoon/evening and weekends.
Your opinions/suggestions/coop and run recommendations would be most welcome.

Thanks

 

[Marigold]

Hi Jacqfrost and a big welcome to the Forum at this exciting stage in your new life as a poultry keeper!
Like you, we are all on a budget, but its important at this stage to get the basics right, as you obviously realise. The priority is a run which is big enough for the girls and secure against predators. For three girls you will need a minimum of 6-8 sq. metres of run space and a possible problem with runs attached to coops is that its hard to get enough space in the run to match the number of hens the coop will hold. I dont know what sortof coo and run you are thinking about, but if you would like to post a link to the site you are looking at, maybe people could help you from their own experience. We all like the idea of spending other people's money on chicken products! The are lots of threads on here about coop and run design which may be interesting for you to browse as well.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Jacqfrost and welcome to the forum. First thing I would say would be to double your expenditure on a coop and buy something re-saleable. I am not keen on Bluebells -funny natured things and ours was a problem. Perhaps think of a plastic second-hand coop (wood has pest issues).

 

[foxy]

Is it this one?

http://www.chickencoopsdirect.com/dorset-with-run.htm#reviews

Very small run attached. The quality of the house itself is poor, being made from imported softwood, my main concern would be the run size. You might be better off buying the house and manufacturing a good size run for it based on a minimum of 2 sq metres of run space per bird. Hybrids do need space otherwise behavioural problems such as feather pecking will occur, and hybrids are more prone to this type of behaviour than their pure bred counterparts.

It is good that you are doing all your research now, time spent thinking and asking questions re: your new hobby will be time very well spent.

Also have a look here on our website for articles you may also find helpful

http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/beginners-guide-to-keeping-chickens

 

[jacqfrost]

Thanks for the welcome and replies. More food for thought!
Yes foxy that is the one! In your opinion would the house be big enough for 3 hybrids?
Also with proper weather proofing and regular upkeep do you think it would last a few years? i might see if i can talk the other half into making me a run extention!
My husband is a carpenter and could make me a fabulous coop and run given time(perhaps it could be my christmas present from him). But at the moment he is far too busy with work to be able to :-(

 

[chrismahon]

We had a coop made of that imported wood. It came free with three hybrids; the original owners realised immediately that the run was too small and started building a bigger one. But two weeks later the husband developed a chronic allergy to chicken feather dust and they had to go. The coop leaked badly THROUGH the wood and needed three coats of Cuprinol shades to improve matters. Red mite loved it with so many places to hide. Then the roof fell apart -the glue wasn't waterproof and the design was terrible (still haven't fixed it as it is rather awkward). If you buy one of those you may scrap it in 12 months. It has no resale value. Spend twice as much and 2 years later you would get half what you paid new. I'm thinking ahead now. When you catch Morehens disease Jaqfrost and need a bigger coop!

It's a good idea to consider the coop and run as separate entities. I have yet to see a coop/run combination bought as a package where the run is even half as big as it needs to be. I would advocate 4 square metres each for permanently confined hybrids -half that if they get time free ranging every day without fail. Stress soon builds up.

 

[Marigold]

I think another problem with this particular coop is access for cleaning. The actual run area looks as if it's about waist height, and I don't see how you could get in to do your daily poo picking, take out and refill the water and feeder, let alone catch and examine your birds. Its good that the front of the coop comes off easily, but again I think it would be inefficient and very hard on the back to have to reach in and down to get the droppings picked up from the floor, let alone giving it a proper clean periodically to help prevent or treat redmite. Also, if you didn't want the hens to get out whilst you attended to the coop, I think you might have a bit of a job keeping them inside!
As Chris says, its really much better if possible to make a strong run with a freestanding coop, then you can walk right in to the run to attend to your girls, as well as just sitting in there with them to observe them, get to know them, and generally play with them. I find this very peaceful and therapeutic, I love the way they just gently converse with each other all the time, and when I'm in there with them I sort of feel more part of the flock than I would if they were in a cage and I was outside it. And I'm as certain as I can be that they are safe in the run when I'm not with them - when I got back to keeping chickens a few years ago, after a break, at first I didn't have this run, like you my OH was busy, and I worried about them in their overcrowded, not-very-safe temporary accommodation. Every time I got back from shopping I rushed down the garden to count the hens. Twice, one was missing - heart in mouth, I searched for feathers - but she had just flown over the hedge int next door's garden, I was lucky. But there have been some heartbreaking storied on here when people's lovely hens have been attacked by foxes, it can happen anywhere nowadays.