Is this suitable?

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antw23uk

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Hello All,

Im new to the forum and i have my first question if i may :) Im still at the research stage of chicken keeping and i have been looking at chicken coops on ebay but my question is this .... Is this chicken coop big enough for two chickens for life or would they need a bigger run?

I would let them out for a supervised roam at the weekends when im in the garden but day to day are they going to be happy living in just this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130411759212&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Thanks in advance
Anthony :)
 
Hello and welcome ro the forum :)
try to buy the best and biggest you can afford- chickens are very addictive and you will probably want to add some more later :) Most of the cheap houses on ebay dont last more than a year - they are normally chinese imports and paper thin-they also say they will hold more hens than they do. If possible save your money and buy a british made, good quality coop or even a decent shed and covert it- you can always make a run to add on.I have one of the coops you are looking at and i only use it for broody hens or a few growers in the summer- in the winter it goes in the garage empty.
regards, David :)
 
Thanks David :)

Im still only researching at the moment so early days. I like the idea of adopting a couple of ex battery hens but we shall see :)
 
I'd say no, its not. Not for all year round living esepcially if they are only going to be able to go out on weekends (and evenings in summer perhaps?).

I'd say it was too small inside and out. And as Davidd said, flimsy and thin. It won't last long.

Have a look round your local garden centres and other places. You can often find locally made housing or from well known British makers.

Personally I'd avoid Ebay and go direct to a recommended ark/hen house maker who makes decent kit. I've had Jim Vyse make a hen house and run of my own design in the past. Paid close to £300 for it all up (including delivery) but it was very worth it and its still going strong 6 years later.
 
HI
I have had my 3 chickens for about 17 weeks and have a coop similar to the one you showed and i got mine from e bay too.
It is ok but..... if you start letting them out into your garden they will not be satisfied with staying in the coop. Mine are let out for a couple of hours in the evening and all day long they are pacing backwards and forward at the front of the coop waiting for me and i feel extremely guilty.
I am now searching e bay for large aviary runs approx 9x6x6 (prices ranging approx £250) so they have a little more room during the day before i let them out for a wander.
Hope this helps
 
You have to see these in the flesh to realise how tiny these are! You also have to think about where to put feeders and drinkers. I had a similar one I only use as a broody house in the summer, that is after a new reinforced floor and sides, after one of cats having a scratch and the sides disintergrating!!

Interestingly I don't know any poultrykeepers with a bit of experience actually advocating them. On ebay the way they are advertised you would thing they are the best thing since sliced bread!
 
Thank you all, your advise is very much appreciated. No wonder i couldnt find anything giving these a thumbs up :oops:
 
I've had one of these (without slide out tray or pophole door) for over 3yrs, it originally housed a couple of rabbits & was treated yearly.

After the rabbits passed away I reinstated it as a coop, put it on a 6" plinth with solid plywood base, extended the run to below the nest box, added adjustable ventilation, a pophole door, roofsealed the roof & made a detachable run which doubles the area available to my birds.

It now houses 3 sabelpoot bantams, its not ideal but does its job, although it would've have been cheaper to buy another coop & run!

I feel the basic design is good but it would need to be about 3x the size to house a few large fowl & be made out of much stronger materials.
 
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