newbie needing answers please.

[Anonymous]

Ok guys, We are new to all this so we are still learning. We have our chicks incubated,and we have partly made our 'chicksville'. We have sectioned off the top of our garden and fenced it all off, its about 15ftx15ft with a big shed. I'm just wondering what to do inside the shed? I mean how do i shelve it? do they need seperate boxes or do they huddle together i'm really quite confused about this? I've never actually seen inside of a hen house and when i have googled it i can't find a picture of inside the house, I sort of know what a nesting box looks like. This may sound a bit daft to all you experienced poultry keepers so please excuse my lack of knowledge if this sounds really blonde. (to which i am) haha. Any help greatly received.
Thanks, Natalie x

 

[Deleted Account]

Hi Natalie
several companies actually sell hen house interiors - even if you dont buy one, it would be worth looking online, to see what they look like. From memory, I think Flytesofancy have one
really good luck, you'll enjoy your new hobby, I'm sure. This is a pic from the day our new sussex and frizzles arrived - I dont usually take pics inside the coop, but it gives you the idea, and the coop was new that day - nice smooth perches, inside finished off with real creosote, bedmax bedding, the white powder is anti red mite stuff - we put it everywhere.
On the opposite side of the coop are nest boxes - it is really easy to find pics of them online

 

[Tim]

Hi Natalie,

Yes, perches are normally required (some larger breeds do prefer the floor though)

Here's a photo inside one of my houses. You will need to provide enough nestboxes for your hens in a quiet corner - hens like somewhere dark / private to lay.


Here's another one of a very quick and cheap nestbox I made (it doesn't stay white for long!) It was made from an IKEA cupboard unit and cost about £10-£12 I think...



Hope this helps!

Tim.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Venessa, Hi Tim, Thanks very much for your replies and pictures they have really helped, I now have a picture in my head of what to do. My mom has an old cupboard/unit which we can have so I think we'll use that. What lovely birds you both have.... ooOOoo I'm so excited now, I can't wait. Thanks again.
Natalie x

 

[Anonymous]

Like Tim says larger birds are safer on the floor also Silkies dont roost high perfer the floor but when they are learning 4-6 inches off the floor to start with. I love to see peps recycling old cupboards are fine. Good luck with the babies

 

[Lucylou]

I'm so glad I've found this old post. Thanks Vanessa for your photo, great help.
I got my first chooks a year ago & had a very small garded shed which had never been put together so thought that would make a good coup. Soon decided I wanted a few more chooks so built an 'extension' Now I'm worried that the slatted style will be a hiding place for mites. I've also worried that the arrangement of perches & boxes etc isn't right!! Worrying like the proverbial mother hen

 

[Tim]

Well Lucylou - if they are laying in nestboxes and not on the floor / outside then that answers one question. As for Red Mite - they get everywhere in any sort of crack - I've seen them in the grain of course wood, inside the slot of screw heads, and inside the gap in rope knots that hold feeders up... best bet is to do a spot check from time to time with a white tissue at night on the underside of the perches - or just look carefully with a torch. During the day, you can look for tell take grey dust around cracks or look under perches. They won't be far from where your birds roost.

Snifter and I are preparing some FAQs on things like Red Mite - they should be ready soon but there's an article on Red Mite on poultrykeeper if you haven't seen it..

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

i provided my hens with what i tought were lovley nest boxes, but like hens do they decided that an old troft half way up the wall was where they wanted it and haven't even been near the one's i spent time organising. so be prepared to moved stuff around as they can be bit funny.