Advice on planned setup please?

[cobwebthegrey]

Ok, we have a mini wood, in which we are planning to put www.chickencoopsandhouses.co.uk/cc10002N.html this coop with 4 hens fpr starters and eventually the 2 days pld chicks that we are getting for the dc. We are modifying the house to sit on stilts to prevent rats living under it.

We'll be making a run with galvinised mest, about 15 ft square with a roof and burng it 30cm deep at the bottom to try and prevent vermin digging in. Will keeoing the run static like this cause me probs woth worms etc? we'll be keeping the food in metal bins in the utility room.

Does this sound like it will vermin-proof the hens enough? we live in the country so foxes a reality, in fact we've seen them around here, but I want to free range the girls during the day, am I being foolish even thinking of this??

Any advice to help out a newbie welcome! Also does that house look ok or is it too cheao and would IO bebetter off getting a more expensive one??

Thanks!

I'm lurking with interest as a potential newbie chicken fancier!

I was just about to post a question about "cheap" hen houses. I've seen this one and am not sure about the quality.

I think your idea about building a run is better than the one, for example, that comes with this hen house. I might try to find a smaller house, and put more effort and attention into building the run ourselves.

One thing i think we will do is put the run onto paving slabs. I also like the idea of rubber chips if I can afford them, as apparently they are much easier to just hose off, rather than having to scrape up and change the wood chips.

Will you have problems housing adult hens and then chicks together? Do you need a separate housing area for the chicks until they are bigger?

I'd agree with PippiL's suggestion of paving slabs with woodchip on top. Our run is static, initally we put it on grass but in little more than a week it had turned into a smelly mudbath. So we put down paving slabs with hardwood woodchip which is much nicer. We've also made a roof for the run from corrugated plastic sheets which keeps the mud down.
There is a sanitiser powder for runs which supposedly keeps worms etc down.

Stalosan F is the powder sanitiser.

I agree that concrete slabs with woodchips on is far better than earth/mud.

Personally, I find that the chicken coops with an integral covered run are the best because then the chickens have somewhere to shelter in the bad weather. I'll try and find a link. The chickenshack houses are good quality.

chicken coop here

This was our first coop, but you can get a smaller one and don't have to spend that much money. It has a covered run area and it kept the birds dry. Our new coop has perspex fitted over some of the mesh to keep the driving rain and snow out. The hens love sheltering in there during the bad weather.

another example

This is our new one. We have painted it white and blue and it looks very pretty. It's big enough for four medium size hens. Very easy to clean out and has an integral covered run which dh has lined with perspex on three sides to keep the weather out.

They also have an outside run which is part concrete flags and part earth with woodchips scattered on and some branches for perching.

Don't underestimate how miserable the weather can be and that birds hate the wet.

Thanks for all that insight Hidden and thereinmadness. We've been researching like mad and I think the only way I'mgoing to get exactly what we're looking for is to build our own. i LOVE chicken coop porn this one, but without the bottom bits, so have all the top part but section it off halfway down and just have the bottom as props to raise it off of the ground. Am then thinking that we could have the RUN raised too, so cut that off halfway down too, line it with some suitable removeable material and woochip as you guys have suggested. I'm not sure how accurate a picture I have painted there, but iyswim do you think it would work?

Also, will my chickens be safe to free range during the day in our little bit of wood if we have seen foxes? (only twice in 9 months within half a mile of here, but recently. only at night though.)

PippiL we are having just adults for a few weeks and getting the chicks later, which we will house seperately til they can go out with the grown ups!

Oh, on the one I just oinked to we will NOT be putting on tiles and the poncetastic tower thingy!!

Gah, LINKED to. feck

I only let mine free range when we are in the house, and i try to stay where i can Keep an eye on the garden I've seen foxes on our road which makes me nervous. Could you get some electric fencing to deter mr fox?