The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Sharondp on July 15, 2010, 09:22:04 am
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Having had my Buff Orpie chicks in the shed, I'm seriously considering replacing my other chicken houses with sheds when they need to be replaced.
it has been a joy to clean out, so easy! No back breaking bending and twisting!
I understand you can get pop hole kits for them. I was just wondering about the inside. At the moment I just have a perch wedged between the panels on the corner.
Does anyone have pics they could put up of the insides of their sheds if you have them? I know uploading on here can be problematic (well I have trouble!), so maybe the facebook page, or email me at sharon@deepdean.co.uk
Thanks all!
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I bought a brilliant second hand shed for £100 delivered and my chickens have vacated thier proper hen house that cost me £150.00.....I will take some photos one day but at the moment too busy (just having a coffee break) I have a perch across the back and several draws on the floor all filled with straw although i have a couple of bales of straw stored in there and now they have been pulling out more and more so the floor looks comfy but a mess!! I wish I had the shed in the first place never mind!! Oh, I put lightweight plastic sheets on the floor so that they can be pulled out to clean when necessay, also keeps the shed floor dry!!!
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Hello sandy since I don't know how old you are so .Can you remember that wonderful thing called the orange box? They were good for all sorts of jobs but exactly right for the hens nest boxes. :D
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Hello sandy since I don't know how old you are so .Can you remember that wonderful thing called the orange box? They were good for all sorts of jobs but exactly right for the hens nest boxes. :D
She's a wee bit younger than me, George, but I can remember orange boxes - loads of uses for them!
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Annie - do iremember reading that you use a shed for your chickens? :chook:
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Yes, Focus diy 6 x 4 - a shelf along one side about 2 feet off the ground (windowsill from PVC conservatory so easy clean too). Vinyl on the floor, then loads of straw. Two plastic washing up basins filled with straw on the floor at the back for nesting although they often lay just on the straw. Again easy clean. Just empty and replace the old straw once a week, hose down the vinyl, sprinkle diatom earth, replace vinyl when dry, add straw, job done. Only have 4 hens left but getting another 6 ex batts at the end of the month. Plenty of room for more. I had round wooden poles wedged in the corners for perches but after reading that red mites can sit at ends then attack at night I took them out, don't think they sit on the plastic bench.
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avoid using straw for chickens as the hollow stems provide a perfect hiding place for mites
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Always have used straw. So far I've been lucky I guess.
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Did not know that about straw, I use straw too but they seem OK...I do remember orange box's and I am sure that one of the supremarkets at least had oranges for sale in them last year!!!! I am sure us lot can put anything to some good use!!!! Sometimes I get coffee in tins and yet to find a use for them although now my OH went to a wholesale shop to buy spices I might think about using them for that but that coffee smell is far too strong, nice though!! Ummmmmmmmmmm
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I use straw too, but its never in the hen house long enough to get an infestation. Clean straw is good straw.
We have our henhouse built from an old caravan chassis with two broom handles for perches and four boxes for laying - three of the boxes seem to be perfect but one of them no-one goes in for some strange reason?
I think the more random your setup is the better different hens seems to like different spaces.
Ta
Baz
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I have been following this with some interest.In proper poultry Houses of yesteryear the sort I told you us boys creosoted and was towed out into the corn fields after the corn was cut for the hens to glean the grains.Never was straw spread on the floor it leads to coccidiosis and such like.Don't forget to put 3 drops out of the red bottle in the drinking water and shak it up to mix it well. The pooh was shoveled up on Saturday mornings and spread outside and a dusting of slacked lime spread on the floor The nest boxes had a little straw in them not to much It encourages live stock to live in boy ??? :D :farmer:
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I don't use straw either. Thanks for all the replies so far - think this is definitelt the cheaper option!
Anyone got any pics?
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I'm sorely tempted to go across to sheds, as B&Q are selling their cheapo 6x4' overlap sheds for £109.
Just need to fabricate a pophole into the door & replace the perspex window... job done.
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sheds are great for hen houses.
We made a sliding - door pop hole, just by jig-sawing out a rectangle and making a frame for it,and fitting a handle. hubby keeps promising to fit an outside pulley so we can close it from outside, but actually its no bad thing goimg in to shut them in for the night - they get tamer and are dopey enough to check for any problems
we tiled the floor, and as its a Playhouse, have an "upstairs" ie a shelf to store things.
we chicken-wired the windows, and made the perspex removeable so its out in the warm weather, and keeps it warm in the winter.
....not many hens have pretty window boxes and shutters either!
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(http://i614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/th_S7000685.jpg) (http://s614.photobucket.com/albums/tt228/RuthP/?action=view¤t=S7000685.jpg)
the pop hole from inside - the door slides behind the tick bits of wood. A bit like a guillotine!!
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Hi All,
Can I please be really dim and ask: Do my chooks need a pophole? I have a small shed for my girls - I prop the door open during the day, and just shut & lock at night. The shed is inside a run made from chicken wire and the run is about 12 feet by about 6 feet.
I lay an opened out feed sack on the floor & cover it with wood shavings and the nest box has a layer of wood shavings and then a bit of straw. I clean out once a week (remove the sack on the floor & sweep out everything & get rid) & sprinkle louse & red mite powder into the shavings.
I also rake the ground in the run to remove excess "stuff".... Does this sound adequate? I AM a complete novice ???
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I'm sorely tempted to go across to sheds, as B&Q are selling their cheapo 6x4' overlap sheds for £109.
Just need to fabricate a pophole into the door & replace the perspex window... job done.
I left the perspex window in, actually blackened it with paint in an attempt to keep Jamie quiet in teh mornings. It didn't work that well as the light got in through the cracks.
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Hi All,
Can I please be really dim and ask: Do my chooks need a pophole? I have a small shed for my girls - I prop the door open during the day, and just shut & lock at night. The shed is inside a run made from chicken wire and the run is about 12 feet by about 6 feet.
I lay an opened out feed sack on the floor & cover it with wood shavings and the nest box has a layer of wood shavings and then a bit of straw. I clean out once a week (remove the sack on the floor & sweep out everything & get rid) & sprinkle louse & red mite powder into the shavings.
I also rake the ground in the run to remove excess "stuff".... Does this sound adequate? I AM a complete novice ???
No, sounds good to me. ;D The only reason for the pophole in my case is we get a lot of rain and wind, and it keeps the shed pretty well dry if they go in and out to lay rather than leave the door open. Mine are in a run too, but it gets pretty messy if they stay in there all day so they get out onto the grass fro a few hours if teh weather is OK fro tehm.
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Our ex battery hens just have the door open in the day then shut up at night it was all a bit of a rush as had 1 days notice we were getting them,got a 6x4 shed from b and q for £89 then as my dad is over 60 got an extra 10% off,see now though they have gone up in price,anyway hens loved it lots of space we put breeze blocks in for them to perch on but they would all sleep on the floor,only mod we made was to remove the perspece window as in the morning it was very hot in there,we replaced it with some chicken wire over the window space and if rain was forcasted a piece of plastic to put over it.In furture would always buy a shed.
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Piggy, not wishing to poke my nose in. Can you remember at school the class rooms had fan lights and if you were monitor you had a long pole with a curly T on the end which you put through the ring on the window catch and pulled the window.The hinges were on the bottom so the sash opened back at about 22 degrees If you made your bit of plastic like that but 2 bits of cord pull one it opens pull the other and it closes Plus it would not rain in if it was open and you were not there to put the plastic back in as now.Blood hell he's thinking again Proper pop holes are best very little rain can get in as it can if its raining the right way and you can go mad and have a slab and a solenoid with a timer that opens and lets them out while you are still clocking up zzzzzzzzzz.It is better to go and shut them up at night and reset the slide you know they are all safely tuked up and one hasn't stayed out for a Mr Fox supper. There you go a better than an Ascott at a sixth of the price After all its the addons that make it a Hen Hut and not a shed ;D :farmer: :wave:
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All good ideas Goerge - keep 'em coming!