[chriso]

I'm setting about cleaning it out today then going to give it a spruce up before putting hens in.

It is a basic A frame with pen and nest boxes but no roosting bars. Should I fit bars to stop them sleeping in the nests?

[Rosemary]

I would - 2" x 2" bar with the corners rounded off for comfort, but not round perches (hard to stay on!). Close grained wood to deter the red mite.

Otherwise, you'll be picking sh1t out of the nestboxes every morning.

[chriso]

Thanks Rosemary, I just spent the morning scraping it all out.

[Rosemary]

You may want to try scorching it with a blowtorch to kill any nasties. That's the recommended technique for bee hives.

[chriso]

Well cleaning it out has lead to stripping it out  . It was very badly designed which let worms, lice, maggots etc find a nice cosy place to hide - but not any more! I'm going to build a nest box to add on the back then the original space can be used for roosting.

Should the nest boxes be lower than the perches?

[Rosemary]

Neither should be more than 18" off the ground or they can hurt their legs. THis month's Country Smallholding had neat plastic nest boxes - easy to clean, too