In my last post I gave you just a taster of a few breeds, that are worth trying. But there are around 400 different breeds of chickens to choose from. A useful website that has a special tool that will find you the right chicken, is mypetchicken.com. You can also look at the many different breeds, and info about them.
Part 3 of my guide is looking at the next stage – getting the coop and other equipment.
THE SHOPPING LIST.
The first item on your list is the chicken coop/house and run. Chickens won’t be fussy about how their home looks, but you will need to make it predator-proof and weather-proof. However, if you want it to look attractive in your garden, you’ll be able to find many companies selling different designs and styles online. Each design will be specifically made to accomodate a certain number of birds. The other option is to build a coop yourself.
What to consider when buying the coop.
1. It’s a good idea to buy a coop with a wooden floor, so foxes can’t dig underneath the house. Depending on where you live, you may have a variety of predators in your area - foxes, racoons, skunks, rats that will eat baby chicks etc.
2. If you’re building a fence around the coop, it should ideally be 2 metres high. This will stop the birds from flying out. The chicken wire for the fencing should be a 19-gauge thickness and 5cm mesh. Also dig about 30cm of fencing wire in to the ground, to stop predators from digging through.
3. Inside the coop. The birds will need a couple of perches across the house to roost on at night, and some nest-boxes for laying eggs.
4. The coop should have good ventilation, to prevent respiratory diseases. This can either be a window or built-in ventilation on the sides of the coop, covered with mesh wire from the inside.
Other items on your shopping list.
Water and feeding containers will be needed. These can be bought online or from an animal feed supplier. Containers to store food – I use plastic dustbins. This will keep the food fresh, store the bins in a shed if possible.
Bedding – The floor of the coop will need to be covered with either straw or wood shavings. This helps to absorb the bird droppings. You’ll probably need to clean the bird droppings away several times a week, because chickens definitely poop a lot! The nest-boxes can be lined with hay.
Food – Commercially prepared poultry feed is easily available from a good animal or horse feed supplier. This will provide all the nutrients they require. It is usually in the form of pellets or mash. Chickens can also be fed mixed corn and cereal feed.
steppingoff said,
August 2, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
Hi there – good to find your blog. Really interesting stuff and very useful.
One thing though- I bought a hen ark (presided over by my hen Mrs Noah!) – it has a wooden floor. I really only use it for the hens when they are broody so it stood empty all winter. Then I noticed the other day that there is a small perfectly round hole in one corner where I presume a little mouse has chipped away to get inside!
Now I know that hens will not tolerate mice for long, and that they can kill a mouse – but has this happened to anyone else?
Jo
hannzach said,
August 3, 2009 @ 10:32 am
Hi! I’ve never had any mice chewing through the wooden floor of my hen house – I wonder if your little mouse has got into the hen ark because it wasn’t being used, and found himself a nice warm place to sleep. I use hen houses with wooden floors now, because in the past I had a fox which actually dug right under the fence and into the hen house. So, now I am very cautious, and have tried to do everything to keep the hen house predator free.
Melanie.