I have decided to buy, not make, a hen-house. We have spent each weekend (and in my case, a big part of some of the weeks) since September, working on the people house. In spite of a trail of joiners/gas fitters/plasterers which still continues, we look like having to carry on with the work till Christmas. I have a Big Birthday (complete with bus pass!) coming up in January so I have decided that I'll buy the house and we'll make the run which will take a lot of the pressure off.
The once I fancy is
http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/poultry-housing/lenham-503-poultry-house.htm
It is the smallest of this range, suitable for up to 6 laying birds. In spite of the fact that I know many small-scale poultry keepers can't help adding to their stock (!) I know we can't eat more eggs than 4 hens will lay - and even then the family will be getting some. I'm choosing this for its ease of cleaning - we still intend to put it on a raised platform, about 18" off the ground, so there will be no bending to clean out or collect eggs. Good when you are queueing up for your bus pass. It can also be moved as it has big sturdy handles front and back so I can include the hens in the Crop Rotation!
Haven't decided when to buy. Ideally there's no point in storing it for months but nevertheless I'd like to have it for my birthday - half past January. What fun!
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3 comments:
How exciting!!!!! Good choice of hut too - and your plan to raise it on a platform is very sensible. I presume the hens will then have a ramp with ridges on it to get 'up-stairs'. The night covers on the nests will probably be useful if you get pullets that aren't yet laying - they will learn to perch at night. But remember that in summer laying will start well before you get up (unless you're always out and about before dawn) if they can't get in the nests you'll have eggs laid in the mess under the perches.
Looking forward to seeing your hens :-)
Celia
Thanks for your input Celia - I know you are an old hand where hens are concerned. this model does have a cover over the nmest boxes - and I have already decided that as the whole thing is a 60th birthday present to myself I'll go the whole hog and have an authomatic pop-hole opener too. this does mean of course, that I still need to uncover the nest boxes early! Maybe once trained to perch that might not be too bad a problem. I mainly want the auto opener for the odd occasion we are away. It's one thing to ask a friend to feed the hens - quite another to ask them to get up at 5.00!
Oooh, I love the automatic pop-hole opener,I wonder if I could find something like it here in the U.S.? That is a cute house.
I would recommend starting with chicks if you can. Handling them as young chicks has made our girls friendly and unafraid when we need to catch them for some reason.
Ali in frosty cold Maine, USA
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