Mobile chicken hut?
- From: "David \(in Normandy\)" <NotValidForDavidInNormandy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:07:09 +0200
"Janet Baraclough" <janet.and.john@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
You should, in any case, always make a henhouse that's big enough
too keep the whole flock locked inside comfortably for several days when
need be. Quite apart from govt regs there will always be your own
need-be's; visitors with killer dogs, lying snow, very hard freezes,
when there's a fox about, possibly while you're away for a weekend. If
you confine several hens in a tiny hutch the stress puts them off lay,
encourages egg and feather pecking etc. Even if you intend the hens to
completely freerange, it can also be useful to have a small outdoor run
immediately outside their pophole, for those occasions when hens are not
invited (like barbecues, and painting the house in a colour that does
not match the hens).
It will be much, much easier and pleasanter for you to clean, collect
eggs etc, if the henhouse is tall enough to for you to walk round
inside. Also, the extra air space keeps it cooler in summer and the air
drier in winter. Heat and damp atmosphere are bad for hen health.
Ideally, locate the henhouse in light shade (if it turns into a baking
oven by day they will be reluctant to go inside to lay), and on the
shadiest, most sunless wall, install a window. The extra light it gives
am and pm while the hens are confined, will make a real difference to
autumn/winter/early spring egg production. Install a ratproof floor from
the outset, otherwise, sooner or later they will eat their way in for
the chicken pellets and eggs.
We made a shed sized chicken hut out of scrap wood, a scrap window,
scrap roof, hinges etc. It's still standing 25 years later.
Janet.
Thanks Janet, I've saved your posting for future reference for when I build
the house.
I was planning on making the henhouse moveable, on wheels - the logic being
that I could periodically move it around (a few yards per week). This would
allow me to:
1. Move the hens to other parts of the land, rotating where they feed and
mess.
2. Move the entire henhouse into the garage over Winter, with just their
door aligned with an opening in the garage - this would hopefully keep the
hens warm without needing extra heating if it goes sub zero outside. It
would also be convenient to provide electricity for lighting to extend the
daylight hours and hopefully laying.
However, in your posting you recommend it being tall enough to walk around
inside the shed for better temperature and humidity, so it makes me wonder
if it could still be mobile - I'm quite a big strong bloke so it doesn't
matter if it is a bit heavy, and it is only for 4 hens so shouldn't need to
be too large? I'm just wondering if it would be too heavy?
One question - I was planning on using strong galvanised steel mesh for the
floor of the hut, so most of the mess simply falls through to the ground -
this wouldn't be a problem with a mobile hut moved regularly. However to
keep rats out what size holes should the mesh have? I read somewhere that
mice aren't a problem as the hens would polish them off!
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: Mobile chicken hut?
- From: Rob & Shel
- Re: Mobile chicken hut?
- Prev by Date: Re: Humane practices...
- Next by Date: What a difference a breed makes
- Previous by thread: Humane practices...
- Next by thread: Re: Mobile chicken hut?
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
|
