Re: some random questions from a prospective beginner
- From: "Jill" <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 08:19:58 -0000
fostandy@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hello,
I have no experience with chickens but have been considering the
possibility of keeping some for a while. I have a couple of questions
- I know there is a lot of information on the net, but it seems to
presuppose some things, or sometimes the advice even seems
contradictory - you people here seem to know a lot so I was hoping
some of you could take your time out to ask some (possibly misguided
questions)
Hi
and welcome
Firstly a bit about my situation: I'm looking at keeping about 3-4
mature chickens - the objective is for eggs, manure and basically the
experience; they will have to be permanently cooped as fencing my
entire yard is not an option at the moment.
there is also the electric netting option like
http://www.allsun.com.au/Electranets.html
e.g. http://www.downthelane.net/chickenhousing/IMAG010A.JPG
And onto the questions:
1. I've been looking at some of the small tractor-based solutions as
seen
How do you shut them into the house at night?
How long will a timber roof last?
That netting looks rather flimsy
I hate triangular houses for birds -- they are only good for the
manufacturer as they cost less to make; the birds are cramped, have poor
ventialiation and there is a greater capacity for bullying
How do you catch teh birds - the door on the end looks very ineffectual
and
http://www.cityfarmer.org/chickenhut.html
This would have to be careful made not to blow away or end up more like a
greenhouse and fry your birds
and
http://www2.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/fowl/tractor.htm
Looks very flimsy for daily moving
.. My first question is,
are these appropriate place to keep chickens PERMANENTLY?
They are "okay" but not ideal
If you are confining birds on a permanent basis one has to ask why you are
keeping them and be very careful about the breeds you keep.
Most birds are not enamoured of being on top of their neighbours 24/7.
While they can "express" themselves in that they can walk about and
dustbathe which is important to some they are nothing like what birds would
do if they had space. So its still a very artificial environment and one
which does not suit many breeds of birsd. Chickens can be terrible bullies
and confining them all the time can cause problems
I ask because some sites regarding tractors say that you
should be taking the chickens out of the tractors every night, and
moving them daily. And others seem to be semi-permanent and talk about
moving them every couple of weeks (the tractor option is really only
possible if the second is the case). As I understand egg-laying hens
will need about 10 square feet of space and a foot of roost area
(confirm?), but I'm not sure how this fits into the general statements
people have made about tractors.
The idea is that teh tractor is moved as often as required for the density
of birds and the ability for the ground beneath to coope with their actions
So there is no definite answer
And secondly, how much maintenance do these sort of devices require
(like everybody, I guess I am looking for a minimal maintenance setup)
These are high maintenance. Low maintenance is large house in a large free
ranging environment with plenty of shelter
You have to be sharp with the cleaning; sharp with the moving; provide other
entertainment if necessary as soon as any bullying takes place.
2. I live in in a fairly warm climate (Brisbane, Australia). In summer
the daytime temperature will fairly regularly reach 30 C, max out at
35 (this is 86 F and 95 F respectively for you imperial holdovers),
humidity anywhere from 50-90%. The sun is also quite strong.
Your birds wil need really good shade and shelter
Those folks more used to such weather can advise better than I !
I could not function in that heat! Heat stress can be a real problem --
again confined spaces and poor ventilation could cause major problems
Looking at some of the designs such as
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~nfantasi/Chicken%20Tractors.htm
Again -- hate the triangular house -- real ventilation and space issues
http://www.downthelane.net/chickenhousing/IMAG010A.JPG , it seems to
me like the housing areas would become incredibly hot in the daytime,
with the sun bearing down on them. I know this is certainly the case
for small sheds and the like. Is this an issue, or do the chickens
almost always stay outdoors during the day?
They need shade and shelter
Plus, these sorts of rigs do not seem to provide much outdoor shade. I
know personally I would not like to sit in the direct sunlight all
day, but then I am not a chicken. Is this also an issue?
Yes
Our version is http://www.henhouses.co.uk/grosvenor.html and if you created
a much larger size than the number of birds then you would get the
ventilated shade beneath the house - and its a full sized shelter. A square
house gives the birds maximum space so they can move around inside and get
away from each other, the hot air can rise through the corrugations of the
roof so providing a strong ventilation flow. and the upright sided run
allows the birds full access to the space provided. A white top to this run
would reflect the worst of the sun away
3. I've read in places (unfortunately I can't find the link) that you
can raise the coop off the ground, and this will allow you to (a)
provide easy ways to collect droppings for manure and (b) allow for a
lower maintenance coop (less cleaning).
However, I don't quite understand this... are they talking about
building the ENTIRE coop off the floor, or just the roost part, or is
for coops with free-ranging hens?
I guess I ask this because it seems like if you build the entire coop
off of the floor, it denies the hens access to the ground for
scratching etc, which I've been told is pretty important.
Its why folks say they have birds.
You can put them in units that have not scratch but then its nearly termed a
battery unit - its what the Victorians started with
Some might say highly confined birds in small runs permanently are not much
better off.
Anyway, at the moment I am still very much in the preliminary
investigation stage - depending on the answers I'll see how feasible
this is for me.
If you can I would go for something like
http://www.henhouses.co.uk/stafford.html with the electric netting as that
gives the birds much more space and freedom, its much less labour intensive,
and you have space to put in more effective shade or around trees and
shrubs.
How big a space do you have?
What are your predator threats?
These are important too
Have fun and let us know how your decision making progress goes
--
regards
Jill Bowis
Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk
.
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