we're thinking of getting some chickens. i know we were thinking of getting a pup not long ago but we've decided that right now we don't have the time for a pup & it would be unfair. we've been umming and ahhring over getting chickens for about 3 years now and we think that this summer be the time for us and we've just unexpectedly come into a bit of money wooooohooooo.

so the point of this thread, alex wants to build a hen house and run from scratch but i'm worried that it wont be secure enough and i have no idea on what dimensions are needed not just for house & run but also places to roost. i think as we've just got some money we weren't expecting, to just go out & buy one. and we'll still have to buy all the wood anyways and it'll take ages so i don't think we'll be saving that much.

so home built versus bought new? what do you have/would prefer?

is there anywhere on the net you can get/buy plans for a hen house?

sorry that was a bit garbled but i'm in a rush lol.

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steph & alex along with

parrots: senegal, african grey & blue headed pionus
mammels: children, exeedingley black cat, yorkie, frech lop, mini lop & 4 babies.
herps & inverts: corn snake & 5 gals

My hubby just made a house and run for a friend of ours he pretty much made a 3ftx3ft box with pitched detachable roof and nesting trays inside and run to get in and out of it with a small slot down door to shut them in he then made a chicken wire fence around the area the women wanted to keep the chickens in the space was about 6ft by 8ft but im sure someone else will be able to advise you better then me

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RIP Frodo mummy will always love you
www.freewebs.com/lutonferretrescue

Everything said above is pretty much your basic most are made like that ours is to, but we let ours roam arounf freely because they come home to roost it all depends on your neighbours anyway. For siize requirements it depends what chickens your gunna get and wether you indend on breeding them and having roosters. We personally have bantams which our small and very docile chickens we used an old shed for they roost box they work well as they are tall and easy to get a hold of second hand and free you then just drill a couple of beams across. Hope this helps.

i want a bit of a mixture, the reason i wasn't sure about size is because one of the types of chicken i want is a buff orpington and they're pretty big. and i would like some ex battery hens as well when i next hear of some becoming available.

so what size house & run would i need for say, 2 orps & 4 the size of rhode island reds? they will have the run of the garden as well but i still want a decent sized run for them for when i can't supervise them free ranging.

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steph & alex along with

parrots: senegal, african grey & blue headed pionus
mammels: children, exeedingley black cat, yorkie, frech lop, mini lop & 4 babies.
herps & inverts: corn snake & 5 gals

try searching the river cottage forum loads of info.and also the classifieds for the hens.something the size of a 6x4 shed but not as tall as arnt buffs quite large,run wise as much as you can give them.try using pallets for wood or skip surf.also look out for 2nd hand aviarys,kennels or sheds,alot cheaper than paying £300+ for a house & run. i got 4 hens free roaming 3 norfolk greys and a norfolk/light sussex hybrid.

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I built my own, mostly from reclaimed timber (thankyou Freecycle!) so it was quite cheap, about £150 in all. It's approx 14 feet x 8 feet, roofed over and high enough to stand in, with a large coop attached to one end. The back and one end are formed by the garden fence which saved a lot of work, although we rebuilt the fence at the time anyway as the old one was a mess!
Whatever you do make sure you use welded wire mesh, not "chicken wire" as a determined fox can easily bite through that. At the bottom of each side I put a wide gravel board, and that stands on paving slabs all the way round so foxes cannot dig at the base.
My birds are Brahamas and quite big, smaller breeds can make do with a lot less space, especially if you let them roam the garden during the day.

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2.3.0 Southern Painted Turtles
1.0.0 Florida Red Belly
2.1.1 Common Musks
1.0.0 Classic Cornsnake
0.0.2 GALS + infinite babies
0.1.0 Tibetan Spaniel
1.2.0 Brahma Chickens

Make sure the coop has adjustable ventilation too and plenty of it. The best way to do that is make horizontal hinged flaps that you can open, with wire behind for safety. I only fully close ours on very cold nights in winter. They're wide open at the moment.

My lot have the bottom of the garden to roam. I just fenced the garden off from one side to the other so they have the area behind. Works a treat.

Chickens are awesome!

If you want to see some coops google P and T Poultry and The Poultry Pen.

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