Hi everyone,
I've been keeping chickens on and off for many years*, but not for a while because we've been living in France and Spain for 7 years. Things started getting too hot in Spain, in many senses of the word. Now we're back home and - with a 330ft long garden plus common rights - I'm getting ready for a few hens again. I was offered an old hen coop but when I got it home and it started drying, it fell apart with rot and woodworm. No probs, I broke it down for a pattern and copied each part. Almost there but have rescued the door as a nominal reminder of things passed on. I was searching "nesting box sizes" and came across a helpful blog leading right here. The nest box was completely missing so there was nothing to copy there! Still working out much cheaper than a shop-bought house. Someone was questioning whether to use straw or sawdust on the floor of the coop and in the nest box. I'd suggest oneof them for the floor, the other (preferably straw) for the box; that way they're less likely to confuse the two, lay in the house or peck the eggs.
Cheers, Alec
*to be exact, 67 years since I used to help my Dad with his. So now I qualify as a grumpy old man. Not that I'm grumpy... well, not too often...
I've been keeping chickens on and off for many years*, but not for a while because we've been living in France and Spain for 7 years. Things started getting too hot in Spain, in many senses of the word. Now we're back home and - with a 330ft long garden plus common rights - I'm getting ready for a few hens again. I was offered an old hen coop but when I got it home and it started drying, it fell apart with rot and woodworm. No probs, I broke it down for a pattern and copied each part. Almost there but have rescued the door as a nominal reminder of things passed on. I was searching "nesting box sizes" and came across a helpful blog leading right here. The nest box was completely missing so there was nothing to copy there! Still working out much cheaper than a shop-bought house. Someone was questioning whether to use straw or sawdust on the floor of the coop and in the nest box. I'd suggest oneof them for the floor, the other (preferably straw) for the box; that way they're less likely to confuse the two, lay in the house or peck the eggs.
Cheers, Alec
*to be exact, 67 years since I used to help my Dad with his. So now I qualify as a grumpy old man. Not that I'm grumpy... well, not too often...
